As a Christian, I firmly oppose all torture under any circumstances. Also, my official Christian position is that all violence is wrong and that all war is inherently evil.
While I affirm these truths as the standard Christ has set, I realize that war is a great evil that can not be avoided in some cases, and even those who have to kill in self defense should do so with fear and trembling, and pray for God's forgiveness. We can not say these things are acceptable, or that they are not worthy of confession.
I think ozgeorge's problem here is that some of you are saying that some torture is acceptable, permissible, or whatever else. But it is not. However, sometimes it might indeed be necessary. But that doesn't make it OK. It doesn't mean that if one of you were up against a wall and somehow had to do something like this that your conscience would be clear, and that you wouldn't have to bring the act to your confessor.
Torture is a great evil, as is all war and killing. Sometimes we Christians engage in these things out of necessity, but they are never acceptable. They are never a part of the call that Christ himself has placed upon us. But life is complicated, and so is the defense of widows and orphans.
