Tens of thousands of people have signed a Christian group's petition denouncing former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's recent remarks at a National Rifle Association rally.
The former Republican vice presidential nominee spoke out on national security at the event, saying, “Well, if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we’d baptize terrorists.”
Faithful America, a group that claims to be "the largest and fastest growing online community of Christians putting faith into action for social justice," has a petition with more than 41,000 signatures, as of this writing, condemning her remarks.
"For Christians, torture is not a joke or a political punchline, but a ghastly reminder of the suffering of Jesus upon the cross. By equating it with Holy Baptism—the act by which we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection—Sarah Palin is blasphemously twisting our faith into a weapon of hatred and violence,” a statement from the group said. “No media outlet should cover her remarks without reporting on how sincere Christians of all theological and political persuasions are appalled."
Palin took to her Facebook page Monday to defend her comments. “Darn right I’d do whatever it takes to foil [terrorists’] murderous jihadist plots – including waterboarding,” she wrote.
Faithful America is a particularly liberal, political Chrisian group. Other petitions from the group oppose homophobia, fracking, and the Koch brothers, Daily Kos noted.