Ex-Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin has been criticized for her recent comments comparing the waterboarding of terrorists to baptism. Palin gave the controversial words while making an address at a recent NRA event.

"They obviously have information on plots to carry out jihad," said Palin to the NRA convention audience in reference to terrorists. "Oh, but you can't offend them, can't make them feel uncomfortable, not even a smidgen. Well, if I were in charge, they would know that waterboarding is how we baptize terrorists."

That comment has received widespread backlash and more than 15,000 people have already signed a petition with Faithful America to voice their displeasure for her remarks.

"This is what we've come to in America: A former candidate for vice-president can equate torture and Holy Baptism, and one of the nation's most powerful political lobbies erupts into cheers and applause," said Faithful America in a statement. "As usual, Palin's remarks are already making international headlines, once again portraying Christianity as a religion of hatred and violence."

The organization issued the following statement in their petition:

"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. No media outlet should cover her remarks without reporting on how sincere Christians of all theological and political persuasions are appalled."

Faithful America was not the only Christian organization offended by the former Alaskan politician's statements.

"Gov. Palin was attempting to appeal to the basest political populism (nothing in her remarks could be construed as genuinely conservative) by claiming that current U.S. counterterrorism policy is overly-tolerant and empathetic toward our enemies," wrote Joe Carter of The Gospel Coalition. "Unfortunately, what Palin is proposing is a mixture of pagan ethics and civil deistic religion."