The latest survey from the Pew Forum on Religious and Public Life has found a disturbing figure. 62 percent of white, evangelical Protestants in the United States say the use of torture is sometimes justifiable compared with just 40 percent of the religiously unaffilitaed. This is radically backwards. There is nothing in scripture to support this attitude. Torture is wrong.
So if the Bible does not support torture where do these Christians get there ideas from? They get them from the world, particularly the political world. This is what happens when religion and politics begin to mix. When Christians are supposed to be Republicans. When this happens we begin to assume that the political world we are affiliated with teaches us the same things Christ does. It does not. It works the same way when Mainline Christians assume they are supposed to be Democrats too.
I have been teaching lately on the imitation of Christ and why that is so important. How imitating Christ offers the world a living vision of God. When Christians support things like torture the world assumes we’re still imitating and emulating Christ.
Do not trust that the world fully overlaps with your faith in the areas you assume it does. Do the work yourself and do not rely on political parties to line up with your faith. Read the Bible for yourself, pray through it and decide in conversation (midrash) with other faithful Christians friends what God meant when He said "love your enemies".
For a Christian to support torture is nonsense.
Harnessing Chaos 
Dear Pete, As a Christian I am opposed to torture. I am also forgiven for water boarding a terrorist. Whether I am Democrat or Republican I\’m just mistaken if I believe water boarding and torture are in the same ball park. I am in agreement that one should never try to line up their political party with their faith. The works of man will always fall short of the Glory of God. Our most perfect hope presents only a shadow of Christ. Please disregard my pimples, moles, blemishes and perhaps an occasional water boarding.j
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It\’s true J…like all things torture is not black and white…there\’s alot of gray. I don\’t know…I try to imagine what Christ would do in the same situation and then do the same…usually I fail miserably.
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There is no excuse for failure other than sin but, we have an advocate! There has been and still is much in my life that does not measure up to the measure of Christ. Ultimately it doesn\’t matter if others hold me to another standard. Christ is the goal. A war is raging and we fail to even acknowledge it. It just isn\’t politically correct. It\’s a war of ideas. A war of world views. Sadly, a war of good versus evil. Right versus wrong. It isn\’t gray. It\’s black and white. At times I wish I would just see the gray. Then some kid in Palestine straps dynamite to himself and goes to war. These ideas are wrong. Fostered by wrong thinking of men convinced their way is just. What leg do I have to stand on? Am I just a man convinced my way is right? No. Let Christ be true and all men liars.j
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I am reminded of the following dialogue between Frodo and Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings:Frodo: I wish the ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened.Gandalf: So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world Frodo, besides the will of evil
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Yes! This is the time we have been given. Will our desire to be perfect in the eyes of the world prevent us from the good work that may soil our hands? Moral high ground is hard to hold without getting a little dirty.j
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