Dear Christian: Is It Biblical To Waterboard A Terrorist?

Waterboarding is finally back in the news thanks to CIA Director John Brennan's recent comments and I, for one, am glad.

I've missed talking about waterboarding much like I've missed discussing who played a better Darrin Stephens in Bewitched. I've always maintained that Dick York kicked Dick Sargent's backside in that role but no one seems to A). Know what I'm talking about; or B). Care what I'm talking about when it came to the near transcendent subtleties showcased in York's acting chops especially when he interfaced with Endora.

Oh, well. What can you do? Most geniuses are usually left to ponder the great things in life alone and such is my lot.

So ... thank God, at least for my sake, that folks have resumed interest in and are currently conversing about water torture for terrorists.

Matter of fact, a Christian radio show host asked me the other day how I could, as a believer, be cool with waterboarding terrorists for intel crucial to our national security—or, as I like to call it, the implementation of The Doug Giles Irrigation for Information Act. Irrigation sounds so much more pleasant than torture, oui? Oui. I told my inquiring host that as a patriotic white, male, Christian redneck, as far as I can deduce from the holy text, Jesus and the balance of Scripture seem to be okay with dunking Achmed if he has the 411 regarding the 10/20 of the next mass slaughter of innocent Americans. Call me crazy. I’m well aware, however, that I could be committing an exegetical error given the fact that I’m white and male and all. This is my cross.

Please note: If Christ wasn’t cool with irrigating irate Islamists for facts, I must admit, I would still have to green light our boys getting data from enemy combatants 007 style. Stick a fire hose up their tailpipe and turn it on full blast. I don’t care. I’m not as holy as most of you super-saints or as evolved as some of you progressive atheists purport to be. Security beats spirituality in this scenario, as far as I’m concerned.

Now, as you can imagine, the holier-than-I show host was a tad bit taken aback by my confidence and giddiness over teaching captured terrorists how to snorkel minus the snorkeling gear if it would keep our country safe. He saw that as somehow incongruent with the Clay Aikenization of the sassy Christ a stack of Americans now worships. He then asked me, in kind of a tsk-tsk tone, for a proof text or two from Jesus’ lips and la Biblia that would come even close to his wishing or implementing ill on those who would harm or kill the innocent. This was like taking candy from a baby for me.

How’s this for starters, Zippy? In John 2:12-17 Jesus whipped religious hacks who were turning God’s temple into a Costco filled with religious crap. According to St. John’s account, it was the second thing Jesus did after John baptized him in the river Jordan. The first thing he did was turn water into wine. That’s two things lame evangelicals can’t imagine Jesus doing: making wine or using a whip, but I digress. Yep, Jesus opened up a can of whup ass on charlatans in the temple. He didn’t pray for them or write them an angry email with the caps lock on or call them “man-made religious disasters” that we need to apologize to for forcing them to sell overpriced spiritual curios. Nope, he methodically sat down, got ticked, made a whip and cleared the punks.

Having that snapshot of Christ violently snapping on the 1st century televangelists in the temple, I’m a thinkin’ that if he got that riled up over overpriced Precious Moments figurines, personally whipped the culprits for it and then ransacked their product display tables, more than likely he would be cool with submerging a couple of murderous morons who have information regarding the pending liquidation of thousands of innocent civilians. (And by the way, I’ll take water in the face over a whip to the back any day of the week.)

If you still think he would have problems with waterboarding the wicked who have the deets on potential terror plots, then what do you do with the story of Noah’s Ark? Correct me if I’m wrong, but those chumps got waterboarded to the max, right? Aw, what’s the matter? Does that 411 not fit with the Jesus you made up? Shame. Not only did Jesus flog greedy religious freaks, he, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, created this little place called hell for the wicked—which makes Gitmo look like a Chuck E. Cheese. Although, come to think of it, Chuck E. Cheese is quite hellish. Bad analogy. (But you get my point.)

In Matthew 18:6, Jesus said if you harmed a little kid it would be better for you to have a chunk of concrete tied around your neck and tossed into the drink off Miami Beach, compared to what the Trinity has prepared for you in eternity (author’s paraphrase). Sounds bad, eh? Worse than waterboarding? I’m thinking...yeah. And then we have the book of Revelation. Yikes. This book is one chapter after another of agony on steroids for those that war against that which is holy, just and good.

So, once again, I’m kinda thinkin’ Jesus wouldn’t blink at how cautiously and methodically our intelligence gents have been in pouring some Zephyr Hills down Habeeb’s nostrils in the hope that such “torture” will make him spill the beans regarding his posse’s plans.

Y’know, maybe I would be more empathetic toward the terrorists who wish to kill us if I were a Hillary supporter from wussville, but alas, I ain’t. So, I say, in the name of Jesus, stick the terrorists under the water for an extra minute or two if that’ll persuade them to unveil their buddies’ macabre machinations.

Granted, it’s always great and right to err on the side of civility, except, of course, when saving many lives trumps the uncomfortable nature of sticking a garden hose in a terrorist’s snout.

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?

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.

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.

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