My wife and I are big fans of the Fox show "24." This is the show that stars Kiefer Sutherland as a special agent of the U.S. Government serving for an agency called C.T.U. -- Counter-Terrorism Unit. The show takes its name from the premise that one season shows you what happens to Kiefer during one 24-hour day.
The show is well-written and generally revolves around the spectre of terrorism -- both domestic and imported. Recent seasons have seen Kiefer involved in thwarting drug lords bent on terrorizing the country to Muslim terrorists attacking nuclear plants and threatening U.S. cities with nuclear weapons. Sadly, in our day, the plots could be real and they highlight the violent age that we live in.
The one issue that I have with the show is that, invariable, Kiefer's character is called upon to torture suspects in order to obtain the information that our country needs to save lives. This has raised numerous discussions between my wife and myself on the issue of the morality of torture. The show displays the horror of torture and then makes the case that it is better for one to suffer -- especially if they are suspected of being a terrorist -- than for many hundred or thousands or even millions of Americans be harmed.
Now, it appears, that life is imitating art. This week we have read in the news of the White House's threats to veto the Defense Spending Bill because it contained an amendment by Senator John McCain outlawing the use of torture of suspected terrorists. Senator McCain's amendment passed the Senate with a vote of 90 to 9, indicating the overwhelming opinion of the Senate on the issue of U.S.-sanctioned torture. Senator McCain, if you remember, was a POW during Viet Nam, so he is well versed in this subject.
The general slant of the media is against the White House's overtures, but that is not surprising. The majority of the media is going to be against anything that comes out of the Bush administration. But, what is surprising, is the lack of moral outcry on this issue from the general public or from the Christian community.
Granted, I did not perform an exhaustive search, but I did check a few of the major evangelical websites to see what was being mentioned on the issue. Focus on the Family had nothing. Chuck Colson (Breakpoint) had a commentary on the issue, but seemed more concern with torture for entertainment as portrayed by the show "Fear Factor" (have to agree with Chuck on this one). Samaritan's Purse (Franklin Graham) -- nothing. The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association website had information on the torture of Christians around the world, but nothing on the issue at hand in the U.S.
This is not a television show. This is not going to wrap itself up nicely at the end of the hour or at the end of the season. We are talking about real men here. Maybe they are terrorists. Maybe they have conducted crimes against humanity. But what are we doing if we follow in their footsteps? What are we becoming if we follow in their footsteps?
Chuck Colson, in the article I cited above, states, "Most commentators believe that torture is something in which no civilized people should engage. That includes the torture of terrorists or kidnappers for information." I agree.
Our country was founded on the principle of freedom, primarily religious freedom, but freedom none-the-less. We are the spokesman for freedom for this world. A light shining in the darkness. Our constitution stands as one of the greatest documents ever crafted, and the protections and rights it affords men and women are still the greatest ever provided. What message are we sending to the world when we even contemplate the spectre of government-sanctioned torture? With the horrors of Abu Ghraib fresh in our collective consciousness, how can we even be debating the issue of torture?
Torture may be the best and most expedient way to gather information from enemies. But, our God calls us to a higher standard. God calls us to stand up for justice and to speak out against injustice. Torture is not justice. Torture, especially the torture of another for personal gain (even to save American lives), is injustice. The argument, "it is better for one to suffer (or die) so that others might live" was the same argument that Caiaphus used when justifying the death of Jesus (John 18:14). It is one thing to willingly accept persecution and suffering on yourself, but it is quite a different thing to inflict it upon another, no matter how deserved. The ends do not justify the means, if those means are injust and immoral.
It is time the Christian community stood together as one and spoke out against the proposed injustice of torture by our country. I urge you to first of all pray to God about this issue facing our nation, and then I urge you to speak out on this issue in your churches and to your friends and to our elected officials.
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