Jimmy Carter in Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter
On Abortion:
No federal funding for abortions
I am convinced that every abortion is an unplanned tragedy, brought about by a combination of human errors and this has been one of the most difficult moral and political issues I have had to face.
As president, I accepted my obligation to enforce the "Roe v. Wade" Supreme Court ruling, and at the same time attempted in every way possible to minimize the number of abortions.
One of my best-remembered and most often quoted remarks came in July 1977, when I defended my lack of support for federal funds to be used for abortions among poor mothers, even though wealthier women could afford to have their pregnancies terminated.
Without any careful forethought, I responded to a question on this issue by saying, "Life is often unfair."
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 72
Sep 26, 2006
On Civil Rights:
Jesus helped sinful lepers; so let's help those with HIV
Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, for instance, have elevated homosexuality to a pinnacle of great importance among deviations from their increasingly narrow and rigid definition of their Christian faith.
A disquieting claim is that HIV/AIDS is God's punishment on those who have sinned and should be treated accordingly. Jesus had encounters with lepers, who were also looked upon as sinful, condemned by God, and capable of contaminating their neighbors.
He set an example for us by reaching out to them, loving, healing, and forgiving them.
The public condemnation and ridicule of gays has been increasingly promoted by a few demagogic religious leaders, and the political acceptance of this treatment tends to authenticate and encourage this discrimination.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 66
Sep 26, 2006
On Civil Rights:
Jesus treated women as equal to men
Most Bible scholars acknowledge that the Holy Scriptures were written when male dominance prevailed in every aspect of life. Women were considered to be chattel.There is one incontrovertible fact concerning the relationship between
Jesus Christ and women: he treated them as equal to men. This dramatically differed from the prevailing custom of the times.
Although the 4 Gospels were written by men, they never report any instance of Jesus condoning sexual discrimination or the implied subservience of women.
It is ironic that women are now welcomed into all major professions and other positions
of leadership but are deprived of the right to serve Jesus Christ in positions of leadership as they did during his earthly ministry and in the early Christian churches.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 87-90
Sep 26, 2006
On Corporations:
CEO salaries increased from 40 to 400 times average worker's
Under the tax cuts pushed through Congress since 2000, for every dollar in reductions for a middle-class family, the top 1% of households will receive $54, and those with $1 million of more in income will benefit by $191!
During the first 3 years, the number of Americans living in poverty increased by 3.5 million, while the income for the 400 wealthiest Americans jumped by 10% just in the year 2002.
Another indication of the growing division between rich and poor in recent years is that the salaries of corporate chief executive officers have gone from 40 times to 400 times the average worker's pay.
Even though there was strong growth in corporate profits, wages for the average worker fell in 2004, after adjusting for inflation--the 1st such drop in many years.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.192-193
Sep 26, 2006
On Crime:
We've abandoned rehabilitation in favor of punishment
When I was governor of Georgia, there was an intense competition among my peers in other states to determine which of us could achieve the greatest reduction in our prison populations. We spent a lot of effort on institutional reform, bringing in
experts on various means of classifying new inmates to prepare them for basic education, career training, and psychological rehabilitation in prison, all followed by early-release and work-release programs.
At that time, in the 1970s, only one in a thousand Americans was in prison.That policy has been completely abandoned and reversed, as our nation's almost total focus is now on punishment, not rehabilitation.
More than 7 Americans out of a thousand are now imprisoned--most of them for nonviolent crimes. This is the highest incarceration rate in the world.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 79
Sep 26, 2006
On Crime:
Christians supporting death penalty misinterpret Scriptures
Some devout Christians are among the most fervent advocates of the death penalty, contradicting Jesus Christ and justifying their belief on an erroneous interpretation of Hebrew Scriptures. "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," their most likely
response, overlooks the fact that this was promulgated by Moses as a limitation--a prohibition against taking both eyes or all of an offender's teeth in retribution. Also, we might remember Jesus' explanation that Moses gave these and some other aspects
of the Torah to accommodate "the hardness of heart" of his listeners.The Bible has numerous examples of mercy as an alternative to the prescribed death sentence, as when God permitted the first known murderer, Cain, to live. In another dramatic
instance, Jesus forgave a woman sentenced to be stoned to death for adultery.
