The more you attend Church, the more likely you are so support Torture.

[Jenny A]

Knee-jerkers should consider this scenario:

Someone kidnaps your child. The kidnapper is caught, admits the crime, and says he has left the child tied up in the desert. The child will die if not found soon. The kidnapper will not say where the child is.

Suppose that torture would get the kidnapper to reveal where the child is. The child's life would be saved. The kidnapper would also get the lesser charge of kidnapper, rather than being charged with murder.

Would you support torture in this circumstance?

Frankly, I'd be fine with torture in this scenario. My position is independent of my religious belief. It's an act-utilitarianism position.

This is of course a very black-and-white scenario. The kidnapper has admitted guilt and an innocent's life is in imminent danger. One could support torture in this case, and yet be against a torture policy due to practical concerns. Similarly, I am not against capital punishment per se, but oppose it because the many death row cases which have been overturned on DNA evidence in recent years show that we're not able to administer it well from a practical viewpoint.

It is soooo black and white a circumstance that I'm not sure I believe in it's existence. I would agree in that one black and white instance torture might be reasonable. But that's not how torture is used. It's used on suspects and people suspected of having information, and it's been shone time and time again to produce just what the torturer wants to hear and not real information. It has no real value.

Funny that the ten commandments don't prohibit maiming, injuring, or torturing your neighbor. Apparently it's worse to covet his stuff.