EMPIRIA Magazin - Kuliffay Hanna írása

Eredeti közlés: Napi Magyarország, 1998 július

POLITIKAI AMBÍCIÓK VALLÁSI KÖNTÖSBEN

Ennek tudatában az állam és egyház szeparációját védő szervezetek, az akadémia és a progresszív média állandó figyelemmel kíséri a vallási mezbe öltöztetett politikai hatalmi törekvéseket. Többeket aggodalommal tölt el a fundamentalisták egyre komolyabb befolyása a republikánus pártban és a kongresszusban. (Mind Ronald Reagan, mind George Bush az újjászületett déli-baptisták anyagi és szervezeti támogatását élvezve jutott hatalomra.)

Elkerülhetetlenül felvetődnek a kérdések: vajon milyen büntető jogokkal ruházza fel az egyház az "engedetlen" asszony urát? Milyen konfliktusok adódhatnak az asszonyi "alárendeltség" mértékének különböző értelmezéséből? Hová vezethetnek olyan esetek, ahol az asszony a moderált irányzat követője, férje pedig fundamentalistaként az egyház által biztosított hatalmi jogaival akar élni és diktálni?

Addenda:

A cikk megjelenése után pár hónappal a Washington Times 1999 májusi száma tudósított a baptista egyházszövetség 500-47 arányban megszavazott feloszlásáról. Óriási esemény, amivel azonban a közmédia igyekezett minél kevesebbet foglalkozni. "A church that helped found the Southern Baptist Convention in 1845 has quit the denomination over its fundamentalist stand on such issues as the role of women. First Baptist Church of Greenville voted 500-47 Sunday to sever its affiliation (megszakitja az affiliációt) with the nation's largest Protestant denomination. The church had already stopped contributing to the convention in 1993."  Elsősorban a nők degradációja elleni tiltakozásként számos prominens személyiség kilépett az 1845-ben alapított Déli Baptista Egyházszövetségből. Köztük Európában a legismertebbek az Egyesült Államok volt elnöke, Jimmy Carter és felesége Roslyn Carter.

A keresztény vallások (beleértve a II. János Pál által vezetett római katolikus vallást is) az ortodoxia irányába mozdulásukkal automatikusan rést nyitnak a keleti vallásoknak, köztük a buddhizmusnak.  A  buddhizmus "fenomenális" amerikai térhódításának egyik oka, hogy transzkulturális terjedése folyamán egészséges adaptációra képes.  Hajlandó lefaragni vagy túladni az idejét múlta tradíción, ugyanakkor esetleg hajlandó magába olvasztani, ami új, pozitív vagy ésszerű. A buddhizmus  nyugati térhódításával párhuzamosan például, óriási lépésként, átértékelte a nők szerepét. Az evolúciós folyamat során mára odáig jutott, női hívei nemcsak tanítványok, de tanítók is lehetnek. "Ez a lehetőség nem létezett az eredeti országokban. Kizárólag a mi kultúránk jellemzője" -- nyilatkozta a Kaliforniában tanító Pema Chodron. Az egészséges adaptáció következtében, a lassan haldokló dogmatikus  vallásokkal ellentétben, a buddhizmus bíztató  jövőnek néz elébe az Egyesült Államokban. (Kuliffay)

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Az "Elders" nevű, volt államfőkből álló szekuláris jellegű és humanista elkötelezettségű egylet, amelynek Jimmy Carter az egyik alapító tagja, az idén, 2009 nyarán nyilatkozatot adott ki, amelyben elítélte a dogmatikus egyházaknak a női hívek és a nő-társadalom egésze elleni diszkriminációs gyakorlatát.  A csoport elfogadhatatlannak tartja, hogy ráadásul az eljárást az egyházvezetés önigazolásként a bibliai Felsőbb Hatalom kötelező előírásának tünteti fel. Ennek kapcsán Carter egy esszét jelentetett meg, amely rendkívüli volta miatt komoly érdeklődésre tarthat számot Olvasóink körében is, ezért teljes egészében közöljük:

Jimmy Carter: The words of God do not justify cruelty to women

"Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status ..." (Article 2, Universal Declaration of Human Rights) "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:28) I have been a practising Christian all my life and a deacon and Bible teacher for many years. My faith is a source of strength and comfort to me, as religious beliefs are to hundreds of millions of people around the world. So my decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief - confirmed in the holy scriptures - that we are all equal in the eyes of God. This view that women are somehow inferior to men is not restricted to one religion or belief. It is widespread. Women are prevented from playing a full and equal role in many faiths.

