Poll: Religious More Likely to Support Torture

Frequent churchgoers are more likely to support torture than their less devout brethren, a new Pew poll finds. Fifty-four percent of weekly churchgoers said torture of terror suspects is “often” or “sometimes” justified, compared to 42% of people who seldom or never attend services, reports CNN. White evangelical Protestants were especially likely to support the practice, with more than 60% behind it.

Among the religiously unaffiliated, only four in 10 supported torture, the least of any group. The survey asked whether torture against terror suspects is often, sometimes, rarely, or never justified. In total, 49% said it was often or sometimes justified, with 25% saying it was never justified. Mainline protestants—Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Presbyterians—were most likely to say “never.”