Baptism, Torture, and Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin will never be mistaken for a deep thinker. While she may be more of an idiot than she is dangerous, she is now appealing to some of the most horrific historical aspects of Christian imperial brutality.

“Waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists” – Sarah Palin with one of the most theologically offensive statements I’ve ever heard. #Torture

— Greg Hillis (@gregorykhillis) April 28, 2014

Really? Yep. Here it is:

Video of the speech: http://t.co/bssYAFvbSF #Torture

— Greg Hillis (@gregorykhillis) April 28, 2014

And she is standing by her lunacy:

I asked Sarah Palin about her water boarding remark. "Would I make it again? Why wouldn't I, yeah, absolutely." http://t.co/R8ki8v5YYF

— Kasie Hunt (@kasie) April 28, 2014

Some of my favorite responses:

A Christian who can equate the sacrament of baptism with a barbaric form of torture is not a Christian: http://t.co/1CwDlwioSg

— Andrew Sullivan (@sullydish) April 28, 2014

RT @chrislhayes: This liberal says Amen http://t.co/vw435qTpNT

— ProfB (@AntheaButler) April 28, 2014

Of course, there also has to be the sarcastic liberal Mormon response:

Baptizing for the dead is how we baptize terrorists – mormons

— Kyle (@KJinSLC) April 28, 2014

While Palin is likely unaware of the extent to which this comment evokes images of the Crusades, she is showing a dark-side of an American political and religious ideology which combines zeal with a disdain for depth and intellectual thought. We see it everywhere. Palin just doesn’t try to hide it.