It turns out that America's worst-ever president is also a really bad theologian. And not just bad, but horribly, historically, logically and politically-correct bad. He makes Bishop Spong look almost intelligent.Last Friday, he gave an address to the participants of the Parliament of World's Religions that was held in Melbourne Australia, and his talk centered on the urgent need for religious equality for women and girls. Now, that's just code for "women's ordination", which is why he singles out Roman Catholicism and the Southern Baptists.
LifeSiteNews.com has the story: (my comments in blue)
In an address to a gathering sponsored by the World Parliament of Religions (PWR) last Friday, former US President Jimmy Carter has once again blamed traditional religion, particularly Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics, for "creating an environment where violations against women are justified."
It is a theme that Carter has successfully used to garner media attention for several years.
Although in a July column in The Observer Carter admits to "not having training in religion or theology," in his address to the PWR Carter appeals to his authority as someone who has "taught Bible lessons for more than 65 years." (I feel sorry for all the people he's misled in those 65 years...)
In opposition to the vast majority of authentic scholars and historians, Carter asserted: "It's clear that during the early Christian era women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets." He added: "It wasn't until the 4th century or the 3rd at the earliest that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted Holy Scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant position within the religious hierarchy." (ah, the CRONES talking points. To quote Fr Groeschel: "How do you know? Were you there?")
Contrary to the theorizing of Carter, Pope John Paul II taught, "The Lord Jesus chose men to form the college of the twelve apostles, and the apostles did the same when they chose collaborators to succeed them in their ministry." He added: "the Church recognizes herself to be bound by this choice made by the Lord himself. For this reason the ordination of women is not possible." (Catechism of the Catholic Church; 1577)
Carter singled out the Southern Baptist Convention and Roman Catholic Church, claiming that they "view that the Almighty considers women to be inferior to men." (sure, which is why we honor Mary. Because she's so inferior. Actually, God probably holds women in higher esteem, because He trusted one to bear His son. And He had to keep sending an angel to Joseph to tell him what to do.) However, both Christian faiths hold to the Scriptural truth that God created men and women equal.
"Their continuing choice provides a foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world," said Carter. Carter goes on to list horrific violations against women such as rape, genital mutilation, abortion of female embryos and spousal battery. (No women priests = rape. That's not a logical step, it's a stumble of stupidity)So the "abuses" of Roman Catholicism and Southern Baptists have led to genital mutilation??? How courageous to not point out to his audience that FGM has never been condoned by or practiced by any Christian, ever. I checked it out on Wikipedia (I know, I know - I take its accuracy with a grain of salt), and according to the citation, it apparently predates the time of Christ.
Still - when you look at a map of prevalence in
Africa, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see the types of nations where FGM is found. And this doesn't include Middle East countries, such as Syria, regions of Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iraq, and also Indonesia. Those aren't exactly strongholds of Christianity - rather, they're highly Muslim. To be fair, the practice predates Islam, and is condemned:"... Al-Azhar Supreme Council of Islamic Research, the highest religious authority in Egypt, issued a statement saying FGM/C has no basis in core Islamic law or any of its partial provisions and that it is harmful and should not be practiced." In fact, this pre-Islamic barbarity runs contrary to the Islamic tenet which dictates that a man should make sure his wife enjoys their lovemaking.
But - it does seem prevalent in mainly Muslim nations. If Carter was going to make a ridiculously inaccurate statement, he should have at least mentioned the predominant faith in those countries where FGM mostly occurs. But nope - like all liberals, he has no courage, so he condemns Catholicism and Southern Baptists, because he knows adherents of those faiths won't issue a fatwa.
As a matter of fact, it appears that this practice is cultural and not religious - so Carter had no reason to include it in his list, other than to rile up his audience and foment whatever it is they wanted to foment. As well as rape - how has Christianity caused that? And the abortion of female embryos? That's a communist/socialist directive (and would probably be supported by enviro-nazis, too) - but not a religious one. Spousal battery? That one could be laid at the feet of Islam, but not Christianity. It wasn't all that long ago that an Islamic television producer in Buffalo beheaded his wife, an act of alleged "honor killing". Even more recently is the story of Rifqa Bary, the Ohio teen who converted to Christianity, and now fears that her family may kill her as a result. Here are two high profile examples of religious abuse against women, one that resulted in a gruesome death, and yet Carter's conspicuously silent about it. It's not surprising that he didn't mention any instances of honor killings - it's a PC thing, you know. It's okay to trash, impugn and lie about Catholics, but it's never okay to point out real abusive Islamic practices; the accepted reaction is to ignore them and let them go unchallenged.
Carter ought to be an embarrassment to our nation and to Christians everywhere. Instead, he is held up by some to be a wise and learned man...but only by those who are more intellectually challenged than he.
