What Would You Do? Gaza, Torture, and the Limits of Patience

What do I think about the elections last week? Well, my first concern has been what this means for the war on Gaza. The war has continued to advance for months, and we have tuned it out. As if our elections were more important than the deaths of thousands of women and children.

In my last post, I asked, “What would I do if my child were illegally detained and tortured for months?” Although I do not believe in violence, I fear that I would be more than tempted to respond with violence. And I suspect that you would, too.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

Nat Turner was an enslaved man in Virginia (b. 1800). He was surprisingly well-educated. Turner, in fact, became a preacher. Then, in what he claimed was a message from God, he concluded that God was leading him to start a rebellion against his owners.

On Aug 21, 1831, Turner led a group of enslaved people in a violent uprising. The gang marched down the street, going from house to house and killing every white man, woman, and child they came upon: 60 in all.

I share the story of Nat Turner’s rebellion with my students. Then I ask them what they think. It is pretty standard for there to be a measure of sympathy for Turner and his accomplices—though everyone seems to agree that they went too far by killing the children.

Charlie

Bryan Stevenson, in his fantastic book Just Mercy, relays an account of a 14-year-old boy, Charlie, who watched on numerous occasions as his stepfather beat his mother. One night, the beating was especially violent. Charlie, desperately wanting to protect his mother, decided to take matters into his own hands. He found a gun in a kitchen drawer and shot his stepfather.

I also share Charlie’s story with my students and asked them what they thought about what Charlie did. It goes without saying that there are mixed emotions. It is only human, I suppose, to think that while Charlie’s actions were wrong, the stepfather got what he deserved.

What is the point of all this?

My point is that sometimes, people can be pushed too far.

This is why I wonder if I would maintain my non-violent convictions if my son was wrongfully arrested, detained for months in abusive and violent conditions, and subjected to torture and violence.

Would I join the members of my community as they planned a violent revolt against those who did this to our children? Could I keep silent when many of the families in my community have had to bury their children because a foreign entity murdered them? What if I were their pastor, and they looked to me for guidance? What would I say to them? What could I say to them?

This raises the question: who am I to condemn Charlie and Nat Turner?

Sure, they must account for their crimes.

NB: this isn’t even a question for Nat Turner. As an enslaved person, he and his accomplices knew that they would not survive. But what about Charlie?

Torture

I recently asked my students what they think of torture. Many were uncertain. A few spoke up and said they favored it. After all, they argued that if a criminal or foreign operative had information that might help us thwart an attack, we needed to extract the information from them.

After we discussed torture and the ethics, or the lack thereof (perhaps the subject of a later post), I acknowledge that we would indeed do well to foil an attack. I, then, ask if we would do better to address the reasons why another nation wanted to attack us.

The reality is that even if the result of torturing a captive meant that we were able to foil an attack, would not our enemies simply plan another? If the Israelis torturing of Shady (see my previous post) actually provided information that led to another arrest, wouldn’t the parents and families of the Palestinians simply be more outraged?

Until the underlying factors that led a terrorist to plan an attack against the US are addressed, there will simply be more plans. And torturing someone in order to foil such an attack will most certainly lead to an even stronger commitment to launch more attacks.

. . . to be continued

I refuse to put these posts behind a paywall as this hinders the poor from accessing the information. But I can only continue these posts with the support of those of you who can afford to give. So, if you can afford to give $5, $10, $25, or $1 million/month, please do so. You can give a tax-deductible contribution by following this link.

Please share this post and let others know about determinetruth.

If you wish to view this blog on your smartphone through the Determinetruth app, download the “tithe.ly church” app and insert “determinetruth” as the name of the church you wish to follow. Once it is loaded, click on the “blog” icon, and it will automatically load.

If you would like Rob to speak to your church, organization, or group in person or via Zoom, please let us know by filling out the contact info on the Contact Me tab on this site.