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Christianity in the Crossfire: Sanctity of Life vs. Torture

Mon, 2006-10-02 14:12 — Eric

It is amazing to me how many Christians who think abortion is wrong and a form of murder, also think that it's okay for the United States to use torture as an interrogation technique.  Am I missing something here?  For all of my Christian readers (yeah, both of you) I encourage you to read this and then comment.

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Wed, 2006-10-04 13:37 — Eric
Eric's picture

Crisis

I titled this "Christianity in the Crossfire" because I believe it's true.  The Christian faith is caught in a crossfire between the world and our own self-appointed spokesmen.  The outcome will define how we exercise our faith in this country for a long time.

First, we are beginning to reap the harvest that was planted in the 1980's by those in the Christian faith that believed it was a good idea to get into the "political power broker" game.  Christ's church in the United States lost a lot of her moral authority - her ability to be the conscience of the nation - when those leaders began circulating as part of the inner circle in Washington, D.C.  It began in the 1970's, but reached critical mass during Reagan's administration, and now I believe that too many religious leaders are so comfortable in their positions of power that they won't - indeed, they can't - challenge the Republican party when it goes awry.  To do so would be to endanger their usefulness and prestige.

Second, Christianity is still under fire from the world.  That hasn't changed in centuries.  But the problem is that the "spokesmen for God" that I mentioned above are defining our faith in the world's eyes.  The statement that "God Hates Gays" is starting to look like truth, even though we know that the Bible says otherwise.

We are essentially handing the world new ammunition to use against us, because we aren't being faithful to the true meaning of the "priesthood of the believer" - namely, the right of each Christian to seek out the voice of the Holy Spirit individually, and the responsibility to do so and do it regularly.  If we aren't seeking God's will on our own, we become much too willing to let someone else tell us that they've done it for us.

-- Eric

This is my .sig. There are many like it, but this one is mine.
Wed, 2006-10-04 09:09 — Elizabeth

Human Dignity

Thanks to Christianity Today for that article. I find the actions of torture described in that article sickening. I would not treat my dog like that, much less another human being. I think it can all be summed up pretty well in the first point of the article, that "torture violates the dignity of the human being." Christ himself said that we were to "Love your neighbor as yourself." If that does not place importance on human dignity, then what does?

America is often referred to as the most powerful country in the world. I believe that with great power also comes great responsibility. Responsibility to lead, to set the example. To fight terror with terror only lowers us to the level of those we have vowed to fight. I admit that there is a great deal I do not understand about war. Wrapping my mind around the fact that there are people out there in the world that hate us for essentially being "us" is close to impossible for me. However, we should be meeting and exceeding the standards for humane treatment of prisoners, showing our enemies that there is a better way.

Perhaps an idealistic and simplistic answer, but I am a simple person with simple values.

Mon, 2006-10-02 19:52 — ggulick
ggulick's picture

What is terrorism?

This issue absolutely infuriates me. I am so glad to see Christianity today speaking out about it, they are in the minority in the conservative religious community. Go to Focus on the Family, or CBN, or Baptist Press news, and you will find stories on abortion, Gay marriage, and internet gambling. Do a search for torture, and I can tell you what you will find. You will not find a single article criticizing the recent actions of the Bush administration. Why? Because they have sold out! They are so afraid of loosing whatever influence they think they have, that they seem to willing never oppose the Bush administration on any issue as long as the administration continues to oppose Gay marriage and abortion.

The Bush administration likes to hide behind one of the following arguements: either the Geneva convention does not apply to terrorists, or it is outdated and never envisioned a conflict like the current "war on terror." Who cares what the Geneve convention says? What ever happened to simply doing the right thing? The Bush administration seems to believe that the ends justifies the means: the value of the information we have received justifies the torture.
Is that a Christian attitude? I don't think so.

The first sentence of the Encyclopedia Britannica Concise Encyclopedia's entry on terrorism is: "Systematic use of violence to create a general climate of fear in a population and thereby to bring about a particular political objective." Using this definition, is the U.S. Government guilty of terrorism? I think it is. We have acknowledged that we have secret prisons where we are holding people hostage without charging them or allowing them any representation whatsoever. What is the difference between this and terrorists holding people hostage? We have become the very thing we are fighting against.

Finally, the president needs to remind himself of his oath of office:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

It is the constitution that makes America unique. We cannot simply toss it aside in the name of security. The American experiment is bigger than any one generation of Americans.

That's what I think. Again, kudos to Christianity Today for this great article.

Gil Gulick
http://revgil.blogspot.com

"Those who would sacrifice liberties in the name of security deserve neither."
--Benjamin Franklin