Torture, for whatever reason, is immoral

By Rev. Kirsten Klepfer

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On the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, I, like many, will find ways on Sept. 11 to remember and grieve the devastating event, loss of life, and loss of a sense of security many of us felt after being attacked so brutally and unwarrantedly.

I also will take time to reflect on how our country responded to such a tragedy. It is easy to be moral and have character in good and easy times. It's when you are struck by travesty that your true character is revealed, and I have been disappointed in the character I saw in this country.

Many responded with great heroism, and it was heartwarming to watch the way this country came together to help each other in the wake of the terrorist attacks. However, what started as a spirit of compassion for one another soon turned to a spirit of vengeance toward those we thought responsible.

Sept. 11 falls on a Sunday this year. Many people in my tradition are using this as a good opportunity to design a worship service that will help people remember and grieve. For this, I am thankful.

We are less apt to ask some of the more difficult questions related to the 10th anniversary of the attacks. As people of faith, we must also remember that in the face of such horror, our country chose to use torture when interrogating suspects and people we believed had information regarding the attacks.

Some might argue “we” didn't choose this; a few select people with great power made the decision. However, we must take responsibility because as information came to light that we were using torture, there was very little outrage from the American people, or even from people of faith. Polls have shown that a majority of people still believe torture is sometimes justified.

And even though President Barack Obama banned torture upon taking office, many proponents of torture still advocate for it. Torture has been a shameful and illegal part of our nation's journey during the past 10 years. We as a country cannot move forward unless we acknowledge and fully understand what happened in the past.

This requires focus and commitment; torture will not be permanently prevented until those who recognize its abhorrent nature stand together to proclaim why it is wrong and to encourage others to join us in a united voice.

My faith tells me torture is unequivocally wrong. It fails to honor the God-given dignity of all people. God created all people with dignity and worth, and I grieve knowing that inflicting injustice and cruelty on another human being scars and diminishes all of us. We know that it is ineffective, we know that it damages us more than helps us, we know that it yields very few results; but even if none of these things were true, it would still be wrong.

Torture hurts everyone involved: victims,

perpetrators, policy makers and all citizens. And it is unequivocally immoral.

We must fully investigate who was tortured, why they were tortured, what techniques were used on them, who was responsible for torturing them, who authorized the torture, and what steps need to be taken to ensure that we will never torture again.

For these reasons, I am a part of the more than 300 religious organizations that make up the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, working to create a permanent end to the use of torture. And with them, I believe we should have a commission of inquiry to provide a complete accounting of our nation's use of torture.

Let us think about what kind of country we want to be, as we unite in the effort to eliminate U.S. government-sanctioned torture forever.

Rev. Kirsten Klepfer serves as pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Grinnell, Iowa. Comments: presbyterianpas@iowatelecom.net