It seems logical that all Christians would follow the example of Jesus Christ. In 1999 in St. Louis, the pope described capital punishment as "cruel and unnecessary."
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 82-83
Sep 26, 2006
On Education:
No place for religion in the science classroom
One of my favorite writers on scientific subjects was Stephen Jay Gould, with whom I corresponded on occasion. In 2002, he sent me a copy of "Rocks of Ages," his intriguing book that was designed to resolve the conflict between science and religion.
His approach was to separate the two completely, in what he called "nonoverlapping magisteria."
The great observations of science would define the natural world, and the overall teaching (magisterium) of religion would define the spiritual world, and they should not intrude on each other.For me, this was an acceptable approach. There is no place
for religion in the science classroom, but it will not end the commitment of some devout Christians to reject all aspects of Charles Darwin's explanation of evolution or any geological discoveries that indicate an earth that is more than 6000 years old.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 49-50
Sep 26, 2006
On Energy & Oil:
Boycott oil supplied from ANWR
As a consumer of petroleum products, I would make my last choice for a supplier of any of those oil companies who were drilling in our refuge, and there may be several million other environmentalists with the same inclination.
Our nation consumes 7 billion barrels of oil per year, and even if the refuge provided the hoped-for 1 million barrels per day, the slight increase in domestic supply would not significantly lessen our dependence on foreign oil.
At best, according to various energy experts, the refuge would yield less than a year's supply of oil for the US.
The tragedy of the decision to savage the Alaska refuge is that when oil from the area might reach peak production,
15 to 20 years from now, it will equal the amount that could be saved by requiring the efficiency of "light trucks" (SUVs) to be the same as that of ordinary cars (20 miles/gallon).
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.167-168
Sep 26, 2006
On Environment:
God gave Man dominion to care for nature
I was born into a Christian family, nurtured as a Southern Baptist, and have been in weekly Bible lessons all my life.At least one Sunday each year was devoted to protection of the environment, or stewardship of the earth.
My father and the other farmers in the congregation would pay close attention to the pastors' sermons, based on such texts as "The earth is the
Lord's, and the fullness thereof." When humans were given domination over the land, water, fish, animals, and all of nature, the emphasis
was on careful management and enhancement, not waste or degradation.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 16-19
Sep 26, 2006
On Environment:
Agricultural subsidies for families now go to rich farmers
A gross example of subsidizing the wealthy involves my own lifetime profession of farming. Agricultural subsidies were a crucial factor in the survival of many farm families during the Great Depression, and were designed specifically for that purpose.
These kinds of subsidies are still justified, but, perhaps not surprisingly, the rich farmers have harvested more federal government subsidies over the years, while poorer families have not. During the last decade, we taxpayers have had to fork over an
average of $14 billion annually for subsidies, of which 70% went to just 10% of the farmers, and 25% to the top 1% of recipients. The most fortunate American "farmer" received $7 million in 2002, and in Georgia, 7 "farmers" received annual subsidies of
more than $1 million! Thanks to powerful lobbyists, the worthy ideal of helping struggling farm families to survive has been abandoned. The USDA estimated in 2005 that fewer than 25% of farms receive support payments.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.196
Sep 26, 2006
On Families & Children:
Sex ed should mention contraception
One of the well-meaning but counterproductive approaches is to refrain from teaching our young people how to avoid pregnancy, instruction that is provided thoroughly and persistently in other nations.
