I am writing this on Easter Sunday. Easter, as celebrated by Christians, marks the alleged resurrection of Jesus Christ, after he was brutally tortured and crucified to death.
And some religious zealots are apparently using Jesus's death and resurrection as a means to justify torture.
I learned this as I was talking with a devout Catholic man -- so devout that he wore a crucifix on a silver chain around his neck.
This man is pro-torture in what used to be called the "war on terror". But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
He explained to me that Jesus was sent to earth in order to be tortured and killed for our sins. If the Roman guards hadn't tortured Jesus to death, he reasoned, then we'd all be going to hell. So, he concluded, torture can be a very, very good thing.
Then he moved from Jesus to the saints. He described the torturous deaths of some of the saints, and tried to explain that torture was a good thing there too, because it provided a fast track to sainthood.
Usually when advocating against torture, I am presented with the ticking bomb scenario, which is another misguided attempt at justification. But this Jesus thing really takes the cake.
Framing torture as a positive religious thing is unholy at best.
Happy Easter to all of you who celebrate this day -- but please celebrate it for the right reasons.
I find it just too sad, too tragic, all the pain and suffering inflicted in the name of the itinerant rabbi from Nazareth.
ReplyDeleteFor me the "empty tomb" means an empty Guantánamo, an empty Bagram, and empty black sites. "Salvation" means justice and reparations for the victims of our war of 9/11 vengeance, esp. following a commission of inquiry.
Have a happy day...it's colder than usual but there's lots of sunshine!