David Gushee. “5 Reasons Torture Is Always Wrong And why there should be no exceptions.”. Christianity Today. February 1, 2006 – “2. Torture mistreats the vulnerable and violates the demands of justice. In the Scriptures, God’s understanding of justice tilts toward the vulnerable. ‘Do not mistreat an alien or oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry’ (Ex. 22:21-23). Primary forms of injustice include violent abuse and domination of the powerless.
One reason our legal system has so many layers of protection for the accused and imprisoned is their powerlessness. This is important in any legal system that has the power to deprive people of their liberty and even their lives. The 83,000 people who have been detained by our government and military in the last four years are, as prisoners, vulnerable to injustice. Those who have been tortured are victims of injustice.”
Jonathan Schell. Progressive author and professor.“What Is Wrong with Torture.” TomDispatch.com. January 20, 2005 – “It is the torture that is wrong. Torture is wrong because it inflicts unspeakable pain upon the body of a fellow human being who is entirely at our mercy. The tortured person is bound and helpless. The torturer stands over him with his instruments. There is no question of “unilateral disarmament,” because the victim bears no arms, lacking even the use of the two arms he was born with. The inequality is total. To abuse or kill a person in such a circumstance is as radical a denial of common humanity as is possible.”
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