The Bulletin Board:(Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)
U.S. Supreme Court has Reconvened: Let's be praying WHENEVER the Court is in session as their decisions can have impact on GENERATIONS to come. The fact that they may have an opportunity this session to actually vote on same-sex "marriage" where it has the same impact on this country that Roe v. Wade did should be motivating enough!
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
"The Torture Report - VIOLATING HUMAN DIGNITY" - By: Eric Metaxas|Published: December 15, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/26559?spMailingID=10166664&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=441262539&spReportId=NDQxMjYyNTM5S0 [AS I SEE IT: You will note that this is a follow-up of the article I posted last Friday (#1083) in which the timing of this report was brought into question. (Should a report of this nature have been released while we are still in a state of war and enable its contents to be used by our enemies?) I don't believe the political motivations of the timing (the Senators in control were about to lose their power as a result of the past elections) can be denied. But as to what the report reveals - as this article makes clear, no Christian, no American should allow our leaders to operate such that the "ends (getting valuable information) justify the means."- Stan]
Should Christians endorse, tolerate, or participate in the use of torture? It is a serious question.
Last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a 500-page executive summary of its 6,000-page report on the CIA’s use of torture. Before I proceed, let me stipulate that, like everything else in Washington, the report and the responses to it, are very politically-charged.
Having said that, some of what’s in the report shocks the conscience, especially the Christian conscience.
Take the case of Nazar Ali. Ali was no al Qaeda mastermind -- in fact, his own captors described him as “intellectually challenged.” Yet he was held in the facilities that the CIA used for what it described as “enhanced interrogation.” Not because he knew anything. In fact, it was not clear that he was interrogated at all. Instead, the report states that Ali was detained “solely as leverage to get a family member to provide information.” Part of that “leverage” included playing a tape of Nazar Ali crying for his kinsman.
Compared to others held in detention, Nazar Ali certainly got off lightly. The CIA is known to have waterboarded at least three prisoners. Until a few years ago, no one disputed that waterboarding is a form of torture, and for good reason: waterboarding simulates drowning and can, according to Wikipedia, cause “brain damage from oxygen deprivation,” “damage to lungs,” and, in some cases, even But let's put the waterboarding controversy aside. Those who were not waterboarded were subjected to practices such as “[standing] on broken limbs for hours,” and being “deprived of sleep for up to 180 hours, sometimes standing, sometimes with their arms shackled above their heads.” Those are the ones I can name without getting an R-rating.
Again, some people insist the report is a politically-motivated attack on the Bush administration and/or that the report gives aid to our enemies.Neither or both may be true. But for the Christian, it doesn’t really matter.
That’s because torture is, as John Paul II wrote in “The Splendor of Truth,” “intrinsically evil;” it is always wrong regardless of the circumstances. The use of physical and psychological violence to extract information “is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.”
And It’s not only Catholics. A statement on torture signed by, among others, Rick Warren, Ron Sider and my friend Frederica Mathewes-Green, rightly insists that “torture violates the basic dignity of the human person” and “degrades everyone involved – policy-makers, perpetrators and victims.”
To this, I would add another party: the American people. We can make it clear that torture is incompatible with basic human decency. We should give our leaders permission—that is, political cover--[only] to act in ways that are consistent with the basic dignity of the human person. If we don’t, we're also tainted.
None of this is to deny that America has enemies and that swift and decisive action against them is necessary. The scriptures and the Just War theory make it clear that there are times when taking a life is not only permitted, it may be a necessary part of what it means to love your neighbor, yes.
But the same thing cannot be said about torture and the practices described in the report. These practices trade someone else’s human dignity for a sense, which may well be illusory, of added safety. It’s a trade that no Christian in good conscience can make and which Christian conscience demands we condemn.
