With all the talk of torture in the news recently, I was interested in what the United Methodist Church had to say officially. The only reference to torture I could find in The United Methodist Book of Discipline comes in Paragraph 164.V.A):
Basic Freedoms and Human Rights— We hold governments responsible for the protection of the rights of the people ... the mistreatment or torture of persons by governments for any purpose violates Christian teaching and must be condemned and/or opposed by Christians and churches wherever and whenever it occurs.
The United Methodist Church adopted this position before the current crisis, but the logic still stands. Crucifixion was more than just a means of execution, it was a method of torture. As followers of a tortured savior we, of all people, must oppose torture under any circumstances.
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