(RNS) In the movie “A Few Good Men,” Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson) barks at Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise):
“You want me on that wall, you need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something.You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it.”
On Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” former Vice President Dick Cheney channeled the spirit of Nicholson’s character. Host Chuck Todd mentioned how U.N. special envoy Ben Emmerson considers the CIA actions mentioned in the recent “torture report” to be worthy of criminal prosecution. Cheney’s response: “I have little respect for the United Nations or for this individual who doesn’t (have) a clue and had absolutely no responsibility for safeguarding this nation and going after the bastards that killed 3,000 Americans on 9/11.”
Then, Cheney added: “I’d do it again in a minute.”
In a world of endless double-speak, Cheney and Jessup have such clear conviction of the rightness of their actions. Of course, Jessup ended the movie in handcuffs, and some would argue the same should happen to those involved in “enhanced interrogation” procedures.
Indeed, everyone has an opinion about the report released last week by the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. What is the evangelical response? Why are we hearing silence from some and a disparate cacophony from others? Certainly the mind of Christ is not divided on the issue, so why does the church not speak unequivocally with one voice on matters like torture?
First, there is no “official evangelical response” because we evangelicals have no central voice of human authority. Show me your 10 evangelical friends on Facebook who “like” torture and I’ll show you 10 who “unlike” it. OK, that sounds pretty stupid, but so is the automatic assumption that conservative Christians accept — and worse, advocate for — “enhanced interrogation” simply because it happened under a Republican administration.
We don’t. Or at least, a lot of us don’t.
Related article: NAE affirms U.S. Army prohibition of torture
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23 year Navy veteran. As part of my training in my career a modified and adapted SER course (Survival, Evasion, Rescue) Best training I ever had in terms of adaptations and overcoming challenges. In the process of that training I was exposed to some of the practices which are topics of conversation at the moment, under medical supervision. Is it, was it “torture”. No it was not. In fact it that was the lesser of other stressful situations the class encountered those two weeks. Those on the left, UN, PCUSA, MSNBC, the usual crowd, who have no idea what they are talking about should simply shut-up.
I voted for the Vietnam draft dodgers’, twice, who hijacked 911, and then lied us into Iraq, along with the unfunded wars and multiple tours for the likes of members of my family. However, what is torture, people standing in the windows of the Twin Towers looking out knowing that it’s over, or the survivor’s wanting to get the SOBs’ that did this?
I defer to those that got the SOBs’.
Having been “in the room and looked into the eyes” with both some of the folks who applaud this report as well as with Messers Goss, Hayden, Rodriguez and others who are at the center of the torture controversy, I trust these men and applaud their courage in making a very difficult set of decisions. The folks in the PCUSA and other church leaders applauding this report should revisit the assessment of Marj Carpenter who said on 9/11/01 something to this effect to the PCUSA leadership, “Maybe our constant appeals for a reduction in our military and security assets means we bear some responsibility for this attack.”
I’m still waiting for her confessional insight to gain some traction.
i agree completely with your last statement, the usual crowd, who have no idea what they are talking about should simply shut-up. only i would take it a step further; i constantly see souls come here and commit some of the most heinous verbal sins, blackening their own souls, to the point of mortal sin. the Catechism is a manual for what to say and do in all situations. i’d highly recommend reading it, no matter what your beliefs. there is only one Biblical truth. everything else will be judged accordingly. i’ve posted many similar comments here since i discovered this website following the gay marriage vote in 2014. almost all of them were deleted by the administration of this website. that should tell you all you need to know here folks. time is running out to find your way home from the back pastures.
Terrible things have happened. It is not naive to say that we are a nation of laws. If you ignore that in just one case then you become the barbarian who has attacked you. Torture is never acceptable, and if think it is acceptable then you have forfeited your moral compass.