Catholic friends, if I may follow up with another question or two. Is it true that Innocent IV or any other Pontiff did, indeed, express the view that torture based on religious views is permissible or a good thing, whether or not this was done infallibly or as a dogma?
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Does it disturb me that the head of the Catholic Church expressed such a view, even if it is not binding? Admittedly, from the cushy comfort of modern times where a hard won Christian morality has raised the moral bar for the entire planet -
yes, it does. But from a perspective of adult recognition that the planet had always due to sin been burdoned with intense barbaric tendencies and a violent nature I accept that individual leaders of the Church are not impeccable and no one perfect and heaven on earth are not yet here and will not come till Christ returns.
But it also disturbs me that our Christianity extends from the history of many Old Testament practices that seem harsh too. It is sobering for example to observe the fact that God also severely punishes his enemies not only on earth but even eternally tortures His enemies in Hell. We would all like to live with the bambi-ish idea that everyone is our friend and all love everyone perfectly. The truth is - we are in a spiritual and mortal struggle between good and evil and the two are not compatible and never will be. Conflict and sin are a part of our human condition. Make no mistake about it - we currently live in the condition of a not so delicate tension between good-and-evil. So it disturbs me too to know that a sinful humanity would again revert in a heart beat to barbarity if the current social order broke down (from economic collapse or calamity) and we were al again in a survival situation.
Sacred Scripture nowhere endorses torture for the purpose of forcing people to act or speak against their will. But the Old Testament does clearly teach that severe and intentional infliction of pain was willed by God not only as eternal punishment for the wicked in hell but also as humanly imposed temporal punishment for convicted malefactors (e.g., Lev. 20:1–2, 14; Deut. 22:23–24; 25:1–3). Also, fathers are urged to discipline wayward sons by soundly beating them (Prov. 13:24; Sir. 30:1, 9, 11–13).
Jesus stopped short in two cases (John 8:7–11; Luke 9:52–5) of leaving us any general, explicit repudiation in principle of painful punishments either for criminals or (less severely) for unruly boys. Also note that the final book of the Bible speaks of a heaven-sent “torture” of five months’ duration—one so agonizing that men will long for death as a relief [Rev. 9:1, 3–6].)
To all this too I might add that those who want to condemn The Church for not speaking out at all points in time against torture should ask themselves if they would condemn Jesus for not making an explicit statement condemning the forms of just punishment in His time? Might such critics find themselves to be inconsistent in their own attitudes and even hypocritical in “wagging the finger” at The Church? How many here are themselves offspring of the prevailing American colonial revolutionists that now find themselves by rights of violent conquest to be enjoying the cushy civil comforts won through others? Is there no just war? Is there a “just” torture any worse than a “just” killing? How many here while wagging the finger at Christ’s Church also hippocratically stand opposed to her current teaching against capital punishment, abortion, prisoner incarceration with hard and cruel labor? How many of these would deny the right to defend oneself in times of war and persecution?
I say let him who is without sin cast the first stone of condemnation against Christ’s Church. The leadership of the church is not impeccalbe and has never claimed it was. Only Jesus can bring heaven to earth. And I get the distinct impression that some here would want to scold and condemn Jesus for not making it happen sooner; torturous logic and double standards indeed.
Revelations 2:26-29
‘He who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND
HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES…
James
