tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post2690831348684903620..comments2016-07-15T22:11:12.142-07:00Comments on Keeping Jesus Weird: Torture is a Moral Issue (part one)John Elfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11253042838539348496noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post-40927145033206503422011-05-02T10:17:19.532-07:002011-05-02T10:17:19.532-07:00Pastor John,
Thank you for bringing the tragedy o...Pastor John,<br /><br />Thank you for bringing the tragedy of our nation’s participation in torture back to our attention. I am saddened that the issue has fallen so quickly from our awareness, though I suspect that many, like I, were horrorfied at its first revelation. I am grieved that the church has been mostly silent on a matter which contradicts our Christian imperatives to honor all people as children of God and to work for the peace of Christ in our world. <br /><br />We must remind ourselves that torture is not only immoral; it is illegal. The United Nations Convention Against Torture, ratified by the U.S. in 1994, makes this clear: “No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture.” The United States has been respected worldwide as a country governed by law, not by immediate fears or exigencies. We Christians must lead in returning our nation to its professed values. Martin Luther King’s conviction that there comes a time when silence is betrayal is wise counsel for us today. <br /><br />Betsy SingletonAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post-51346902166175236732011-05-02T10:11:09.706-07:002011-05-02T10:11:09.706-07:00Great post, John. Thanks for opening my eyes to th...Great post, John. Thanks for opening my eyes to the present administration's lack of follow through.<br />Mardi WarehamAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post-52238281774660758652011-04-25T21:54:04.202-07:002011-04-25T21:54:04.202-07:00I think that the support of something that is so c...I think that the support of something that is so clearly wrong is often a case of emotional and spiritual distance. If you, as a relatively comfortable Christian have never experienced torture or it's aftermath in any personal way, then you are likely not to feel it in any personal way. While we think of our faith as grounded in the spirit, it's often also associated with emotion. But when we maintain distance and do not connect emotionally, well, as humans we're not going to resonate with the victims and may even logically justify the actions of perpetrators. After all, they did it to protect us against the evildoers, right? <br /><br />Sometimes, we humans can go so far as to seek and even grow our distance from the truth - the easier it is to stay in our comfort zones. There's a great song by Bruce Cockburn called "Justice" with the lyric - "Everyone loves to see justice done. On somebody else". <br /><br />At the end of the day, anyone who has had first, second or third hand experience with torture or abuse is outraged and appalled by it in any form. But for the many Christians in America who have no personal emotional experience with it, we are called to a higher moral ground, to take the next step to get connected with it spiritually, and to consider it first hand. We need to do the work, and connect with the facts and the personal stories through research, conversation and community. <br /><br />But to take no position or to condone it is sadly the position of many who chose to remain distant and 'comfortable'.Roy Ritthalernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4230277033516913627.post-91906100512230143062011-04-25T14:25:37.540-07:002011-04-25T14:25:37.540-07:00It is discouraging, isn't it? So many people ...It is discouraging, isn't it? So many people fear that "turning the other cheek" is evidence of weakness, yet if we who are theologians teach it properly, the obvious connection to the immorality of torture becomes clear. We are all equal before God, so how can we possibly condone the physical, psychological, or emotional abuse of another human being?<br /><br />Sadly, I suspect that a tremendous amount of the folks who "approve" of torture do so only because those being tortured are "other" - not Christians, not Caucasians, not Americans. I've heard outcry about the conditions Bradley Manning is allegedly enduring based on the fact that "He's an American" rather than that he's a human being. When I point out that he's no different from anyone else who has suffered torture, there's always a great big BUT in the rebuttal.<br /><br />Sad, and I pray with you for the change of hearts necessary to end torture for all of God's children.Rev. Ruth Shavernoreply@blogger.com