May 22, 2011:

Ponderings of a Pilgrim PASTOR

“What Kind of People Are We?”

Torture. The word conjures up images of medieval torture chambers depicted in Hollywood movies. But even the most faithful reproductions of medieval torture would not begin to do justice to the cruelty of what happened. Seeing it would make decent people sick to their stomachs.

Eventually, modern countries abolished torture as a way of extracting information or confessions from supposed criminals or their accomplices. I believe this happened for two major reasons. First, as the modern world dawned over the past two or three hundred years, there was a growing revulsion against barbaric punishments and practices. Human dignity came to be more and more appreciated and respected. The tyranny of rulers was replaced by democracy. "All men are created equal" and their persons and property protected.

But there was a second important reason for abolishment of torture. It didn’t work. Under torture people can be made to say anything their torturers wish. Over time, confessions extracted under torture were not admitted in courts as proof of guilt. It also became clear that information gained by torture was notoriously unreliable.

By the twentieth century only vile dictatorships such as Hitler’s Germany, Stalin’s Russia or Mao’s China still employed torture openly or secretly. But ever since the Vietnam War and increasingly since 9/11 the United States has retreated into the Dark Ages. Torture has been employed against non-Americans (for the time being) and called "enhanced interrogation," as if changing the name makes the practice somehow more acceptable. Recent Presidents such as George W. Bush have disgraced themselves by approving torture. We have become no better than those whose practices we despise.

To remove this stain from our national honor we need to let our elected officials know that we want an end to the state-sponsored torture being carried out in our name.

Love,
Pastor Dave