There’s a bit of irony in this fact that 54% of those who attend church regularly say torture is okay. Let’s face it, that’s how Christ got his start, right.
[quote] White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified – more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did.
The analysis is based on a Pew Research Center survey of 742 American adults conducted April 14-21. It did not include analysis of groups other than white evangelicals, white non-Hispanic Catholics, white mainline Protestants and the religiously unaffiliated,[color=#BF0000] because the sample size was too small[/color]. [/quote]
Not sure I get your point, Nama. What are Christian guidelines on torture? Do they have any? It doesn’t appear to me to be mentioned in the ten big ones. Anyway, hypocrisy is just part of the human experience.
Or are you wondering why non-Christians oppose torture in apparent greater numbers, according to that survey? I’d hazard a guess that someone who has bothered to think through that they’re not a Christian, or at least so as such on a survey, has also bothered to think through the implications of torture. It’s about accepting or rejecting orthodoxy.
Not sure I get your point, Nama. What are Christian guidelines on torture? Do they have any? It doesn’t appear to me to be mentioned in the ten big ones. Anyway, hypocrisy is just part of the human experience. [/quote] I was being sarcastic when I said that about Christians=torture because of what Christ endured. Yes, hypocrisy is the human experience as I’m a Pisces and bound to do it at least once a day.
I think it doesn’t have to do so much with the implications of torture, but rather cultural identity. I wonder how many of the subjects they asked were more apt to agree with torture because of their allegiance to America and support for the troops, rather than based on their religion.
Absolutely - accepting state orthodoxy, which it seems to me in America is common enough for most mainstream Christians. In other countries it’s fairly common to see stronger opposition to state violence in any shape or form by mainstream Christian groups. So, for example, an Anglican church leader might very well oppose the use of force by the government.
[quote]Anglican Head Regrets Lack of Action Against Iraq War
by Anne Thomas
Posted: Friday, December 29, 2006, 9:54 (GMT)
The Archbishop of Canterbury expressed regret at not doing more to oppose the Iraq war. Dr Rowan Williams said that taking a stronger position before the invasion may have made a difference, according to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. The Archbishop repeated his criticism of the decision to go to war, calling it morally and practically flawed. [/quote]
Ironically one of the many things we idealists in the old world enjoyed about the American experiment was the separation of church and state, however, one of things we are most disappointed about is the proximity of God to the decision making.