[UMNS-ALL-NEWS] UMNS# 237-Church banners protest U.S.-sponsored torture

[NewsDesk]

Church banners protest U.S.-sponsored torture 

Jun. 6, 2008     

NOTE: Photographs are available at http://umns.umc.org. 

A UMNS Report 
By Kathy L. Gilbert* 

Black and white anti-torture banners are being displayed next to the
familiar cross and flame on the front of some United Methodist churches
during the month of June.

More than 300 faith groups in all 50 U.S. states are displaying the
banners in support of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture's
"Banners Across America" campaign.

In a press conference on June 5, religious leaders representing diverse
congregations launched the campaign to mobilize faith communities
against U.S.-sponsored torture. The campaign is timed to offer an
interfaith public witness during Torture Awareness Month, said the Rev.
Richard Killmer, campaign director.

Participating congregations include Protestant churches, Quakers, Roman
Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhists and Sikhs. "We are thrilled that
almost 300 congregations have made a significant and courageous witness
in their community by displaying an anti-torture banner on the exterior
of their building," Killmer said.

As of June 5, twenty-one United Methodist churches, along with the
United Methodist Board of Church and Society in Washington, were
displaying banners with the words "torture is wrong" or "torture is a
moral issue."

"It is sad that America is now identified as a country that
tolerates--if not practices-- torture," said Jack Hjelt, a member of
First United Methodist Church, Ashland, Ore., one of the participating
churches.

Hjelt said his congregation "easily endorsed" displaying the banner to
call attention to the U.S. policy on torture. He said many in the
congregation understand the difference between military interrogation
and torture. "I have done a lot of work with the military. They know the
difference," he said.

Stop torture 

In March, President George W. Bush vetoed the 2008 U.S. intelligence
bill (H.R. 2082) that would have required the Central Intelligence
Agency and other members of the intelligence community to abide by the
restrictions of the Army Field Manual while conducting interrogations.
That manual, revised in 2006 after the abuse scandal at Abu Ghraib
prison in Iraq, prohibits torture and many "enhanced interrogation
techniques" such as waterboarding (simulated drowning), military dogs,
beatings and electric shocks, among other techniques.

"While torture exists in many places throughout the world, the ability
for U.S. Christians to speak morally against those practices is severely
limited unless it is first abolished in the United States," said Bill
Mefford, program director for civil and human rights with the Board of
Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency.

Linda Gustitus, president of the national religious campaign, said
torture is not a political issue. 

"Whether you're for or against torture shouldn't depend upon whether
you're for or against the president, the war or a particular party,"
Gustitus said. "Torture is a moral issue. It is immoral to use torture,
and it is immoral to condone it--affirmatively or silently. Torture
destroys the very soul of our nation and it must be stopped."

West Side United Methodist Church, Ann Arbor, Mich., is among churches
displaying a banner. On the church's Web site, leaders of its outreach
mission and social justice committee explained that West Side would
participate "to promote awareness of issues surrounding torture and to
promote thoughtful discussion concerning how our Christian convictions
impact our response to this issue."

United Methodist stance 

At the 2008 United Methodist General Conference, the denomination
adopted two resolutions dealing with torture. 

"The Abolition of Torture" requires The United Methodist Church "to
publicly condemn and oppose torture wherever it occurs through
legislative and other means." That includes advocating for the
ratification of the Convention Against Torture, fully supporting the
International Criminal Court and organizing or joining events such as
the United Nations International Day to Remember the Victims of Torture
on June 26. 

"United Methodists should seek access to places of detention and
interrogation centers in order to ensure that persons held are not
mistreated," the resolution states. 

Another resolution on "Opposition to Torture" states that the Geneva
Conventions should be applied "to all enemy soldiers" and supports "the
humane treatment with due process for all combatants held by both
government and nongovernment forces anywhere in the world." 

The resolution also calls for "judicial review and legislative oversight
over executive branch operations relating to counterterrorism and
domestic surveillance programs, both classified and publicly
acknowledged."

The National Religious Campaign Against Torture has four goals: 

*	Stop the use of torture techniques by the CIA; 
*	Close secret prisons; 
*	Stop rendition for torture; and 
*	Hold our government accountable for what they have done. 

The organization is calling for a select committee of Congress to
investigate all aspects of U.S.-sponsored torture since 9/11.

More than 190 religious groups, including The United Methodist Church,
have joined the National Religious Campaign Against Torture since its
formation in 2006.

*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in
Nashville, Tenn. 

News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470
or newsdesk at umcom.org. 

******************** 

United Methodist News Service 
Photos and stories also available at: 
http://umns.umc.org 




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