key: Each passage is followed by numbers which refer to volume, lesson, and track, e.g., 3:1:7 means Volume III, lesson 1, track 7. Color text refers to other sources, such as the Bible, other books, etc.

Carter has been widely criticized for his slanders against Jews and Israel, especially after the writing of his book, Palestine: Peace or Apartheid. Apparently he doesn’t like Jews. Although he has denied being anti-Semitic, this section reveals that even he is aware of his proclivity for prejudice.

First, he acknowledges the seductive and beguiling nature of slander:

“The most vicious and damaging instrument identified in the Bible  . . . the human tongue. It’s a natural and almost uncontrollable tendency among all of us to speak ill of others, sometimes with the profession that ‘I don’t really mean harm to them, but let’s let me tell you what I heard about that person or just let me tell you what that person did.’” 1:2:6

This is exactly what he himself does! “We’re not trying to criticize Jews, but . . .” 1:2:8, and “So the ultra-conservative Jewish leaders demand always that they have total control over anything that relates to religion inside Israel, in particular in Jerusalem. Well, I’m not here to condemn anyone, but . . .” 1:2:6. Then he moves on to the other evils of slander and demonstrates his awareness of its destructive consequences, calling it cowardly:

“. . . One of the most cowardly actions of a human being  . . . It’s cowardly because we try to pretend that that’s not what we’re doing. And it’s cowardly because it can destroy the life of another person in our church or the reputation of a person in our community.” 1:4:5

He admits that slander sometimes involves lying about the target of the slander.

“The natural inclination is for us to get tidbits which may or may not be true that is damaging to someone with whom we disagree and to try to exalt ourselves by damaging the reputation of the other person.” 1:4:10

In a moment of honesty, Carter reveals his own propensity to indulge in this irresponsible vice. He identifies this problem of his as one concerning people he doesn’t like. This shows that his constant criticism of Jews and Israel, based on “tidbits which may or may not be true” are indeed the result of his not liking Jews.

“I have an inclination to select bad news about people that I don’t like much, to extract from the evening news broadcast. If Rosalynn’s not there, when she comes, I’ll tell her—what?—the bad things about somebody that we don’t particularly like and that’s what we find is appealing to us. That’s why the news media do it is because they know people like to hear bad things about other folks.” 1:4:13

Then he must know he is provoking anti-Semitism when he wrote his book on Apartheid because he must know people want to hear bad things about Jews.  More specifically, he admits his own vindictiveness and hostility:

“Well, let me say again, I think this is a very difficult lesson. It is a somewhat embarrassing lesson for me because I’m inclined toward this element of sinfulness, reluctant to forgive, inclined toward criticism of others” 1:4:14

An example of this criticism of others was mentioned when he talked about his defeat in the election for governor of Georgia in 1966, losing to Lester Maddox. He discussed being discouraged, disillusioned, and even giving up his faith for awhile,

“I blamed everybody except myself for my defeat.” 3:3:7

Does he think this is wrong?

“But the point is that Paul says that in Christ we ought to be kind to one another” 1:4:13 

But whom should we be kind to? Whom does “one another” refer to? For Carter, it means all other Christians:

“You cannot love God unless you love each other because—what is the rest of that verse?—because God is love, with an intensity and a sincerity of love which ought to exist among members of a church or members of a family or members of a community. There would be no temptation even for vicious talk or slander or backbiting or gossip would there? . . .   Someone who is precious to you, you wouldn’t even think of saying anything ugly about them would you?” 1:4:7

--proving that Jews are not precious to Jimmy because of all the ugly things he says about them.

“. . . there’s a restraint on us—right?--as we think about someone whom we love and Paul says we should love whom? Certainly all other Christians, right? All the believers in Christ should be bound together in a body, a communal body filled with love. This is what Paul is talking about. And he said, We have this calling to be followers of Christ. We should act accordingly.” 1:4:7

When it comes to loving others for the purpose of restraining our slander, what about people who are not Christian? Do they count? This leaves out the Jews:

“There’s one body, and one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God, one father of all, who’s above all, and through all, and in all. And the “all” means what? Us! This united Commitment to Christ, this united body of Christian believers, this united aspect of the human race you might say finds it very difficult, very difficult to stay united.” 1:4:12

No place for Jews then. Does Carter feel his status as a good Christian is secure if he only slanders Jews? Unity sounds like a good idea but Carter compares the unity of Christians to the unity of football teams (1:4:11). Football is a competitive, violent sport where teams are designed to defeat other teams. Is this his idea of Christianity? Who is Christianity united against? Against whom should we be careful not to indulge in slander?

“These things make it possible, if we accept God’s grace in the proper spirit, to wipe out of our minds in a time of temptation the inclination to criticize another person or to damage another person’s reputation or drive a wedge between us and someone else or to fail to be reconciled with someone else and the almost insurmountable obstacles to doing that is found in the fact that we are one with Christ, we are heirs, not stepchildren, we are heirs of God’s grace as brothers and sisters with Christ  . . .” 1:4:13

[This also recalls the anti-Semitic idea that Judaism is replaced by Christianity. See the section on “On Christianity superseding or replacing Judaism” in the topic “Insulting Jews”]

Christian love, then, is reserved for other Christians.

“The purpose of Ephesus is covered by one word and that is reconciliation. Paul said there should not be differences among those who believe in Jesus Christ because of the grace of god, because of God’s free gift to us and the sacrifice of the life of Christ to save us from our own sinfulness. We should recognize that we are one. There are no material or substantial differences among us that should keep us from being friends and filled with Christian love.” 1:4:4

which means that the reason for friendship and Christian love is to support the unity of Christianity.

What about the Jews? He speculates about how different this world would be if Protestants and Catholics could get together, conservatives and liberals, Amish and Mennonites, and then he adds:

“If we could reach out with love . . . even toward Jews!” 1:3:11

Even toward Jews? ! ?

Contrast that with the words of the biblical character of Job (a gentile, by the way, in the Hebrew Bible or  Carter’s Old Testament) who saw everyone as equal because each of us is created by God (verse 15), not—like Carter--because other people are merely co-religionists:

If I did despise the cause of my man-servant, or of my maid-servant, when they contended with me -- What then shall I do when God riseth up? And when He remembereth, what shall I answer Him? Did not He that made me in the womb make him? And did not One fashion us in the womb? If I have withheld aught that the poor desired, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail; Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof -- Nay, from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, and I have been her guide from my mother's womb. If I have seen any wanderer in want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering; If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate; Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. For calamity from God was a terror to me, and by reason of His majesty I could do nothing. . . . If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or exulted when evil found him -- Yea, I suffered not my mouth to sin by asking his life with a curse. If the men of my tent said not: 'Who can find one that hath not been satisfied with his meat?' The stranger did not lodge in the street; my doors I opened to the roadside. Job 31:13-32

Is Carter ignorant of his Old Testament, or does he feel he has nothing to learn from it? Here are several passages in the Hebrew Bible that instruct us how to love and care for the stranger (i.e., those who are not part of the “chosen people”).

“but the seventh day is a sabbath unto the Lord thy God, in it thou shalt not do any manner of work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, nor thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates.” Ex 20:10

“And a stranger shalt thou not wrong, neither shalt thou oppress him; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Ex 22:20

“And a stranger shalt thou not oppress; for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.” Ex. 23:9

“And when ye reap the harvest of your land, thou shalt not wholly reap the corner of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleaning of thy harvest. And thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the stranger: I am the Lord, your God. And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not do him wrong. The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord, your God.” Lev. 19:9, 33-34