RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

January 24, 2008

STOP U.S. SPONSORED TORTURE

For the purposes of the South Carolina Christian Action Council, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity.

WHEREAS, all individuals are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) and therefore worthy of honor and respect by other human beings (1 John 4:20); and

WHEREAS, Jesus calls us to love our enemies (Luke 6:27) and to do unto others as we would have them do unto us (Matthew 7:12); and

WHEREAS, torture, regardless of circumstances, dehumanizes both torturer and tortured alike; and

WHEREAS, modern Western democracies are based in large part on ethical principles derived from the Judeo-Christian tradition; and

WHEREAS, one of the foundational principles of a modern democratic society is the protection of the individual from the arbitrary power of the state; and

WHEREAS torture violates the basic dignity of the human person that all religions hold dear;

WHEREAS torture shames us all, damages our souls and erodes the character of the nation that tortures;

WHEREAS the United States has used torture and unlimited detention;

WHEREAS the United States ' highest official in the Justice Department,  Attorney General Michael Mukasey, refused to denounce the torture method of water boarding during his confirmation hearing;

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BE IT RESOLVED that the South Carolina Christian Action Council condemns torture in all its forms regardless of rationale, and encourages support and help for victims of torture throughout the world, but especially in areas under the control of the United States Government;

BE IT RESOLVED that the South Carolina Christian Action Council stands in support of full U.S. compliance with the Geneva Conventions and the United Nations Convention against Torture:

BE IT RESOLVED that the South Carolina Christian Action Council stands in support of holding U.S. personnel and persons acting on behalf of the United States accountable for any acts of torture in which they were engaged, ordered, or supervised; and

BE IT RESOLVED that the South Carolina Christian Action Council urges member denominations and congregations to oppose and speak out against U.S. sponsored torture wherever and whenever possible,

BE IT RESOLVED that the South Carolina Christian Action Council encourages its constituencies to use their resources of education, preaching and advocacy to eliminate use of torture as contrary to both natural law and human dignity, and in fundamental opposition to God's love for humanity.

Adopted by the Board of Directors

Debbie Dantzler, President

January 24, 2008

Columbia, SC