Torture Not the Way of Jesus or Us

Christians who follow and truly serve a God whose attributes include love, mercy and compassion, should in no way advocate for the torture of other human beings. But then again, when we see and hear of “Christians for Abortion” or “Christians for Gay Rights” or “Christians for the War”, we are reminded of the question Jesus asked: “When the son of man returns to earth, shall he find faith?” (Luke 18:8)

Traditionally, we have viewed torture as inhumane, immoral, unethical and unchristian. When we think of torture, we usually think of Germany’s Hitler, Russia’s KGB, Cuba’s Castro, China’s Mao and Iraq’s Hussein. Oh, and now we must add to that infamous list The United States’ Bush and Chaney. Ironic, isn’t it?

It is a sad day in our legacy as God-fearing individuals when those that confess the name of Christ Jesus can also advocate for the torture of human beings on the grounds of gathering “good, reliable intelligence” and “protecting our country”.

I am reminded of Psalm 127:1 which reads: “Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.” (NIV)

I believe Christians should say “No!” to torture on the following grounds:

• Torture violates the dignity and respect of the human being.
• Torture dehumanizes the torturer.
• Torture mistreats the vulnerable.
• Torture violates the demands of justice.
• Torture erodes the character of the country that tortures.

As Christians, we care deeply about moral values, and human rights around the world. As a country, we have been in the forefront, standing up against inequality and injustice in the most remote parts of the world. Now is the time for us to remind our government of our unbreakable, unshakeable values. Now is the time to raise our prophetic voice as the Church of Jesus Christ and say an unequivocally “No!” to torture. Torture has no place in our nation and it violates our cherished moral and ethical convictions.

Dr. Peter Ramos, President
The Christian University

Most Christians do not take the Sermon on the Mount seriously. Why would Jesus tell us to do these things if he "really didn't mean what he said?" Is torturing people what Jesus would have us do to others? Is torturing people what Jesus means when he tells us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us? I am not convinced that the Christian faith ever elevates security and political expediency above the dignity of human life and the ethical mandate to love all people, and especially those who would intend us harm.

Ha. I said, 'broke the worlds.' Meant to say, in that sentence, 'broke the rules.'

Jungian slip. :)

I mean, ....call it constructive criticism here, but I do observe there's a certain dynamic here where people are taught, 'Christians are better than doing this.... Only non-Christians do this... OOps, Now the non-Christians in the Islamic world broke the worlds, now we *have* to torture people!'

Anyone spotted that?

"I believe that torture can NEVER be justified. The arguments against torture for one who follows the tortured Jesus(what else was crucifixion, but torture? Designed to prolong the suffering of prisoners for DAYS -"

Point of history: not actually: Jesus surviving that long on the cross was considered to be one of the miracles, actually: the point of that form of execution was certainly not a quick and merciful death, so much as suspending criminals between Earth and Sky since they thought themselves above everyone else enough to risk the very real and imminent deaths of tens of thousands if they cut off food supplies to cities with no real preservation of food for even ten days in some cases.

Painful, but, no, not three days long.

That's part of your particular religion's myth, may as well say stables were regularly-cleaned out by diverting rivers cause that's how Hercules went about it. :)

Kinda figure that, having been the wrong end of it myself, that comparing what you wanna put people through ought *not* to be compared to Jesus's supposed trials, cause that has a way of making grey areas.

Shouldn't take three days.

Minute or so ought to be way too much.

Talking immediacy, here.

As in... 'Don't do that.'

We can not do that.

Torture-fans say it's for 'freedom,' I say they're wusses. Non-combatant as I am right now, I say, I'm willing to accept a certain amount of risk so we don't torture anyone. Even for a second.

MOre likely to get hit by a darn SUV, anyway. ;)

As a retired military officer, and a student of military history, as well as a former intelligence officer, and last...but most important, as a Christian, I believe that torture can NEVER be justified. The arguments against torture for one who follows the tortured Jesus(what else was crucifixion, but torture? Designed to prolong the suffering of prisoners for DAYS -- remember the surprise when it was reported that Jesus had died the same day?) would seem to me to be self evident. How can we do to anyone what was done to Our Lord?

But as a military officer, I also absolutely reject torture. Even in the case of the supposed "imminent danger" "lives are at stake" argument. For one, we cannot assume that the information is true...A last minute "confession" could well be false. The one being tortured may reason that if he can keep authorities chasing all over, they will not succeed in preventing the real danger. John McCain states he deliberately gave false information on occasion, in order to thwart his opponents; why do we assume others aren't smart enough to do so?

Fear of facing torture on the part of our enemy may motivate them to fight harder against capture, and cost us more lives in the process. It motivated our troops in WWII and Viet Nam, why wouldn't it work with our opponents?

The Obama administration has a chance to repudiate the previous practices. We must never again do this to anyone.

But we must also hold accountable those who ordered it, AND those who carried it out. Nuremburg did not excuse the conduct of the torturers because they believed their authorities. Our people, too, cannot hide behind "we thought our government would not order torture." Failure to hold those acountable denies the courage of those military personnel, especially enlisted, who DID object and who refused to participate.

Wow. I'm impressed - not just because I agree with the columnists conclusion but the brilliant logic leading up to it.

The accomplishment of ANY desired end - no matter how laudable - is NEVER justified when the means employed to accomplish that end are questionable at best. I am a christian and I am sickened to learn, according to a recent Pew Research Poll, that there are many American christians who apparently deem the use of torture appropriate in some instances. It is the torturer who loses his/her own soul and it is an indictment of any society that supports its use as an instrument of public policy. This president has got it exactly right: the use of torture has a corrosive effect on the soul of a nation. Democracy is frequently a messy and inconvenient enterprise. But Lincoln was exactly right, for all time and forever, when he said: " Let us strive to learn that it is right that makes for might." God help us all, if we succumb to the temptation to take some convenient "short cuts" in the search for the "evil doers" and attempts to bring them before the bar of justice. For in the doing, we will have become just like them! The moral high ground is the only viable position for us to take as a nation, seeing as how we have been crowing about our own exceptionalism for a very long time.