Evangelicals Condemn Torture

Fox News ^ | Monday, March 12, 2007 | RACHEL ZOLL

[Sopater]

The National Association of Evangelicals has endorsed an anti-torture statement saying the United States has crossed "boundaries of what is legally and morally permissible" in its treatment of detainees and war prisoners in the fight against terror.

Human rights violations committed in the name of preventing terrorist attacks have made the country look hypocritical to the Muslim world, the document states. Christians have an obligation rooted in Scripture to help Americans "regain our moral clarity."

"Our military and intelligence forces have worked diligently to prevent further attacks. But such efforts must not include measures that violate our own core values," the document says. "The United States historically has been a leader in supporting international human rights efforts, but our moral vision has blurred since 9-11."

The statement, "An Evangelical Declaration Against Torture: Protecting Human Rights in an Age of Terror," was drafted by 17 evangelical scholars, writers and activists who call themselves Evangelicals for Human Rights. The board of the National Association of Evangelicals, an umbrella group, announced late Sunday that it had endorsed the document.

Several of the drafters have been advocates for a broader policy focus for Christian conservatives beyond abortion and marriage. One of the co-authors, the Rev. Rich Cizik, the NAE's Washington policy director, has drawn criticism from Focus on the Family founder James Dobson and others for his environmental activism.

[Guenevere]

This group is an abuse of the word, Evangelical.

Don't be mislead.