Is Torture Biblical?

Jack Bauer and Jesus

Most anyone who knows us at all, knows that Mary and I have been faithful viewers of the TV show, "24" for the past few years- it's about the only TV show we watch with any regularity thank God, but after this week's finale, we'll be on hiatus for some time. We have followed and been riveted by the exploits of secret-agent man Jack Bauer, who tortues bad-guy terrorists and wars against evil by the minute literally 24 hours a day (when does that man go to the bathroom or consume a beverage of any kind, for goddness sake?).

In lieu of the recent controversy over the CIA tapes of America's "enhanced interrogations" of suspected terrorists in the 'war on terror' that escalted more than a notch after 9-11, I have begun to wonder what God thinks and what the Bible has to say about such things as "waterboarding" (simulated drowning of suspected terrorists in interrogation). I know what the aforementioned Mr. Bauer would do (waterboarding is a day at the beach for him). But more importantly what would Jesus, a victim of 'torture' Himself ( read Isa. 53, the gospels and see the Passion) would do or say about it today? First, what are Christians saying about it?

For starters, white evangelicals are more sympathetic to torture. The poll data from a survey of American adults released April 29 by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life found 62 % of white evangelical Protestants said torture of a suspected terrorist could be often or sometimes justified to obtain important information. By contrast, 51 % of white non-Hispanic Catholics, 46 % of white mainline Protestants (mostly liberal) and 40 % of the religiously unaffiliated held that position. Moreover, those who attend religious services at least once a week were more likely than those who rarely or never attend to say torture is sometimes or often justified in that scenario - 54 to 42 %. What is torture anyway? Torture can be defined as “the infliction of intense pain to punish, to coerce, or to derive sadistic pleasure.” Of course, sadism is never appropriate or just, but what about punishment or coercion? Is there ever a time when inflicting pain is justified in order to punish wrongdoing or to obtain a confession? What if that confession would lead to information that could save thousands of lives( this is the Jack Bauer defense)?

Pro-Family leader Gary Bauer said the answer is "It depends. I think if we believe the person we have can give us information to stop thousands of Americans from being killed, it would be morally suspect to not use harsh tactics to get that information." Many other evangelicals and conservatives disagree, including Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, who revealed this month that he thinks waterboarding is torture and never justified. He said part of his conclusion is based on his belief that it's "...very likely to cause permanent psychological damage. It seems to me once you accept the 'end justifies the means' argument, then you have taken a step onto a very steep and slippery slope to a dark and dangerous place."

What now? Last fall, a university study on morals and ethics found that 44 % of white Southern evangelicals rely on life experience and common sense to form opinions on torture. By contrast, 28 % said they relied on Christian teachings or beliefs. Doh- red flag! Not good family- we need a biblical world-view, not a life-experience one in order to answer tough questions. So what does the Bible say?The Bible acknowledges the existence of torture. In a parable, Jesus spoke of a servant who was “turned . . . over to the jailers to be tortured” (Matthew 18:34). Such an allusion seems to indicate that the use of torture was common in the prisons of the day. The Bible also records the stories of many victims of torture other than Jesus (e.g. Paul and Silas -Acts 16), the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 20:2; 38:6), and other unnamed saints (Hebrews 11:35). In every case, we see that the godly are the victims of torture, never the perpetrators of torture. After all we are all (that means evil terrorists included) made in God's image and guess what- worthy of redemption right? It should go without saying that as individuals, we are not to seek revenge. Vengeance belongs only to the Lord (Psalm 94:1; Romans 12:19).

Here's another question then, what about from the govermental view? We know that God has appointed civil governments and charged them with maintaining justice in this world (Romans 13:1-5). “For [the ruler] is God's servant to do you good . . . an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer” (verse 4). Elsewhere, God calls judges and magistrates to provide justice, which comes from God Himself (Psalm 82:1-4). If they fail in their duty, they will themselves be judged by the Lord, the Judge of all (verses 7-8). So government bears the responsibility to protect the good and punish the evil (Jack likes that part). What methods may it employ in carrying out that responsibility? Beyond the endorsement of capital punishment (Romans 13:4; Genesis 9:6), the Bible does not say. The Bible neither condemns nor condones a government’s use of torture. Many more questions can and should be asked: What specific techniques should be considered “torture”? Where do we draw the line? Is the infliction of any kind of pain inherently wrong? What if there are no permanent physical effects? Is sleep deprivation torture? What about a forced change in diet? Should yelling at a prisoner be considered psychological torture? Though there are practical considerations there, but it is scripture and the prompting of the Spirit that should dictate our view.

These are all questions not addressed explicitly in the Bible and are beyond the scope of this pastor at the moment, but they do highlight the need for us to dig deeper (see today's Dig Deeper from the blog- to pray “for kings and all those in authority”, 1 Timothy 2:2). May our President and other policy makers have the wisdom to distinguish good from evil and to provide true justice considering that all people are created in the image of God.