Not only for Nazar Ali’s sake but our own.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
"Senate report on CIA detention and interrogation practices" - Senate Select Committee on Intelligence | December 3, 2014; http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/cia-torture-report-full-text-113421.html
"The Torture Report: Inhumane Scenes From the C.I.A.’s Prisons" - Amy Davidson | The New Yorker | December 14, 2014;http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/inhumane-scenes-cia-prisons
PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14)
NOW THAT THE ELECTION IS OVER:1) Let's be praying that God showed us grace in giving us representatives who will sincerely work to DO NO HARM to us and future generations. Let's also be praying that should He have chosen to give us those who WILL do us harm, that He extends mercy to us now and for the years ahead. His will is now done as far as the results we have. Now it's up to us to be diligent to hold those elected accountable!, and 2) Let's be praying that the present lame-duck session in Congress will not be allowed to pass legislation that will do harm to our country as they can easily do. (See post #1051 - 'Return of the Zombie).
NOW THAT THE ELECTION IS OVER:1) Let's be praying that God showed us grace in giving us representatives who will sincerely work to DO NO HARM to us and future generations. Let's also be praying that should He have chosen to give us those who WILL do us harm, that He extends mercy to us now and for the years ahead. His will is now done as far as the results we have. Now it's up to us to be diligent to hold those elected accountable!, and 2) Let's be praying that the present lame-duck session in Congress will not be allowed to pass legislation that will do harm to our country as they can easily do. (See post #1051 - 'Return of the Zombie).
URGENT PRAYER REQUEST: Save Christian Mom Asia Bibi from Execution - A Christian mom has been sentenced to death in Pakistan for her faith. Asia Bibi was falsely accused of “blasphemy” – speaking against the prophet Muhammad. Now this wife and mother of five will hang for her Christian faith.She would be the first woman executed under Pakistan’s Shariah blasphemy law.This is the ultimate human rights violation. We’re mobilizing our international affiliate – the European Centre for Law and Justice – and its partner in Pakistan to stop this atrocity. Add your name to our letter to the government of Pakistan demanding Asia Bibi’s freedom.Go to http://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution; please add your signature to mine and over 35,000 others AND pray for Asia Bibi.
U.S. Supreme Court has Reconvened: Let's be praying WHENEVER the Court is in session as their decisions can have impact on GENERATIONS to come. The fact that they may have an opportunity this session to actually vote on same-sex "marriage" where it has the same impact on this country that Roe v. Wade did should be motivating enough!
WORLD-WDE PRAYER REQUESTS:
Friday, Sept. 26th - Two Year Anniversary of Pastor Saeed Abedini's Imprisonment in Iran! - need to continue to pray for Pastor Saeed - that his health will improve and that he will be re-united with his wife and two young children who live in the United States. [If you have not yet, please sign the petition for his clemency- http://beheardproject.com/saeed#sign] For comfort and .\
"Not Everyone Happy with Religious Ambassador Pick," Caitlin Burke,July 29, 2014;
http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2014/July/Obama-Taps-Rabbi-for-Religious-Freedom-Ambassador/ "..An estimated 76 percent of the world's population live in countries where religious freedom is restricted. SIGN A PETITION TO THE UN FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHRISTIANS :" The church in Syria has shone brightly for 2,000 years. But today violence and persecution threatens its survival. Thanks to an incredible response, Open Doors is helping 8,000 families in Syria survive each month. We believe the signatures and prayers of 500,000 people will encourage the UN to act and protect the rights and lives of all Syrians, especially the vulnerable Christian community." Go to: http://lp.opendoorsusa.org/emails/nov-13-action/save-syria.html?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=button&utm_campaign=november
Of course, let's CONTINUE PRAYING FOR AN END TO THE EBOLA CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA AND THE HEALING OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN INFECTED.
PRAY FOR THE CRISIS HAPPENING NOW IN IRAQ (see post #907) Pray that allied forces will be able to drive the group ISIS back (see post #964)
/PRAYER ALERT- UKRAINE: As the Lord leads, please pray:
*For God to suppress President Putin’s ambitions to "restore" the Soviet empire.
*For the people of Ukraine [esp. for the church 'to be THE church'] as they wait to see if the Russian troops will advance.
*About President Obama and to use wisdom in crafting our foreign policy, and wisdom for his advisers.
Continue to Pray for EGYPT - Continue to pray for the tense situation in Egypt and especially for the Christian believers who are being targeted with violence by Muslim Brotherhood members.]
