Jimmy Carter Apparently Thinks He's Jesus, Moses and Muhammad

What else can one expect from MALE interpretations of religious texts written by MALES, that, to top it off, remain exclusively in the domain of MALES other than the deprivation of WOMEN's rights? How ignorant can one get?
And why are men so adamant on keeping these power structures in place anyway? Don't get me wrong, I am for spirituality and therefore steer way clear from any organized religion.

"modesty to admit that none of us has the only true understanding of God's will."

That would seem to rule out having any knowledge that gods exist in the first place, or knowledge that such gods would even possess wills. One could have a subjective understanding of scripture, but that doesn't prove that scripture is authoritative or that it had a divine source.

"Jimmy Carter continues his well-established tradition of making outrageous statements to justify legitimate concerns. The sad part is that his approach reflects precisely the kind of spiritual arrogance which nurtures the ability of any group to oppress others in the name of that which they believe."

I've come to the conclusion that Brad Hirschfield really likes to hear himself talk. Or write. He almost never fails to engage himself in the topic of the day, even when he has nothing to contribute. He seems always to need to be front and center, and he critiques others with a false attitude of regret. He doesn't even try for humility.

Apparently, he has taken waaaay too seriously his Newsweek-designated status as "one of the nation’s 50 most influential rabbis."

Contrast this with Jimmy Carter's quietly ongoing, continuously productive activities for nearly 30 years. His work with Habitat for Humanity, alone, qualifies him as the genuine article -- a real humanitarian. Add to that his international work for peace, human rights, and global sustenance, all without any "Me, Me, Me" attached, and you have a truly admirable and inspiring human being.

Brad Hirschfield would love to have the attention and genuine regard that Jimmy Carter enjoys, but he doesn't want to do the work involved. No, he's got to be constantly vigilant so as not to miss another opportunity for self-aggrandizement. And those don't usually pop up in the trenches.

So, while real humanitarians like Jimmy Carter toil away at what so often seems like a losing battle, Brad Hirschfield will keep his hands clean, his clothes dry, and his mouth running.

I've never looked to Carter on matters of theology, nor has anyone else in the known world. That said, one wonders why he keeps so nauseatingly, effusively at it. Every time he opens his religious mouth, I run for the theological air freshener.

it would seem to me that when it comes to spiritual principles and the true word of God it is not so much about the messenger as the message... if i'm not mistaken God talked through a jackass or a donkey in the old testament. the fact the truth apparently came out of the mouth of the donkey would matter little if it were not the truth and helpful.. a donkey talking human words would be entertaining but not spiritually nurturing, maybe... i know every one agrees God sometimes also speaks through people.. in my case that could very well mean he is speaking through a jackass again... i have to remind myself that is the part i can take credit for. this if true does not change the truth or God.. mans or womens or jackasses perception prejudice, or tradition, would seem to not be the point

"This is in clear violation not just of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights but also the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Apostle Paul, Moses and the prophets, Muhammad, and founders of other great religions."

Give us a break!!!!

Jesus and "Saint" Paul are the source of much of Christianity's poor record with respect to human rights for women.

To wit:

Jesus accepted women to a degree but did he push for female rabbis/leaders e.g. the 12 male apostles?? Ditto for the disciples and writers of the Gospels!!!

Professor Chilton pulls no punches in criticizing one of the founders of Christianity. Basically Paul was a "prude". An excerpt for Chilton's book,

"He (Paul) feared the turn-on of women's voices as much as the sight of their hair and skin..... At one point he even suggests that the sight of female hair might distract any "pretty wingie talking fictional thingies" in church attendance (1 Cor. 11:10). Simply add Paul's thinking about women to the list of flaws in the foundations of Christianity.

continued below-

Ayaan Hirsi Ali covers the contemporary Islamic/"Mohammedic" situation in her book, Infidel.

The summary of said book explains why:

"Thus begins the extraordinary story of a woman born into a family of desert nomads, circumcised as a child, educated by radical imams in Kenya and Saudi Arabia, taught to believe that if she uncovered her hair, terrible tragedies would ensue.

It's a story that, with a few different twists, really could have led to a wretched life and a lonely death, as her grandmother warned. But instead, Hirsi Ali escaped -- and transformed herself into an internationally renowned spokeswoman for the rights of Muslim women."

p. 47 paperback issue:

"Some of the Saudi women in our neighborhood were regularly beaten by their husbands. You could hear them at night. Their screams resounded across the courtyards. "No! Please! By Allah!"

p.68:

"The Pakistanis were Muslims but they too had castes. The Untouchable girls, both Indian and Pakistani were darker skin. The others would not play with them because they were untouchable. We thought that was funny because of course they were touchable: we touched them see? but also horrifying to think of yourself as untouchable, despicable to the human race."

p.309

"Between October 2004 and May 2005, eleven Muslim girls were killed by their families in just two regions (there are 20 regions in Holland). After that, people stopped telling me I was exaggerating."

p. 347

"The kind on thinking I saw in Saudi Arabia and among the Brotherhood of Kenya and Somalia, is incompatible with human rights and liberal values. It preserves the feudal mind-set based on tribal concepts of honor and shame. It rests on self-deception, hyprocricy, and double standards. It relies on the technologial advances of the West while pretending to ignore their origin in Western thinking. This mind-set makes the transition to modernity very painful for all who practice Islam".

And for those that are concerned about Hirsi Ali's visas: She was not honest on said visa forms because that was the only way she could escape the tyranny of male family members and the male Islamic Dutch terrorists. She explains this in her books.

And the mythical Moses had two wives but myths are not much in the area of role models.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482

http://secweb.infidels.org/?kiosk=books&id=766

http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/joseph_mccabe/religious_controversy/chapter_07.html

Rabbi Hirschfield,

I agree with you to some extent. Pres. Carter's presumptuousness is pretty monstrous. Your term, "cherry-picking" hits it right on. He also overlooks the (at least theoretical possibility) that some religions DON'T value women highly or even DO deliberately denigrate them, and that those "interpretations" aren't off-kilter, but actually do represent their founder's will. You were right, I also believe, to call his presumptuousness "self-righteous".

Your ending, though, represents something of the nauseating glorification of autonomy and options so typical of American society, I must say. The "sacredness of choice"? Ugh. As if the purpose of life were merely to choose.

Choosing, sir, is a means to and end that we all share - happiness. It is the nauseating propaganda of the capitalist machine, i.e., the advertising industry, that has gotten us to believe that (1) more is better; (2) choice itself leads to happiness. Those two mistaken beliefs are responsible for churning out hundreds of millions of tons of worthless plastic junk every year, that we buy in a misguided quest for fulfillment.

The idea of life as a smorgasbord of delightful options is patently the conception of a rich, gluttonous society. That's the sort of thing any authentic spirituality is supposed to SAVE US FROM.