There is now skyrocketing federal funding for sex education, but unfortunately most often with a strict prohibition against mention of any kind of contraception, despite the fact that
60% of our American teenagers report having sex before they are 18 years old. A "New York Times" article reveals that Canadian and European young people are about equally active sexually but, deprived of proper sex education,
American girls are 5 times as likely to have a baby as French girls, and 7 times as likely to have an abortion.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 74-75
Sep 26, 2006
On Foreign Policy:
We have neglected alliances and international organizations
Our nation has declared independence from the restraints of international organizations and has disavowed many long-standing global agreements, including judicial decisions, nuclear arms accords, controls on biological weapons,
environmental protection, the international system of justice, and the humane treatment of prisoners. Even with our troops involved in combat and America facing the threat of additional terrorist attacks, we have neglected alliances with most of the
very nations we need to have join us in the long-term fight against global terrorism. All these political actions have been orchestrated by those who believe that the utilization of our nation's tremendous power and influence should not be
constrained by foreigners.Fortunately, these national policies and this disharmony have not yet become permanent.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 4-5
Sep 26, 2006
On Foreign Policy:
Got Chinese leader to allow Bibles and religious freedom
With the Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, during his state visit to Washington, Deng and I had a number of wide-ranging talks. He asked what inspired my first interest in his country. I replied that I was raised as a Baptist and that our preeminent heroes
were the women Christian leaders who went to China as missionaries to spread the gospel.Deng pointed out that religious activities of that kind had been terminated when the People's Republic of China was established in 1949. Under the Communist
regime, in fact, the official government policy was atheism, and worship services and the distribution of Bibles and other holy books were prohibited. I asked if it might be possible to change these policies, and he asked for specific suggestions.
I made three requests: guarantee freedom of worship, permit the distribution of Bibles, and reopen the door to missionaries. [Deng promised] to provide for religious freedom and that Bibles would be authorized [but not missionaries].
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 25-26
Sep 26, 2006
On Foreign Policy:
Cuban embargo only punishes suffering Cuban people
Some American political leaders have adopted Fidel Castro as the ultimate human villain, and have elevated the small and militarily impotent nation of Cuba as one of the greatest threats to our nation's security and culture.
There was a justified concern, during a brief period more than 4 decades ago, when President John Kennedy was informed that Soviet missiles were being sent to Cuba, and the "Cuban missile crisis" was properly named.
Since then, the continued fixation on Cuba has become ludicrous and counterproductive. A punitive embargo has been imposed on the already suffering Cuban people, the freedom of our own citizens to visit and trade with Cuba has been curtailed, and
cultural and humanitarian cooperation has been outlawed. The only tangible results of this policy have been to hurt the people of Cuba and turn them against the US.
With the missile crisis resolved, in 1977 I removed all travel restraints.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.102-103
Sep 26, 2006
On Foreign Policy:
Religious Right wants Mideast war to hasten The Rapture
Almost everyone has heard of the "Left Behind" series. Their religious premise, mostly from the book of Revelation, describes the scenario for the end of the world.These believers are convinced that they have a personal responsibility to hasten this
coming of the "rapture" in order to fulfill biblical prophecy. Their agenda calls for a war in the Middle East against Islam (Iraq?) and the taking of the entire Holy Land by Jews (occupation of the West Bank?), with the total expulsion of all gentiles.
This is to be followed by infidels (antichrists) conquering the area, and a final triumph of the Messiah.
Based on these premises, some top Christian leaders have been in the forefront of promoting the Iraqi war, and make frequent trips to Israel, to
support it with funding, and lobby in Washington for the colonization of Palestinian territory. Strong pressure from the religious right has been a major factor in America's quiescent acceptance of the massive building of Israeli settlements.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.113-114
Sep 26, 2006
On Foreign Policy:
People believe foreign aid is 15% but it's actually under 1%
Americans are willing to be generous in helping others--and they believe that our government gives as much as 15% of our federal budget in foreign aid. But we are, in fact, the stingiest of all industrialized nations.
