June 6, 2008
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.

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