Would Jesus Torture You?

This is just stunning to me.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The more often Americans go to church, the more likely they are to support the torture of suspected terrorists, according to a new survey.

The Washington Region Religious Campaign Against Torture rallied on Capitol Hill in March 2008. More than half of people who attend services at least once a week -- 54 percent -- said the use of torture against suspected terrorists is "often" or "sometimes" justified. Only 42 percent of people who "seldom or never" go to services agreed, according to the analysis released Wednesday by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified -- more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did.

The analysis is based on a Pew Research Center survey of 742 American adults conducted April 14-21.

But when you think about it, and think about the history of religious violence and persecution it's probably not that surprising. Religious duty, for these people, seems not to involve faith, charity and helping those less fortunate than you. It's more about intolerance of people who don't share your beliefs, intrusion into other people's lives and, apparently, torturing people you feel threated by. It's sickening. Isn't that what the Romans did to Christ? Would Jesus approve of torture? Would he bless your belief in torture? I think not.