The Episcopal Diocese of Utah
News Releases
Utah Faith Leaders Urge Repudiation of Torture
November 23, 2005
A wide-ranging group of Utah religious leaders is speaking out against the United States using torture on prisoners taken in the war on terror.
More than forty leaders from nearly 30 faith communities in Utah signed a statement urging their members to reject any use of torture by the U.S. government or its agents. The leaders also call upon Utahns to urge their congressional representatives to pass a defense appropriations bill containing "anti-torture provisions."
The leaders affirmed the intent of a November 9 statement from the National Council of Churches General Assembly which says in part: "Torture...denies the preciousness of human life and the dignity of every human being by reducing its victims to the status of despised objects, no matter how noble the cause for which it is employed."
The Utah religious leaders represent Christian and non-Christian communities alike acknowledging "that all of our faith traditions can uphold the same intent to 'love our neighbors as ourselves,' a common thread found in nearly every world religion."
TEXT OF THE STATEMENT OF UTAH FAITH LEADERS
We, the leaders of several religious communities in Utah are calling on Congress and the President to rule out "any and all use of torture" of war prisoners as an option for the U.S. government or its agents.
We affirm the Nov. 9 statement from the National Council of Churches, which says in part: "Torture turns its face against the biblical truth that all humans are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27). It denies the preciousness of human life and the dignity of every human being by reducing its victims to the status of despised objects, no matter how noble the cause for which it is employed."
The General Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service voted unanimously to approve the statement (see below) disavowing the use of torture in any form. We urge the members of our faith communities to contact their respective members of Congress advocating passage of the 2006 Defense Appropriations bill with the "anti-torture provisions" from the Senate's bill be included.
While this statement comes from a national group of Christian churches, we believe that all of our faith traditions can uphold the same intent to "love our neighbors as ourselves," a common thread found in nearly every world religion.
Signed:
The Right Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish, Episcopal Bishop of Utah
Rev. France Davis, Calvary Baptist Church, Salt Lake City
Father John E. Norman, Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
Rev. Carla Gilbert, United Church Christ, Congregational, Ogden, Utah
Rev. Tom Goldsmith, Salt Lake Unitarian Church
Ms. Dee Rowland, Roman Catholic Diocese of Salt Lake City
Ghulam Hasnain, Muslim Community, Salt Lake City
Rev. Scott Weisser, First Baptist Church, Salt Lake City
Rev. Catherine Putnam, Wasatch Presbyterian Church, Salt Lake City
Rev. Marvin L. Groote, Executive Congregational Consultant, Utah Presbytery
The Very Rev. William Maxwell, Dean Emeritus, St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City
Ms. Raven Simons, Utah Pagan Clergy Association, Salt Lake City
Rev. David Henry, Wasatch Presbyterian Church, Salt Lake City
Pastor Kevin James, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Ogden
The Rev. Jessica Hatch, Episcopal Community Services, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Len Evans, Grace Episcopal Church, St. George
Ms. Sue Marquardt, Wasatch Presbyterian Church, Salt Lake City
The Rev. W. Lee Shaw, St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, West Valley City
The Rev. Robin James. St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City
Rev. Ron Holdsworth, Granger Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), West Valley City
The Rev. Pete Poggemeyer, Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd, Ogden
The Rev. Suzanne Duffield, St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, Whiterocks
The Rev. Canon Diana Johnson, St. Mark's Cathedral, Salt Lake City
Mr. Thomas J. Schroeder, Clerk, Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), Logan
The Rev. Bonnie Joia Roddy, All Saints Episcopal Church, Salt Lake City
Rev. Linda Brewer, Church of Religious Science, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Charles Robinson, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Park City
Ms. Nancy F. Appleby, Episcopal Peace Fellowship, Paul Jones Chapter, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Connie Gordon, St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Tooele
Rev. Donald Graves, Church of Religious Science, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Deacon Jack E. Roddy, All Saints Episcopal Church, Salt Lake City
Ms. Holly Earl, Samaritan Counseling Center, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Trace Browning, Rowland Hall-St. Mark's School, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Cheryl Moore, St. James Episcopal Church, Midvale
Rev. Jan Ewing, Church of Religious Science, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Gwyneth MacKenzie Murphy, All Saints Episcopal Church, Salt Lake City
The Rev. G. Edward Howlett, Retired priest, Episcopal Diocese of Utah
The Rev. Debora Jennings, Episcopal Diocese of Utah, Cedar City
The Rev. Steve Keplinger, St. David's Episcopal Church, Page, Arizona
The Rev. Camille Sawaya, St. James Episcopal Church, Salt Lake City
The Rev. Daniel J. Webster, All Saints Episcopal Church, Salt Lake City
TEXT OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL OF CHURCHES ACTION
A Statement on the Disavowal of Torture
Based upon our longstanding policies defending human rights and our affirmation of human dignity as revealed in scripture, the General Assembly of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA and Church World Service meeting in Baltimore, MD, November 8 - 11, 2005, commends the United States Senate for its recent passage of the "Anti-Torture Provisions" which came as amendments to the Defense Appropriations Act of 2006. As that bill now comes before the House of Representatives for action (H. R. 2863), we are deeply disturbed that leaders within our nation's government oppose legislation which publicly disavows our nation's use of torture anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances.
Within the core of our religious tradition are Jesus' call to love our enemies, his blessing of those who work for peace, and his instruction that we are to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Mt. 7:12)--a teaching found in other faith traditions as well. Both United States and international law reflect this biblical mandate, a social ethic commonly known as the Golden Rule, by upholding as core principles the right of due process and the humane treatment of all prisoners, even in times of war. As delegates to the General Assembly of the National Council of Churches USA and Church World Service, we find any and all use of torture unacceptable and contrary to U.S. and international legal norms. We find it particularly abhorrent that our nation's lawmakers would fail to approve the pending legislation disavowing the use of torture by any entity on behalf of the United States government.
Torture, regardless of circumstance, humiliates and debases torturer and tortured alike. Torture turns its face against the biblical truth that all humans are created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26, 27). It denies the preciousness of human life and the dignity of every human being by reducing its victims to the status of despised objects, no matter how noble the cause for which it is employed.
We believe that any reluctance of this nation to publicly disavow torture under any circumstance not only erodes the peace of the world but even the possibility of peace, since it destroys the trust required for diplomacy and other non-violent means to seek peace. Thus, we call upon members of the U. S. House of Representatives to follow the lead of the Senate by approving the legislation before it banning the use of torture by any entity of our government.
Furthermore, we urge the President of the U. S. and all members of his administration to support this legislation by affirming America's long-standing commitment to refrain from the use of torture.
top
Return to News & Events. |
