Sunday afternoon I participated in a public forum sponsored by Agudas Israel Congregation in Hendersonville.  The forum was part of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.  The documentary "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" was shown with discussion afterwards.  Following is a portion of my presentation to the group:

Last year Dr. David Gushee's organization produced the “Evangelical Declaration Against Torture, which can be signed by anyone at the Evangelicals for Human Rights website. Few Baptists have signed that document; when the declaration was released, it was immediately attacked by the official Southern Baptist Convention leadership. This past January I attended the three day New Baptist Covenant meeting in Atlanta, put together and attended by moderate and progressive kinds of Baptists. The theme for the meeting centered around the Gospel of Luke, chapter 4; text that lifted up Jesus Christ, the Christian's tortured Savior and Lord. I am sure that at least 99.9% of the Christian churches represented at that meeting, and all over our country, have a depiction of a cross or crucifix posted somewhere on their property. Yet nothing was said at that meeting about this country's torture policy. According to the NRCAT's website, around 330 faith institutions have been willing to post a banner that publicly proclaims their opposition to torture. A quick "googleing" of the subject brought up the figure 450,000 as the number of churches in this country. I do not know if that number represents Christian communities of faith or includes all faiths. In North Carolina, there are seven faith communities participating; in WNC, there is one – this congregation we are meeting in today!

The exact numbers are not important; but I believe that less than 1% of the total number of faith institutions in this country willing to post a banner is important. Does the lack of participation in this campaign signal consent or acquiescence? Have they succumbed to the culturally popular civil religion that has grown exponentially in this country, especially since 9/11?

Following is a portion of the Americans United for Church and State's statement regarding civil religion:
"We are citizens of two kingdoms and owe loyalties to both God and government. Civil religion, however, often confuses those two loyalties. Civil religion describes those public rituals that express the intersection of the political and the divine.... Civil religion, with its references to a generic deity, is a pale substitute for authentic faith in a personal God, and it may be unconstitutional when it intends to invoke an atmosphere of worship or to create a religious presence."

Two days ago, a Christian pastor expressed to me that he knows of at least one church member who has stated, “If torture will save one American life, I am all for it.” There is no concern for the Iraqi, not even that nine year old held in Abu Ghraib; there is no recognition that God created that person, also, and is constantly working to gather that person to himself! There is a blurring of the line between who we worship, and, for Christians, what that cross means! And that blurring's fire is stoked when religious leaders encourage a national leader to believe that he is “divinely appointed” to be the leader of a country. When you feel that your country is blessed above all others, you will easily move into the practice of the “end justifies the means” philosophy. You can do no wrong because the preservation of your political state is above all. The practice of “never question your orders” becomes a part of purported faith institutions as well as military policy. When you worship an institution, be it country, denomination or even local church, it is much too easy for people no longer to be individuals with lives and families just like you and me!