Much has been made of former US President Jimmy Carter’s recent missive in the UK Observer entitled “The words of God do not justify cruelty to women.”  In it he says

[M]y 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…ordained that women must be “subservient” to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors, or chaplains in the military service.

While this and the rest of the commentary are interesting, the headline-grabbing premise is actually old news.  Carter announced his departure from the SBC in 2000.  (Dr. Albert Mohler argued then that Carter had actually abandoned the SBC decades earlier.)

President Carter is apparently one of 10 members of “The Elders,” who are currently making a push for gender equality:

The Elders call for an end to the use of religious and traditional practices to justify and entrench discrimination against women and girls…

The article on leaving the SBC was apparently his contribution to that effort.  It received widespread attention, with many not realizing that he seemed to be referring to recent events, though they occurred nearly 10 years ago.

The Elders spare no religion in their cause, though there is an obvious emphasis on Christianity and Islam:

[A]s Elders, we believe that 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 especially call on religious…leaders to set an example and change all discriminatory practices within their own religions…

While the veracity of some religious claims is obviously open to debate, it is surprisingly bold of the group to presume that their position supersedes any and all religious beliefs.  After all, most religions rely in some part on the belief that their tenets are handed down by God.