Tortured Conscience
A new survey shows most churchgoers support torture. What should pastors say?
May 14th, 2009 | By Skye Jethani | Category: Church, Culture, Features, PoliticsA political dissident is arrested for leading a movement that threatens the stability of a region. He is ambushed and apprehended by his enemies, detained without a public trail, and tortured by soldiers at the command of their political leaders.
No, I’m not describing Kalid Sheikh Mohammad or any other detainee held at the prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. I’m speaking of Jesus of Nazareth. The fact that Christians draw their faith, life, and identity from a Messiah who was the victim of political torture seems ironic in light of new research by the Pew Forum that indicates 62 percent of white evangelicals believe torture of suspected terrorists is “often” or “sometimes” justified. The research shows that people who attend church regularly were more likely to rationalize torture than those who do not go to church.
How do we explain these findings? Are Christians being more influenced by Jack Bauer than Jesus Christ?
Lurking behind this passive support of government torture is a utilitarian ethic that believes the ends justify the means-torture is justifiable if the information attained will save innocent lives. But David Neff, editor of Christianity Today, points out a problem with this argument:
Evangelicals have been eager to reject utilitarian ethics when addressing other issues- embryonic stem-cell research, for example. Even if embryonic stem-cell research turned out to be the best way to cure Parkinson’s disease, most evangelicals would oppose it, just as we would oppose abortion even if it were shown to reduce, say, food insecurity.
When it comes to defending the lives of the unborn, most evangelicals utterly reject utilitarian ethics. Life is scared, and all people-even the unborn-are created in the image of God. But this belief is put to the test when the life in question is that of a suspected terrorist. Do we really believe all human life is sacred or only innocent life? Are all people created in God’s image or only those not labeled “enemy combatants”?
Perhaps the condemnation of abortion and justification of torture found among our congregants is the result of pastoral teaching that is losing the forest for the trees. We have taught our people to oppose abortion, but have we failed to lift up the larger ethic of life’s sanctity which applies far beyond the first, second, or third trimester? Maybe it’s time for us to preach an ethic of life that stretches from the womb to the tomb-one that even encompasses the prison camps the lie in between.
Disturbing, I know. But the numbers I believe are a little sensationalized. The sample size for “white evangelicals” was 174 people. Not sure that is a big enough number to get a pulse on trends within that demographic as a whole.
I just finished The Divine Commodity, great book. As to the torture issue, if we as Christians do not have the capacity to see the difference between attaining information from a self-avowed (not suspected) terrorist that will save 1000s of innocent lives and torturing Jesus because He was a political/religious threat then no wonder the secular world thinks we have nothing legitimate to say.
We taze “suspected”criminals everyday in this country in insure the safety of police officers and water boarding is not nearly as painful – neither is it torture. In fact, ask people serving no more than say a 1 month sentence in prison if they would prefer water boarding instead, we would have a water shortage.
This articles is quite unconvincing.
First of all you err greviously in calling Jesus a politcal dissident. Jesus was NOT a political dissident. He made that abundantly clear to His accusers when he stated that His kindom was not of this world.
Second, Jesus was not harming anyone, nor was he part of a group that made that an objective.
Finally, you are equating non-harmful “torture” of avowed terrorists (with the intent of saving innocent lives) with outright murder of the innocent unborn for the convenience of the mother. If you can’t comprehend the difference, may God enlighten you.
I shared that column with my daughter, who is an attorney, she asked me why there was such a disconnect for evangelicals between torture and abortion and stem cell research. I told her I thought it came from the meshing of Christianity with patriotism (what is good for America is good for the Christian). I’m interested in any insights from the readers of this blog.
Mr. Snelgrove:
Your suggestion that “water boarding is not nearly as painful – neither is it torture” needs a little more critical consideration. But, this is hardly the point. As a nation we must set the standards for ethical conduct and life by rule of law. Granted it is a difficult thing interogating terrorism suspects who are trained to withstand normal tactics. We must never mistake justice and vengence, which human nature often does.
But, even more imprortant as a democratic republic that aspires to a free and open society we cannot resort to low brow and brutish techniques and still keep up the pretense of being an open and free society.