Torture Isn't Wrong

I understand your passion, especially if the end justifies the means but what happens if you are torturing someone who doesn't have the answers you are seeking? What if you got bad intelligence? What if Habib DOESN'T know the location of the terrorist insurgent cell? Is it okay to cut off fingers or drown him, revive him, drown him, and revive him again on the off chance that he does know the answers?

By your own words, "Torture is wrong when it is unjustly done to innocent people", torture would be wrong in this case. But is that wiped away when, by your standards, it is successful?

I'm all for making life as uncomfortable as possible such as bright lights or loud music 24 hours a day but I don't think many of us would count this as torture. You argue that you find it hard to believe that torture is ALWAYS wrong, but when do you know when it's right?

Krauthammer wrote an excellent article on this topic (last year, I believe) for the Weekly Standard.

The Israelis have struggled with this for years. I believe the Israeli Supreme Court has actually confronted the "ticking bomb" scenario.

It is a matter of weighing non-goods. One cannot use evil for good (unless, of course, you're the Almighty), but isn't it also evil (a non-good, at least) to stand by and do nothing while someone is harmed?

This is a thorny moral question (one I'm not up to this morning). Thoughtful post, Harp, and response, Hunter.

Interesting. I see the author's point that torture compromises human dignity, but it seems he is arguing for a standard that would only exist in a sinless world. As you point out, there may be times when torture, which does violate the dignity of the person, is used to preserve the dignity and rights of countless other innocent people.

A similar issue is censorship. It violates freedom, and yet censorship of things such as child pornography is important because it protects people who cannot protect themselves.

It's still not ideal...but it may be necessary. We see evidence of this in the Old Testament, where there are consequences for people's evil choices. And being struck by fire from heaven isn't dignified, but it is just.

It also compromises "human dignity" to be on an airplane going 500 miles an hour that is slammed into a building that kills 3000 people. It also compromises human dignity to have nuke suitcases come into the US and kill hundreds of thousands of people. It also compromises human dignity to allow a plot to go unstopped of bringing smallpox or anthrax into the US and have hundreds of thousands killed. It also compromises human dignity to have reporters and construction workers heads cutoff on video. These "Christians" have a twisted view of God and His justice. Have they read the Old Testament, I guess they think the New Testament null and voids that. Sorry folks, it's the SAME God in both Books.I am an Evangelical Christian and I believe every word in the Bible is the very Words of God Almighty. I also believe He uses powers of government (which included military) to defeat enemies of His creation, people, who He loves and His Son died for. The God I serve would rather 1 man be "tortured" then thousands die. And the one who is being tortured, its his own fault for putting himself on the side of evil.
I once worked with a man who was also an ordained minster. We had a discussion on guns once. He told me he would never own one because he did not believe in "violence". I asked him if some guy came into his and wanted to rape his wife and daughters he would not defend them with agun if one was present, he said NO. This is complete nonsense and its the same nonsense as this no torture nonsense.

There are too many people who do not understand the difference between force (controlled, directed violence) and mere violence. These are the people who do not understand self-defense or defense of others. These are the people who say you must turn the other cheek--even for someone else.

Sick.