Jesus and Torture

Against, ostensibly, the tide of scriptural wisdom of the day – a frail but Saintly Jesus proclaimed:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.” (Matthew 5:38-39)

and as if not satisfied… reiterated:

Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you. (Matthew 5:38-44)

Churches, we are told, preach the gospel of this Saintly soul.

Well, if a recent study by Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, is any indicator.. then the propensity to back up torture amongst regular Church-goers is significantly higher than those who seldom or never go to any services.

54% of those who attend a church said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified.  However, 42% of those who “seldom or never” go to services agreed to that option.

Ok, here is the rub – the more one swears by Jesus Christ and wears this religious affiliation on his/her sleeve.. the more one is in favor of torture!

White evangelical Protestants – 60% supported torture
People unaffiliated with any religious organization – 40% supported torture

Interesting irony.. huh!?

Reference Links:

1. Survey: Support for terror suspect torture differs among the faithful