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Despite the turbulence I caused, the pastor thanked me for coming, but noted that "torture is not high on anyone's agenda." In a brief thank-you note he wrote, "I believe that if the full scope of the nation's use of torture comes to light, there may be need for churches to propose confession and repentance, as a positive witness for the rest of the world."
Presbyterians: To their credit, the Presbyterians have been more outspoken some of them at least.
In 2006, the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) called on Congress to convene an independent investigative body to establish responsibility for the abuse of detainees and, if appropriate, to recommend the appointment of a special prosecutor.
The clerk of the General Assembly followed up on April 23, 2009, with an appeal to President Barack Obama to work with Congress to establish a non-partisan Commission of Inquiry to bring "an understanding of what happened, how it happened, and who was accountable," adding,
"If those responsible are not held accountable, nothing beyond wishful thinking and admonitions exists to compel future leaders to resist the temptation to torture in times of fear or threat."
Good for the Presbyterians, I thought. It was the perfect lead-in to my Sunday evening talk to a Dallas area Presbyterian congregation. I complimented the assembled on the gutsy appeal by the clerk of their General Assembly on April 23; I found myself looking out at blank and quizzical stares.
This congregation was no exception to the general rule that courageous statements at high official levels do not find their way into Sunday sermons, much less parish workshops. A disappointment, but hardly a surprise.
Methodists: The United Methodist General Board of Churches and Society, acknowledging the results of the Pew survey, is also supporting an independent inquiry into torture.
Top executive Jim Winkler has been very direct: "Shame, shame, shame on any Christian who could imagine there is any justification of torture against another human being. I cannot conceive in my wildest dreams of Jesus Christ giving any blessing to torture."
It is another question, of course, as to whether the findings of Pew reach the pews.
As for the Dallas Methodists, Southern Methodist University has shown itself eager to host George W. Bush's presidential library and an independent institute to sponsor programs to "promote the vision of the president and celebrate" his presidency.
The protests of thousands of Methodists, including prominent alumni of SMU's School of Theology pointing to the policy of torture, fell on the deaf ears of the Methodist bishops and trustees who blessed the enterprise.
Catholics: Sadly, the U.S. Catholic bishops cannot find their voice on torture. This is history repeating itself, for Hamlet-like Pope Pius XII kept trying to make up his mind on whether he should put the Church at some risk in Germany, while Jews and other minorities were been tortured and murdered.
In 1948, the French author/philosopher Albert Camus was invited to address a Dominican monastery; the friars wanted to know what an "unbeliever" thought about Christians in the light of their behavior during the 30s and 40s. Camus rose to the occasion with these words:
"For a long time during those frightful years I waited for a great voice to speak up in Rome. I, an unbeliever? Precisely. For I knew that the spirit would be lost if it did not utter a cry of condemnation. "
"It has been explained to me since that the condemnation was indeed voiced. But that it was in the style of encyclicals, which is not all that clear. The condemnation was voiced and it was not understood. Who could fail to see where the fault lies in this case?
