Would Jesus Christ Torture Terrorists?

From: The Pen of Gary Bauer

I was interviewed last week by the Associated Press on torture from a Christian perspective. The question breathlessly being asked by people who normally say that religion should have no role in public policy is, “Would Christ torture?” (Funny how they now want to ask what Jesus would do.) I suggested the more accurate question is what would Christ have us do in situations filled with moral ambiguity. If we have a terrorist in our custody who we believe has knowledge of literally a “ticking bomb” that will kill thousands of innocent people in a U.S. city, what can we legitimately do, both legally and morally, to get the information? Some on the religious left and virtually everyone on the political left are suggesting we can do nothing other than provide the prisoner with a Koran, an ACLU attorney, three square religiously approved meals and a sleep comfort mattress and hope he is so overwhelmed by our kindness that he gives us the information we need.

I disagree. I think it is legally permissible and morally required that we employ physical and mental stress to save our fellow citizens. I think it would be morally obscene to give greater weight to the prisoner’s comfort than to the lives of our fellow Americans. We have a moral obligation to defend the weak and innocent from thugs, criminals and terrorists.

The left wing blogosphere is in meltdown over my comments. MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann has once again named me as one of the three “worst people in the world.” To which I respond: “Bring it on!” Between the choice of saving an innocent American and giving foreign terrorists constitutional rights, I’ll choose saving the American every time.

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