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| God is... |
It might have been 15 or 20 years ago when I heard it
projected women worldwide would experience acceptance and equality around the
year 9,000 and something. That
seemed like an interminably long timeline. But that was before the Internet was a household experience
bringing the condition of the world, and people who want to make it a better
place, just a click away. I am
hoping our ease with communication will now revise that timeline downward.
Former President Jimmy Carter’s new book, “A Call to Action—Women, Religion, Violence and Power,” encouraged me with his insight and
frank writing. He wrote, “The
relegation of women to an inferior or circumscribed status by many religious
leaders is one of the primary reasons for the promotion and perpetuation of
sexual abuse.” And, “…there is no
greater challenge than the full embrace of women’s equal rights by religious
leaders, institutions and believers alike.” Among the many shocking statistics Carter presented were 200
– 300 children are sold in Atlanta, GA each month, and if the perpetrators are
caught, there is generally a $50.00 fine.
The United States ranks 23rd in achieving equal status for
women; and America is at the bottom, among industrialized nations, for women
dying in child birth despite spending more per average patient. Worldwide there is genocide of girls, rape as a weapon of
war; “honor” killings, usually by a male relative of any female only suspected
of improprieties or refusing an arrange marriage; genital cutting; child
marriage and dowry deaths. Maybe
the year 9,000 and something doesn’t seem so incredible after all.
I am grateful to former President Carter for his bold
statements on religion and women, and the admission that he, and his wife
Rosalynn, left their former church since it did not support the ordination of
women. I felt supported for doing
likewise. It is so encouraging to
know that this former President, and his wife, continue to address serious
problems in the world through their Carter Center, especially in areas where
there is little other aid. And I
am again reminded that the independence I enjoy today is because of other
courageous men, women, and elected officials, whose efforts created the Civil
Rights Act, with its prohibition of discriminating against women in the
workplace.
What if we all voted for the best candidates to make our
world a better place for everyone?
How much faster would acceptance and equality be achieved?
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