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Spiritually speaking, do you support torture?
I have been doing research lately regarding the ineffectiveness of violent torture methods, and am curious to see what other people think about it.
In the context of the current war in Iraq, do you think that the US military should rely on violent torture methods such as waterboarding or those used at Abu Gahraib?
To give you an example of the position I tend to follow, you can read this article from the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/artic...
Thanks for your honest and thoughtful answers.
Morgaine, while I appreciate your answer, I think you are not seeing this correctly. It is not so cut and dry that torturing someone will always lead to good results that protect us. More often, it produces bad intelligence and has long lasting negative repurcussions on us as a nation, IE it creates more people who want to harm us. If you were shown that non violent interrogation methods were more effective, would you still support torture, just because it is easy and fast?
15 Answers
- Al BundyLv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
No. There's no way to know for sure someone knows something. That pretty much guarantees that innocent people will be tortured if it's allowed.
I can understand the principle of "I will cause you pain until you stop hurting us" but torture just doesn't work like that in practice.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
Include in your research the actual number of people who were tortured(few), the duration of time in which they were tortured (in minutes) and the permanent damage that resulted from this torture(if any).
After that paragraph include the number of lives that were saved from the information gained in the torture.
I'm not answering one way or the other, but I think this question is not as cut and dry as most people think.
If you could save the lives of 100,000 people by tickling someone against their will... would you? After the tickling that person will recover... and 100,000 children will still have their parents to go home to...
I mean if you could save 100,000 lives by cutting off someone's finger... would you? And waterboarding does much less damage to a person than this!
Source(s): If you find someone with bombs strapped to their back who has known terrorist ties... who has been photographed going in and out of Al Queda camps... he knows something... - Anonymous1 decade ago
But waterboarding isn't torture! It's a humane interrogation technique!
Source(s): I can't believe people actually think that. - Anonymous1 decade ago
Violent threat and action, never creates lasting peace.
The only things proven historically to produce peace are education paired with economic opportunity.
P.S. it is interesting to note the most religious participants accepting torture as necissary.
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- MinettoLv 61 decade ago
I don't understand why people would say no to torture when it could have saved the lives of all who died in 911 it makes me think people are sick in the head.
- 1 decade ago
To a certain point,but too much torture will make anyone make up stuff. I have been waterboarded a few times. its not violent at all.
- Anonymous1 decade ago
"Spiritual" and torture are incompatible... and that is why we have the true gospel of "Do unto others."
Support of torture can only come from a distortion of the gospel. Click on my avatar for more context.
- SheaLv 51 decade ago
I think violence of any kind is wrong. I would use the word 'unecessary', but I think with all the issues in the world, violence is unavoidable, it can't be stopped.
But yes, I think torture of any kind is morally wrong.
Source(s): atheist with morals - Anonymous1 decade ago
For once i agree with Buddy R. Couldn't have put it better myself.
Source(s): Atheist - Spazzy- McGeeLv 61 decade ago
It's completely ineffective. Throw in some crimes against humanity and you've got a complete wast of time.
Source(s): atheist
