At a recent NRA rally, Sarah Palin said “Well, if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists.”
What a horrible thing to say! This is quite precisely the dictionary definition of sacrilege. First of all, to associate Christian baptism with a method of torture. Second, to resort to such a method of torture at all, that even John McCain, no dove himself, would stoop to oppose!! She was given an opportunity to take back her words, but she did not.
I would argue that in this short sentence, Palin is showing her vast disregard for (a) human dignity, (b) human rights, and (c) Christianity. Will American Christians continue giving their support to people who repeatedly say (and mean) things like this? This is not only a rhetorical question. It’s a serious question that I hope is answered with ‘no’.
In case anyone is interested, Denny Burk of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has a good article on this. So does Mollie Hemmingway.