We allot about 1/30 as much as is commonly believed. Our gross national income (GNI) is about $11 trillion, of which we share with poor nations only 16 cents out of each $100. If we add all the donations from
American foundations and from other private courses to the government's funds, the total still amounts to just 22 cents per $100 of national income.When confronted with these embarrassing facts, many well-informed Americans reply that we are
quite generous in responding to catastrophes, such as the recent tsunami damage in Asia. This is true, and an admirable characteristic of our citizens, but most people do not realize that dealing with persistent suffering is equally important.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.187
Sep 26, 2006
On Gun Control:
Ban semiautomatic assault weapons; they're only for killing
A disturbing change in government policy has involved the firearms industry. Supported by succeeding Presidents Reagan, Bush, and Clinton, legislation was passed by Congress in 1994 that for 10 years prohibited the manufacture, transfer, & possession of
19 specific semiautomatic assault weapons, including AK-47s & AR-15s. None of these are used for hunting--only for killing other humans.But many of us who participate in outdoor sports are dismayed by some of the more extreme policies of the National
Rifle Association (NRA) and by the timidity of public officials who yield to their unreasonable demands. Heavily influenced and supported by the firearms industry, their primary client, the NRA, has been able to mislead many gullible people into
believing that our weapons are going to be taken away from us, and that homeowners will be deprived of the right to protect ourselves and our families. There are no real threats to our "right to bear arms," as guaranteed by the US Constitution.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 11-12
Sep 26, 2006
On Homeland Security:
Even conservatives deplore parts of the Patriot Act
Following the attacks of 9/11, the US government overreacted by detaining more than 1,200 innocent men throughout America. Almost all of them were Arabs or Muslims.To legalize such abuses of civil liberties, the Patriot Act was hurriedly enacted, with
a number of temporary provisions scheduled to expire in 2005. The president has called for the law to be expanded and made permanent, but even the conservative "patriots" have deplored such provisions as authorization for federal agents to search
people's homes and businesses secretly, to confiscate property without any deadline or without giving notice that the intrusion has taken place, and to collect without notice personal information on American citizens, including their medical histories,
books checked out of libraries, and goods they purchase. The government can now seize an entire database--all the medical records of a hospital or all the files of an immigration group--when it is investigating a single person.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.118-119
Sep 26, 2006
On Homeland Security:
Military budget of $400B is more than rest of world combined
While there has been a sharp downward trend in worldwide expenditures for weapons during the past 20 years, the US has continued to increase its military budget every year.
It now exceeds $400 billion annually, equal to the total in all other nations combined. The next largest military budget is Russia's, which is 1/6 as large.
The only arms race is one that we are having with ourselves. One reason for this enormous expenditure is that 20,000 sailors and marines are deployed in ships afloat and almost
300,000 additional troops are stationed in more than 120 countries, with military bases in 63 of them. Since I left office, American presidents have intervened about 50 times in foreign countries.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.198-199
Sep 26, 2006
On Jobs:
US minimum wage $5.15, while England $9.20 & Germany $12.74
Despite touting concern for working Americans and private home ownership, key political leaders in Washington have successfully blocked any increase in the minimum wage, which has been held at only
$5.15/hour for 8 years and not indexed to accommodate inflation. (In comparison, the minimum wage in Australia is $8.66, in France $8.88, in Italy $9.18, in England $9.20, and in Germany $12.74.)
Assuming 50 weeks at 40 hours/week, this sets the US minimum annual income at $10,300, below the poverty level, for tens of millions of Americans who have full-time jobs.
The official poverty line in 2004 for a father or mother with one child was $12,400 in the continental US.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.195
Sep 26, 2006
On Principles & Values:
Fundamentalist politicians divide our country
Recent debates have both Democratic and Republican Parties relying on vituperative commercials to win elections, congressional deliberations increasingly characterized by partisan animosity, and our entire population having adopted "red" and "blue" as
habitual descriptive phrases.Fundamentalists have become increasingly influential in both religion and government, and have managed to change the nuances and subtleties of historic debate into black-and-white rigidities and the personal derogation of
those who dare to disagree. At the same time, these religious and political conservatives have melded their efforts, bridging the formerly respected separation of church and state. This has empowered a group of influential "neoconservatives," who have
been able to implement their long-frustrated philosophy in both domestic & foreign policy.
The influence of these various trends poses a threat to many of our nation's historic customs and moral commitments, both in government and in houses of worship.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 2-3
Sep 26, 2006
On Principles & Values:
Challenging times for those shaped by religious faith
In my 2002 Nobel speech in Oslo, I said, "The present era is a challenging and disturbing time for those whose lives are shaped by religious faith based on kindness towards each other."
