Christians' acceptance of torture called sad, ironic
Nancy H. McLaughlin
News-Record
Sat, 09 May 2009 16:48 UTC
Just last year Frank Dew was among a group of people who asked the local General Assembly of Presbyterians to pass a resolution condemning the use of torture against suspected terrorists.
It included the lines,
"Whereas John Yoo, acting as a deputy at the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, argued that military interrogators could subject suspected terrorists to harsh treatment as long as it didn't cause 'death, organ failure or permanent damage," (see Newsweek, May 5, 2008, "Getting Away with Torture")
But ended with a prayer,
"...we confess that in our efforts to secure ourselves as a nation, we have on occasion resorted to tactics which were cruel, inhumane, and degrading. O God, we pray for your forgiveness."
They addressed the Salem Presbytery last October, just months before a survey in April among major Christian groups was being conducted on the same subject. Those survey results have horrified some people of faith.
News-Record
Sat, 09 May 2009 16:48 UTC
Just last year Frank Dew was among a group of people who asked the local General Assembly of Presbyterians to pass a resolution condemning the use of torture against suspected terrorists.
It included the lines,
"Whereas John Yoo, acting as a deputy at the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel, argued that military interrogators could subject suspected terrorists to harsh treatment as long as it didn't cause 'death, organ failure or permanent damage," (see Newsweek, May 5, 2008, "Getting Away with Torture")
But ended with a prayer,
"...we confess that in our efforts to secure ourselves as a nation, we have on occasion resorted to tactics which were cruel, inhumane, and degrading. O God, we pray for your forgiveness."
They addressed the Salem Presbytery last October, just months before a survey in April among major Christian groups was being conducted on the same subject. Those survey results have horrified some people of faith.
