Elders speak up for women

While it’s unfortunate that all of the “elders” are male (likely more to do with the few women who are making it into positions of power), it is phenomenal to see them explicitly call out the extreme sexism in many of the world’s leading religions (read the whole article).

So the Elders have spoken. Carter, Mandela, Tutu, Robinson and the others present a formidable counterweight to blind tradition. They are immensely respected for their achievements and their integrity. They say that they are fully committed to the realization of equality and empowerment for all women and girls. They call upon all leaders, religious and secular, to promote and protect those inalienable rights. Theirs is a powerful message.

Catholics, Baptists, Muslims and more are explicitly named by the group which includes Jimmy Carter, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, and more.

The United Church allowed women pastors in 1936 but Stephen Harper’s Christian and Missionary Alliance had been debating the issue for over 20 years.

Is there really still a debate as to whether women are equal to men in society?