When asked by "Christianity Today" to explain this statement, I responded: "There is a remarkable trend toward fundamentalism in all religions--including the different denominations of Christianity as well as Hinduism, Judaism, and Islam.
Increasingly, true believers are inclined to begin a process of deciding: 'Since I am aligned with God, I am superior and my beliefs should prevail, and anyone who disagrees with me is inherently wrong,' and the next step is 'inherently inferior.'
The ultimate step is 'subhuman,' and then their lives are not significant. That tendency has created, throughout the world, intense religious conflicts."
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 30-31
Sep 26, 2006
On War & Peace:
Iraq does not meet Christian standard of Just War
Not realizing that the top leaders of the US and Great Britain had already agreed to invade Iraq almost a year earlier, I wrote these words for an op-ed piece on March 3, 2003, entitled "Just War, or an Unjust War":As a Christian and as a president
who was severely provoked by international crises, I became thoroughly familiar with the principles of a just war, and it is clear that a substantially unilateral attack on Iraq does not meet these standards.- The preeminent criterion for a just war is
that it can only be waged as a last resort, with all non-violent options exhausted.
- Weapons used in war must discriminate between combatants and non-combatants.
- Violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered.
-
The attackers must have legitimate authority sanctioned by the society they profess to represent.
- The peace established must be a clear improvement over what exists.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.152-154
Sep 26, 2006
On War & Peace:
Iraqi War did not reduce the threat of terrorism
A basic question to be asked is, "Has the Iraqi war reduced the threat of terrorism?" Unfortunately, the answer is "No."
Not only have we lost the almost unanimous sympathy and support that was offered to us throughout the world after the attack of 9/11, but there is direct evidence that the Iraqi war has actually increased the terrorist threat. In testimony before the
Congress, CIA Director Porter Goss stated, "Islamic extremists are exploiting the Iraqi conflict to recruit new anti-US jihadists [holy warriors].
These jihadists who survive will leave Iraq experienced and focus on acts of urban terrorism." He added that the war "has become a cause for extremists."
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.158
Sep 26, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Faith-based initiative channels tax funds to churches
Government funding of social programs through "faith-based initiatives" appeals to religious groups who have no qualms about breaking down the historic wall between religion and government. They substitute certain charitable services in a religious
environment for more broad and equitable government programs. These initiatives bypass the historic implementation of the First Amendment by channeling taxpayers' dollars to churches and other religion-based providers of social services under
contrived rules that allow for proselytizing and putting religious tests on hiring employees. The initiative even provides taxpayers' money to build and renovate houses of worship.
There is no doubt that the goal is to finance programs that are clearly religious, and the annual level of somewhat surreptitious government funding through religious institutions has now reached about $2 billion.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p. 60-61
Sep 26, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
2000: Greatest challenge is growing chasm of rich vs. poor
As the year 2000 approached, I was invited to speak at a major forum and asked this question: "What is the world's greatest challenge in the new millennium?"
It was an interesting question, and I replied, with little doubt, that the greatest challenge we face is the growing chasm between the rich and the poor people on earth.
There is not only a great disparity between the two, but the gap is steadily widening. At the beginning of the last century, the 10 richest countries were 9 times wealthier than the 10 poorest ones.
In 1960 the ratio was 30:1. At the beginning of this century, average income per person in the 20 richest nations was $27,591 and in the poorest nations only $211, a ratio of 131:1!
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.179
Sep 26, 2006
On Welfare & Poverty:
Habitat for Humanity: build homes for poor, without interest
One of the most natural ways to reach out to needy people has been through Habitat for Humanity, with its international headquarters just 10 miles from our home. We lead a group of volunteers for one week each year to build homes somewhere in the world.
We have done this for more than 20 years in ghetto areas, rural towns, and in Mexico and South Africa. We plan to build homes in India in 2006.
We work side by side with poor families who will be able to own the houses because Habitat follows the biblical prohibition against charging interest.
This has been an enjoyable and heartwarming opportunity for us and many others to put our religious faith into practice, and it demonstrates vividly the importance and difficulty of reaching out to needy people.
Source: Our Endangered Values, by Jimmy Carter, p.185
Sep 26, 2006
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