Nor, tragically, does its influence stop at the walls of the church, mosque, synagogue or temple. This discrimination, unjustifiably attributed to a Higher Authority, has provided a reason or excuse for the deprivation of women's equal rights across the world for centuries. The male interpretations of religious texts and the way they interact with, and reinforce, traditional practices justify some of the most pervasive, persistent, flagrant and damaging examples of human rights abuses. At their most repugnant, the belief that women must be subjugated to the wishes of men excuses slavery, violence, forced prostitution, genital mutilation and national laws that omit rape as a crime. But it also costs many millions of girls and women control over their own bodies and lives, and continues to deny them fair access to education, health, employment and influence within their own communities. The impact of these religious beliefs touches every aspect of our lives. They help explain why in many countries boys are educated before girls; why girls are told when and whom they must marry; and why many face enormous and unacceptable risks in pregnancy and childbirth because their basic health needs are not met. In some Islamic nations, women are restricted in their movements, punished for permitting the exposure of an arm or ankle, deprived of education, prohibited from driving a car or competing with men for a job. If a woman is raped, she is often most severely punished as the guilty party in the crime.

The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in Britain and the United States. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for everyone in society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family. It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and out-dated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom.  I understand, however, why many political leaders can be reluctant about stepping into this minefield. Religion, and tradition, are powerful and sensitive area to challenge.But my fellow Elders and I, who come from many faiths and backgrounds, no longer need to worry about winning votes or avoiding controversy - and we are deeply committed to challenging injustice wherever we see it. The Elders have decided to draw particular attention to the responsibility of religious and traditional leaders in ensuring equality and human rights. We have recently published a statement that declares: "The justification of discrimination against women and girls on grounds of religion or tradition, as if it were prescribed by a Higher Authority, is unacceptable."

We are calling on all leaders to challenge and change the harmful teachings and practices, no matter how ingrained, which justify discrimination against women. We ask, in particular, that leaders of all religions have the courage to acknowledge and emphasise the positive messages of dignity and equality that all the world's major faiths share. Although not having training in religion or theology, I understand that the carefully selected verses found in the holy scriptures to justify the superiority of men owe more to time and place - and the determination of male leaders to hold onto their influence - than eternal truths. Similar Biblical excerpts could be found to support the approval of slavery and the timid acquiescence to oppressive rulers. At the same time, I am also familiar with vivid descriptions in the same scriptures in which women are revered as pre-eminent leaders. During the years of the early Christian church women served as deacons, priests, bishops, apostles, teachers and prophets. It wasn't until the fourth century that dominant Christian leaders, all men, twisted and distorted holy scriptures to perpetuate their ascendant positions within the religious hierarchy. I know, too, that Billy Graham, one of the most widely respected and revered Christians during my life time, did not understand why women were prevented from being priests and preachers. He said: "Women preach all over the world. It doesn't bother me from my study of the scriptures."

The truth is that male religious leaders have had - and still have - an option to interpret holy teachings either to exalt or subjugate women. They have, for their own selfish ends, overwhelmingly chosen the latter. Their continuing choice provides the foundation or justification for much of the pervasive persecution and abuse of women throughout the world. 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 - all of whom have called for proper and equitable treatment of all the children of God. It is time we had the courage to challenge these views.

 • Jimmy Carter was US president from 1977-81. The Elders are an independent group of eminent global leaders, brought together by Nelson Mandela, who offer their influence and experience to support peace building, help address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity.

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I am grateful that my call as a Christian to protect human dignity overlaps with America’s centuries-old commitment to the same mission in our foreign policy all across the world. My day is often scheduled into 15-minute increments.  Every now and again I get a half hour, and every now and again I get to hear some of the beautiful worship music that I was able to sit with you for.  I need to be intentional – we each need to be intentional – about carving out time to pursue the mission of defending human dignity. I’m proud to say that President Trump has let our State Department do that.  Indeed, he has demanded that we do. International organizations will try, from time to time, to sneak language into their documents claiming that abortion is a human right.  And we’ll never accept that.  (Applause and cheers.)  We’ve worked diligently to find every dollar that might be going to that and we have worked tirelessly and successfully now to bring it nearly to an end. (Michael R. Pompeo: Being a Christian Leader. The Secretary of State’s Speech at the American Association of Christian Counselors. Nashville, Tennessee. October 11, 2019)

… many of the aforementioned cynical opportunists have a theocratic agenda which, if they could make it happen, would see a Margaret Atwood-style, “Handmaid’s Tale” Gilead descend like a shroud over the nation. These aren’t your garden-variety, come-to-Jesus evangelists, members of the religious right bemoaning gays and abortion, praying for your soul and eagerly awaiting the Second Coming.  Rather, in contrast to the founders who favored the separation of church and state and rejected the encroachment into government of organized religion, these self-sanctified pomposities, pit bulls of dogma, would impose on the rest of us an illiberal hierocracy of Christian rules and regs that they alone would determine. All in the name of God, of course, with whom they apparently text on a regular basis. (Michael Winship: Our Mad Dog President—and His Bible-Thumping Kennel Pals. The White House theocrats may be the biggest danger of all. Common Dreams. October 16, 2019)

