Christians Largely Mum on Torture

http://www.consortiumnews.com/2009/073109b.html

By Ray McGovern
July 31, 2009

Anyone harboring doubts that the institutional Church is riding shotgun for the system, even regarding heinous sin like torture, should be chastened by the results of a recent survey by the Pew Research Center.


Who but the cowardly crew leading the “Christian” churches can be held responsible for the fact that many of their flock believe torture of suspected terrorists is “justified?”

Those polled were white non-Hispanic Catholics, white Evangelicals, and white mainline Protestants. A majority (54 percent) of those who attend church regularly said torture could be “justified,” while a majority of those not attending church regularly responded that torture was rarely or never justified.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malleus_Maleficarum

its their history

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Torture_of_witches

Mutilation

The famous "witch's-chair", contained hundreds of spikes and needles that would pierce the skin of the accused everywhere their skin touched the chair. While being interrogated, the accused was strapped into the chair and if her responses were not deemed satisfactory, the straps would tighten, causing deeper penetration of the skin. It was not; however, limited to witchcraft torture, and despite its name, was a commonly used torture device from the Middle Ages.

There were the gresillons known as pennywinkis in Scotland, which crushed the tips of fingers and toes in a vice-like device.<7>

The Spanish Boot, or "leg-screw", used mostly in Germany and Scotland, was a steel boot that was placed over the leg of the accused and was tightened. The pressure from the squeezing of the boot would break the shin bone in pieces. An anonymous Scotsman called it "The most severe and cruel pain in the world".<8>

The echelle more commonly known as the "ladder" or "rack" was a long table that the accused would lie upon and be stretched violently. The torture was used so intensely that on many occasions the victim's limbs would be pulled out of socket and at times the limbs would be completely torn from the body. On some special occasions a tortillon was used in conjunction with the ladder which would squeeze the genitals at the same time as the stretching was occurring.<7>

I seem to remember the pictures that honored torture hanging up in the church where I grew up, they called them "The Stations of the Cross".

Religion is about suffering, or at least rationalizing away why its a "good" thing.

It completely contradicts their belief that there is absolute truth. It's ridiculous.

the 'mum' heard on the opposite side by a large contingent of Muslims who attend temple regularly...not much opposition to heinous acts on that side either. 'Devout' religious peoples seem to be continuing the long tradition of hatred and infighting amongst themselves.

By Jon Cohen, Jacqueline L. Salmon and Michelle Boorstein

... The Pew numbers are solid, but they don't tell the whole story. Another way to look at it them is through the prism of political partisanship -- not religion.

The GOP bent among white evangelical Protestants is pronounced, while white Catholics split about evenly between identifying with the Democrats and Republicans. Those with no stated affiliation tilt clearly Democratic, by better than 3-1 among voters, according to the 2008 exit poll. In parallel, most of those who attend religious services regularly consider themselves Republicans, in stark contrast to the Democratic tilt among those who go irregularly.

Not controlling for these differences can make political differences seem sectarian when comparing across religious groups ...

http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/godingovernment/2009/05/torture_poll_its_about_politics_not_religion.html#more

Updated May 11, 2009
April 30, 2009
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1210/torture-opinion-religious-differences

Note that mainline Protestants are more likely to say torture can never be justified than either the American public at large or those who seldom or never attend services

By Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service

WASHINGTON — A new poll finds that nearly six in 10 white Southern evangelicals believe torture is justified, but their views can shift when they consider the Christian principle of the golden rule.

The poll released Thursday, commissioned by Faith in Public Life and Mercer University, found that 57% of respondents said torture can be often or sometimes justified to gain important information from suspected terrorists. Thirty-eight percent said it was never or rarely justified.

But when asked if they agree that "the U.S. government should not use methods against our enemies that we would not want used on American soldiers," the percentage who said torture was rarely or never justified rose to 52%.

"Presenting people with this argument and identifying with the golden rule really does engage a different part of people's psyche and a part of their heart, their soul, and really does shift their views on torture," said Robert Jones, president of Public Religion Research, which was commissioned to conduct the poll ...

http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-09-16-torture-baptists_N.htm

Thus, the answers people give are volatile: the answers depend on the context in which the question is asked

Judea, the early Christians' claim -- the religious and civil authorities tried to murder G-d, who had appeared in the form of a homeless peasant -- has a certain subversive and anti-authoritarian quality, which later Christians sometimes overlook: the fundamentalists, for example, do not seem to be sympathetic to such subversive readings

Then you could go for a wade in the pools of their souls and never get your ankles wet.

the situation often seems to be: easier said than done

Most of the people posting here already have their minds made up.



"Our commitment to human rights is grounded in the conviction that each and every human life is sacred. Therefore the United Methodist Church endorses legislative and judicial remedies for the use of torture and illegal detention ...such as the appointment of special counsels appropriate investigations."

#6120 "Opposition to Torture" Book of Resolutions (2008)


http://www.umc-gbcs.org/site/c.frLJK2PKLqF/b.5128831/k.521B/United_Methodists_Do_Not_Torture/apps/ka/ct/contactus.asp?c=frLJK2PKLqF&b=5128831&en=mhIOIRMELiIJJVOBK5KGL2OKLmJUJWPAJcKOK2PLIrL5E

Are you going to have some assholes who call themselves "methodist" who support torture? Yes. Does the platform support it? No.

Are you going to have some assholes who call themselves "democrats" who support racism and homophobia? Yes. Does the platform support it? No.

We seek confirmation of the biases we already have.

I'm convinced that people take away from scripture that which they bring to it. If you are a kind, gentle and loving person then you will find scripture to confirm that you should be that way. If on the other hand you are a vengeful, angry and judgmental person you will surely have no problem finding scripture that confirms that set of attitudes also.

Scripture is really nothing more than an elaborate Rorschach test.

I just posted this today because I didn't see the article --
glad it's up as disgraceful as this is!!

the bible talk about that