Brethren condemn torture and desensitizing media: Jesus wouldn't be in a room pushing a prisoner to his limit

Members of the Church of the Brethren condemned torture as a “blatant violation of the tenets of our faith” at their annual meeting in Pittsburgh.

Delegates adopted on July 6 a Resolution Against Torture, which described a biblical foundation for peace and a statement of “confession” for members who became “desensitized and complacent” to the use of torture, according to a church news release.

“This is an important step to take,” said Duane Ediger of Chicago’s First Church of the Brethren, denouncing the prisoner abuses at Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison.

Leah Hileman, who presented the resolution, asked Brethren not only to look at overseas prisons but also to watch their television sets and become more aware of violent scenes in shows such as Fox’s 24. “That’s not who we are,” she said.

With about 125,000 members around the world, the Church of the Brethren is one of the historic peace churches, along with the Mennonites and Quakers, that espouse pacifism over war and violence.

“The question still is, ‘What would Jesus do?’” Hileman said. “The answer is that Jesus wouldn’t be in a room pushing a prisoner to his limit.” –Religion News Service