In the last week, speeches from the second and third most powerful men in the Trump administration powerfully illustrate that the old-time religion they have in mind is more along the lines of the Inquisition than the Enlightenment. On Friday, Attorney General William Barr, took it upon himself to speak to an audience at Notre Dame Law School not about jurisprudence but a “campaign to destroy the traditional moral order.” In that social order, Barr insisted, “moral values must rest on authority independent of men’s will – they must flow from a transcendent Supreme Being.” He decried what he saw as the “force, fervor, and comprehensiveness of the assault on religion we are experiencing today. This is not decay; it is organized destruction. Secularists, and their allies among the ‘progressives,’ have marshaled all the force of mass communications, popular culture, the entertainment industry, and academia in an unremitting assault on religion and traditional values.” (Michael Winship: Our Mad Dog President—and His Bible-Thumping Kennel Pals. The White House theocrats may be the biggest danger of all. Common Dreams. October 16, 2019)

Information is an essential component to ensuring that we can make informed decisions about our health and lives. Controlling access to that information is a way to control people’s bodies and limit reproductive autonomy. Title X provides critical funding to health care providers that offer birth control, sexually transmitted infection testing and cancer screenings to people struggling to make ends meet. The Trump administration is now forcing these providers to withhold information about abortion or lose funding. (…) Unlike in 1984, this slow, methodical chipping away at access to information and education won’t affect everyone. People with resources have ways to get the health care they need. These changes will primarily harm people who are disproportionately likely to have low incomes because of longstanding structural oppression — people of color, immigrants, LGBTQ folks, people with disabilities, single moms. This is no accident. The people behind these policies know this, and are actively building a world of haves and have-nots of information, health care and ultimately, good health. (Kelly Flannery: Trump’s Restrictive Title X Rule Brings the Global Gag Rule Home. Truthout. July 6, 2019)

Conservatives talk about abortion as if it were some frivolous decision, made by women who are irresponsible and heedless of consequences. But research shows the exact opposite: Women get abortion to protect not only their own futures, but those of their children.  The Guttmacher Institute's survey of women who get abortions found that the "reasons most frequently cited were that having a child would interfere with a woman's education, work or ability to care for dependents (74%); that she could not afford a baby now (73%); and that she did not want to be a single mother or was having relationship problems (48%)." Not on the list of reasons, however, was having an abortion for the hell of it. (Amanda Marcotte: GOP using pandemic as an excuse to block abortion - which is essential health care.  Salon. March 24, 2020)

“In a Godly household, the husband would get the final say.” Abby Johnson [Melissa Jeltsen: Abby Johnson Spreads Falsehoods About Abortion at the RNC. Huffpost. August 25, 2020]

"Last night during the POTUS Shield network prayer intercession, I made a desperate appeal to the Lord to rescue us, our nation, the church, and to hear the cry of the blood of the 60 million murdered children; and to answer quickly and NOW for HIS own name's sake. In less than one hour, the announcement of Ginsberg's [sic] passing came out." Quote from Frank Amedia, the president's 2016 campaign as a liaison for Christian policy, founder the pro-Trump POTUS Shield network. (Tom Batchelor: Christian Extremists Compare RBG to Hitler, Celebrate Death of 'Mass Murdering Hag'. Newsweek. September 23, 2020 ) [The death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is being celebrated by televangelists and Christian-right internet preachers who claim her passing was an act of God designed to allow Donald Trump to install an anti-abortion justice on the Supreme Court. Amedia was quoted by his Touch Heaven Ministries Facebook page as saying during a September 20 sermon.]

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would become the first U.S. leader to attend the March for Life, one of the nation’s largest anti-abortion protests, in person later this week. (…) and their support for the March for Life has been unwavering.” The move is likely to be seen as an attempt by the president to appeal to his evangelical base at a time of fierce political turmoil. Trump’s overtures to his anti-abortion supporters have already paid dividends to his reelection campaign. The Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion political action group, said this month it would spend up to $52 million supporting Trump and like-minded Republicans this year. The New York Times noted that no other president has attended the March for Life, despite his political beliefs. Trump has championed himself as “very pro-choice” yet addressed the protest via a video message in 2018 and hosted some of the marchers at the White House. (Nick Visser: Trump to attend anti-abortion March for Life in person, group says. January 23, 2020)  [The announcement came the same day the Senate began hearing opening arguments in the president’s impeachment trial. Visser]