----------------------------------------------------
"The Torture Report - VIOLATING HUMAN DIGNITY" - By: Eric Metaxas|Published: December 15, 2014; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/26559?spMailingID=10166664&spUserID=MTMyMjM2ODE5OQS2&spJobID=441262539&spReportId=NDQxMjYyNTM5S0 [AS I SEE IT: You will note that this is a follow-up of the article I posted last Friday (#1083) in which the timing of this report was brought into question. (Should a report of this nature have been released while we are still in a state of war and enable its contents to be used by our enemies?) I don't believe the political motivations of the timing (the Senators in control were about to lose their power as a result of the past elections) can be denied. But as to what the report reveals - as this article makes clear, no Christian, no American should allow our leaders to operate such that the "ends (getting valuable information) justify the means."- Stan]
Should Christians endorse, tolerate, or participate in the use of torture? It is a serious question.
Last week, the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a 500-page executive summary of its 6,000-page report on the CIA’s use of torture. Before I proceed, let me stipulate that, like everything else in Washington, the report and the responses to it, are very politically-charged.
Having said that, some of what’s in the report shocks the conscience, especially the Christian conscience.
Take the case of Nazar Ali. Ali was no al Qaeda mastermind -- in fact, his own captors described him as “intellectually challenged.” Yet he was held in the facilities that the CIA used for what it described as “enhanced interrogation.” Not because he knew anything. In fact, it was not clear that he was interrogated at all. Instead, the report states that Ali was detained “solely as leverage to get a family member to provide information.” Part of that “leverage” included playing a tape of Nazar Ali crying for his kinsman.
Compared to others held in detention, Nazar Ali certainly got off lightly. The CIA is known to have waterboarded at least three prisoners. Until a few years ago, no one disputed that waterboarding is a form of torture, and for good reason: waterboarding simulates drowning and can, according to Wikipedia, cause “brain damage from oxygen deprivation,” “damage to lungs,” and, in some cases, even But let's put the waterboarding controversy aside. Those who were not waterboarded were subjected to practices such as “[standing] on broken limbs for hours,” and being “deprived of sleep for up to 180 hours, sometimes standing, sometimes with their arms shackled above their heads.” Those are the ones I can name without getting an R-rating.
Again, some people insist the report is a politically-motivated attack on the Bush administration and/or that the report gives aid to our enemies.Neither or both may be true. But for the Christian, it doesn’t really matter.
That’s because torture is, as John Paul II wrote in “The Splendor of Truth,” “intrinsically evil;” it is always wrong regardless of the circumstances. The use of physical and psychological violence to extract information “is contrary to respect for the person and for human dignity.”
And It’s not only Catholics. A statement on torture signed by, among others, Rick Warren, Ron Sider and my friend Frederica Mathewes-Green, rightly insists that “torture violates the basic dignity of the human person” and “degrades everyone involved – policy-makers, perpetrators and victims.”
To this, I would add another party: the American people. We can make it clear that torture is incompatible with basic human decency. We should give our leaders permission—that is, political cover--[only] to act in ways that are consistent with the basic dignity of the human person. If we don’t, we're also tainted.
None of this is to deny that America has enemies and that swift and decisive action against them is necessary. The scriptures and the Just War theory make it clear that there are times when taking a life is not only permitted, it may be a necessary part of what it means to love your neighbor, yes.
But the same thing cannot be said about torture and the practices described in the report. These practices trade someone else’s human dignity for a sense, which may well be illusory, of added safety. It’s a trade that no Christian in good conscience can make and which Christian conscience demands we condemn.
Not only for Nazar Ali’s sake but our own.
[bold and italics emphasis mine]
FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION
"Senate report on CIA detention and interrogation practices" - Senate Select Committee on Intelligence | December 3, 2014; http://www.politico.com/story/2014/12/cia-torture-report-full-text-113421.html
"The Torture Report: Inhumane Scenes From the C.I.A.’s Prisons" - Amy Davidson | The New Yorker | December 14, 2014;http://www.newyorker.com/news/amy-davidson/inhumane-scenes-cia-prisons
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