I am speaking now as an Internet Christian minister, to all those American voters and elected officials who consider themselves to be Christians. In particular, I am speaking to those Conservative Protestant Christians who have in the past been the most reliable supporters of President Bush, no matter what he has tried to do.
And here is my message to you: "Torture of prisoners is an obvious sin which no Christian should ever support." In case you think otherwise, here are the Scriptures which make this fact absolutely clear. I am quoting from the three Bible versions which are most favored by Conservative Protestant Christians: The the King James Version (KJV), the New International Version (NIV), and the New American Standard Version (NASB). All of these Bible quotations are provided by http://biblegateway.com, a long-established trusted Christian source.
First, I cite Matthew 7:12, from Jesus' "Sermon On The Mount." In this Scripture, Jesus teaches us that all of "the Law and the Prophets" is summarized in this one verse. Please read it carefully, and then try to see how this Scripture permits torture of prisoners:
Matthew 7:12
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. (KJV)
So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (NIV)
In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (NASB)
If you were a prisoner, would you like to be tortured? Obviously not. Therefore you should not torture your prisoners, if ever you have any. And we should not permit our Government to torture our prisoners, either. In America, We The People are the Government. Bush is our employee, and we can remove him from office by impeachment if we choose to do so, acting through our elected representatives in Congress. Therefore, his sins are our sins, unless we oppose him as strongly as we can.
Next, I cite Galatians 5:14, where the Apostle Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is writing to the first-century Christians in Galatia (now part of Turkey.)
Galatians 5:14
For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. (KJV)
The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." (NIV)
For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." (NASB)
And who is my neighbor? Jesus answered this exact question by telling the story of "The Good Samaritan," which teaches us that everyone is our neighbor. Also see http://www.google.com/search?&q=%22the+good+samaritan%22&btng=google+search Also please notice that Matthew 7:12 and Galatians 5:14 both give the same instruction to us, namely, to treat all people with love, just as we would like to be treated in a similar situation.
But some people may say, "Yes, I know it is a sin to torture prisoners. But maybe it is necessary to accomplish the greater good of saving innocent lives."
In response to this, I cite First Corinthians 10:13, where Paul is filled with the Holy Spirit, writing to the Christians in Corinth. He teaches us that God will always give us a way to accomplish any good purpose without the need to sin.
Rev. Bill McGinnis is an Internet Christian minister, writer and publisher. He is Director of LoveAllPeople.org, a small private think tank in Alexandria, Virginia, and all of its related websites, including InternetChurchOfChrist.org,CommitteeForTheGoldenRule.org,CivicAmerican.com, and AmericanDemocrat.net. His agenda is to help maximize the happiness and well-being of all people. His blog is located at http://blog.myspace.com/revbillmcginnis
Rev. Bill is right on as usual. bush will never heed the message. I really don't think he really knows the Bible, he's just 'faith based.' I read once that the friend who attended the INTENSE Bible study class with bush, could only remember studying MARK for a whole month and coming away with the story of 'The Ten Tallents.' Go figure.
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Pat Herrick (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 145 comments)
on Sunday, September 17, 2006 at 10:50:06 AM