The “Geneva Consensus Declaration” calls on states to promote women’s rights and health – but without access to abortion – and is part of a campaign by Trump administration, led by secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to reorient US foreign policy in a more socially conservative direction, even at the expense of alienating traditional western allies. The “core supporters” of the declaration are Brazil, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia and Uganda, and the 27 other signatories include Belarus (where security forces are currently trying to suppress a women-led protest movement), Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Sudan, South Sudan, Libya. None of the top twenty countries on the Georgetown index – with the exception of the US (ranked 19th) – has signed the declaration. The only other European signatory (apart from Belarus and Hungary) is Poland, where the constitutional court approved a near total ban on abortion on Thursday. (US signs anti-abortion declaration with group of largely authoritarian governments. The Guardian. October 22, 2020)

“The United States has failed at consensus and coalition building. There are 193 UN member states and they’ve got 31. This is a terrible showing. None of our like-minded partners are there, and none of the people on the list could care less about women. It’s a failure of diplomacy.”  (Gillian Kane, senior policy adviser for Ipas, an international organisation advocating safe access to abortion. October 22, 2020)

Republicans in Texas also target women in their zealotry. The governor just signed a law effectively banning abortion in Texas, outlawing any abortion after six weeks. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant in that period of time. Worse, the law turns citizens into bounty hunters, offering cash rewards for turning in anyone who assists someone seeking an abortion. This law, if it survives challenge, will lead to deaths — from illicit abortions, from suicide, from pregnancies that take the mother’s life. An effort to stay the enforcement of this vicious law — a clear violation of the Supreme Court’s constitutional precedents — was just denied by the Supreme Court’s right-wing justices acting without issuing an opinion. (Jesse Jackson: The Texas Taliban Wing of the Republican Party. In total control of the state, Republicans have a free hand that they’ve used to enforce extremism. September 5, 2021)

One of the many preposterous claims coming from supporters of the vicious new Texas law against abortion is that bounty hunters -- standing to gain a $10,000 reward from the state—will somehow be "whistleblowers." The largest anti-abortion group in Texas is trying to attach the virtuous "whistleblower" label to predators who'll file lawsuits against abortion providers and anyone who "aids or abets" a woman getting an abortion. (Norman Solomon: Abortion Bounty Hunters in Texas Are Not "Whistleblowers"—They're Cruel Vigilantes. September 7, 2021)

One of the enormous dangers of the Texas abortion law is that a Stasi-like culture of betrayal and fear will evolve in the Lone Star State and copy-cat states, with long-lasting destructive effects. If a friend, neighbor or co-worker can turn someone in and gain a reward for doing so, the ripple effects are going to be corrosive, intensifying over time. Aided by the U.S. Supreme Court, the state of Texas has now codified misogyny. The results will surely include ongoing deaths, making the coat hanger the state's unofficial symbol. Real whistleblowing will expose those who profit from victimizing women under cover of this horrible new law. (Norman Solomon: Abortion Bounty Hunters in Texas Are Not "Whistleblowers"—They're Cruel Vigilantes. September 7, 2021)

In New Hampshire, abortion will be prohibited after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for the mother’s life or physical health. Democrats have already drafted legislation seeking to repeal the new restrictions. Some also want to include the right to make reproductive medical decisions a constitutional right. The new law in New Hampshire comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could severely erode abortion rights that have stood for half a century. Republican lawmakers across the country are ready to further restrict or ban abortions outright while Democratic-led ones are seeking to ensure access to abortion in their state law. In New Hampshire, abortion will be prohibited after 24 weeks of gestation, with exceptions for the mother’s life or physical health. Democrats have already drafted legislation seeking to repeal the new restrictions. Some also want to include the right to make reproductive medical decisions a constitutional right. The new law in New Hampshire comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is considering a case that could severely erode abortion rights that have stood for half a century. Republican lawmakers across the country are ready to further restrict or ban abortions outright while Democratic-led ones are seeking to ensure access to abortion in their state law. (Wilson Ring: New laws take effect across US on abortion, policing, taxes. AP. December 31, 2021)

Nationally, about two-thirds of voters say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, according to AP VoteCast, an expansive survey of over 90,000 voters across the country. Only about 1 in 10 say abortion should be illegal in all cases. About 6 in 10 also say the Supreme Court’s abortion decision made them dissatisfied or angry, compared with fewer who say they were happy or satisfied. (...) “I think we should do the right thing for women. It’s her body; it’s her privacy.” James Miller, 66, of Flint, Michigan, said he thought of his daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters when he voted in favor of the measure. (Lindsay Whitehurst: Kentucky, Michigan voters approve protecting abortion rights. AP.  November 9, 2022)