An interesting article in the Guardian caught our attention, partly because it was written by former US president Jimmy Carter, and partly because in it he draws attention to what he labels the abuse of women by religious bodies of many sorts, including the church he was once a member of (Southern Baptists), but left over this very issue. The article itself is well worth a look: go here. What is equally noteworthy is that it is also highlighting a group that Jimmy Carter is a member of – the Elders, a group of people like himself drawn from many different political and religious persuasions and brought together by Nelson Mandela to cast a critical eye on world affairs and offer the benefit of their considerable wisdom. A rough estimate shows that between them all, they represent well in excess of a thousand years of experience! For more on their reflections, see their website. And don’t for a moment imagine that just because they’re old they are all reactionary traditionalists. Quite the opposite: they could teach some far younger folk a lot about life, including faith and spirituality.
