Religious Scholar

It's not surprising that some religious leaders specialize in intolerance. They actively discriminate against women, gays, and other marginalized peoples within their tradition, preserving and protecting a strong exclusionary power base .

Just as patriotism can be the refuge of a scoundrel, these leaders have a positive facade to hide behind. It's called helping the poor. Helping the poor is a key principle of any great religion worth its salt. But it also makes a convenient smokescreen for bigoted leaders to hide behind.

When a new religious leader proclaims, "I am here to help the poor!" we all cheer and are less likely to pay attention to the backward-looking bigotry that will characterize his reign.

What we need are religious leaders who will aver energetic commitment to all people: the poor, women, the LGBT community, to the environment which sustains us, and to the living creatures with whom we share this planet. We do not need leaders who hide behind the poor so they can continue to discriminate against the majority of humankind.

When religious leaders start talking about the poor, be sure to check the backstory: they are usually talking less about the poor than they are about the agendas they wish to pursue without public notice.