Peace and Justice  | |
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Statement on Torture
Released by the Human Rights Committee in consultation with
the
World Church Leadership Council
The Community of Christ affirms that:
- All of life is important to
God and therefore sacred.
-
God is concerned about every aspect of
life—society, culture, economics, politics, law, education, the environment,
etc.—and calls us to participate in it as Jesus himself did.
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People have great worth to
God.
- God calls us to be in the forefront of
organizations and movements that recognize the worth of persons.
- We stand in the shadow of the cross and
the suffering of Jesus with Christians of all denominations, and strive for a
just and peaceful world in which people may achieve their full potential as
human beings and children of God.
- In view of our own history of persecution,
we should become aware of and oppose human rights abuses in all places and
circumstances.
Human rights abuses such as torture and human degradation are ungodly,
undermine life before God, destroy the worth of persons, and devastate a just
and peaceful world. Such abuses perpetuate violence and suffering, which Jesus
not only struggled against but also endured on the cross.
The Community of Christ is founded on the belief in the worth of all persons
(Doctrine and Covenants 16:3c). Therefore, we are opposed to torture and all
acts that constitute degrading treatment of any person. We support standards
established by all international conventions, treaties and laws upholding the
worth of persons, including the Geneva Conventions, the United Nations
Convention Against Torture, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Furthermore, we reject the premise that certain conditions of national or
regional emergency provide moral or legal justification to override the rights
of every person to be treated with respect and dignity.
We join all faith communities that affirm these standards, and we urge church
members and jurisdictions of the Community of Christ to take appropriate actions
that uphold this position.
Questions for discussion
In the Forefront:
A Faith in Action Human Rights Network
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