2 May 2009 Main Posts who would Jesus torture? Jeff Sparrow Just about anyone, it seems. New data from the Pew Research Center’s Forum on Religion & Public Life suggests that regular church goers in the US are significantly more likely to support the torture of suspected terrorists than those who worship rarely or not at all. The result illustrates the remarkable pliability of religion. You’d think, after all, that a doctrine in which the central myth recounts in gruesome detail a narrative of torture and execution would provide the basis for empathy (Matthew 25:36: ‘I was in prison, and ye came unto me’, etc.) Instead, compare the huge religious mobilisation of the American churches against gay marriage to their utter silence about human rights abuses. an elaborate account of torture and executions Jeff Sparrow Jeff Sparrow is a Walkley Award-winning writer, broadcaster and former editor of Overland. More by Jeff Sparrow Overland is a not-for-profit magazine with a proud history of supporting writers, and publishing ideas and voices often excluded from other places. If you like this piece, or support Overland’s work in general, please subscribe or donate. Related articles & Essays First published in Overland Issue 228 24 February 202317 March 2023 Main Posts Final Results of the 2022 Judith Wright Poetry Prize Editorial Team Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2022 Judith Wright Poetry Prize. First published in Overland Issue 228 24 February 202317 March 2023 Main Posts Final Results of the 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize Editorial Team Overland, the judges and the Malcolm Robertson Foundation are thrilled to announce the final results of the 2022 Neilma Sidney Short Story Prize.
