Liberals were jumping for joy last week when a Pew Forum Poll said that Christians were more likely to support torture than non-Christians. Many on the left and those the hate Christianity were quick to cite this as an example of hypocrisy. All they know is Jesus said to turn the other cheek, and so if we are doing anything but, we must be hypocrites. Right?
First of all I think we need to define torture. I don’t care what anyone says, Waterboarding the way I understand it is not torture. Anything that can be done to someone 180+ times and them still be alive is not torture. It might be unpleasant, but so is listening to Barney Frank speak, that doesn’t mean it is torture. Any country that has doctors present during interrogations, and has subjected all of the interrogators to the same measures is not involved in torture. But since the bleeding hearts disagree, we’ll set that argument aside. The liberal media notwithstanding, many people believe what I believe, and that belief likely skewed the results of any survey.
Putting that aside, the Bible does say to turn the other cheek, but it also teaches Christians to work hard and protect ourselves. We are not to sit idly by, waiting for things to happen… we are to take action with a prayerful heart and do what we can for ourselves, including self defense.
Liberals also try to paint Jesus as someone always happy, as if he was some free-loving hippy, fresh out of Woodstock. This is absolutely not true. While Jesus does love the sinner, and in turn expects us to love and pray for our neighbor, he also did get angry. Look at the example of Jesus throwing the money changers out of the temple. Did he smile and politely ask them to leave and when they denied him, did he just walk away? No.
he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. John 2:15
But the most important thing that Christians understand that many leftists don’t, which certainly helps explain our acceptance of enhanced interrogation techniques, is that Christians understand evil exists. On September 11th, we were not trying to empathize with the hijackers wondering what we did to deserve it. We don’t pretend that all evils can be excused by cultural differences. There is evil in this world, regardless of what some liberal apologist wants you to believe… we are not perfect, but the evil is not us.
At first we were running into Ground Zero to help our fellow man, then we were taking action to make sure it never would happen again. During Katrina we weren’t sitting back criticizing the administration and wondering why they didn’t take care of people more… we went into action sending trucks and supplies to rebuild. Not for photo-ops or a press release, but to do what was right and help those who needed us.
We are all sinners, but to believe in the Bible means among other things to believe in yourself. It means that you have to take actions to better your own life, protect your household, and make this world a better place — winning the lost to Christ. It means a man should love his wife as Christ loved the church. How could any man fulfill that promise and stand by watching his nation and security be destroyed? Now I don’t believe any of that is possible without constant prayer and divine assistance, but I do believe that our actions are necessary to get where we need to be… to protect our loved ones and our country.
Does that mean we can waterboard some people that want to behead our children or nuke our cities? I don’t know. But I won’t sit idly by. I will do what I can to protect my loved ones and my life. I will pray for another solution… but if pouring water over a known terrorists face has the potential to save thousands, and no other more pleasant techniques have worked… hand me a bucket.
Was the bombing of Hiroshima and Nakasaki to end World War II contrary to Christian teaching? I don’t know. We were at war, and those lives lost saved hundreds of thousands of others. But just like the people who waterboarded, I expect the decision to drop the bombs was not only difficult for those involved, but something they struggled with the rest of their lives. I don’t envy them making that decision, and I won’t second quess them for doing it. But because of the lives that were saved in the process, I am forever thankful.
I’m no Biblical scholar, nor a minister, nor a deacon. I am a sinner trying to do what is right for his family and his country, constantly seeking God’s guidance. Believing in Jesus does not make me a pacifist. It does make me accountable for the safety and security of my family that I am commanded to protect that.
Evil exists. Contrary to what liberals want you to believe, we are not it.
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Maybe it is because Christians know what real torture is. Getting strapped to a board and having water poured over your head is nothing compared to being nailed to a tree for suggesting that everyone should be nice to each other.