Dear Christian: Is It Biblical To Waterboard A Terrorist?

Townhall.com ^ | April 17, 2016 | Doug Giles

[Smokin' Joe]

Waterboarding makes someone feel like they are drowning. Unpleasant, but ultimately, not harmful except perhaps instilling a phobia or two.

It is a long way from the Rack, boiling in oil, thumbscrews, removing miscellaneous parts slowly, degloving all or part of the body and packing it with salt or irrigating it with brine, any of a number of tricks done with fire or hot implements, electricity, chemicals, or other unpleasantries which have been utilized in the past to extract information or confessions.

If you could for instance, inflict the stimuli on the nervous system of the aforementioned and somewhat barbaric methods without actually causing physical harm, knowing full well that by doing so you could get information which would save your own personnel, would you be squeamish?

[Tax-chick]

The issue of this article was never whether waterboarding or other measures are a useful national security tool. The question was whether it is a Christian choice, one Jesus would approve.

Neither the article nor the comments has been persuasive on this point.

[chesley]

Well, you are certainly entitled to your opinion, as am I.

As to what Jesus would do in a specific situation, we can only guess, based on our understanding of Him.

Jesus said love your enemies, not let them kill you. Jesus said to forgive those that wrong you, but this is an individual command, not one for governments charged with protecting their people.

Besides, forgiveness requires repentance, which seems to be lacking among Islamists.

Anyway, one day He will explain it to us Himself. Go with His Peace.

[Tax-chick]

Indeed, there is no harm in our disagreeing.

I hope you have a happy week!