To Torture or Not ...Part 2 (cont'd)

I again was shocked after several of my fellow classmates also stated that they would willfully, with or without regret, torture an innocent seven year old girl to possibly save millions. I might stop now to explain that I received the maximum amount of points for both my original post and my replies to fellow students.
The follow are two of my replies in regard to their decision to torture (I have changed their names):

Dear Margaret,

While I do respect your opinion, I continue to assert that the preservation of greater good (the lives of many for the sake of one) is a product of humanistic thinking that is rooted in "the ends justifies the means." This type of thinking is not built upon Biblical principles rather it is the result of our human nature. This is an age old philosophy debate between utilitarian (what is best for the greater number) or deontological (moral principles prevail) philosophers. However, as an individual with a Christian worldview, there is no way that I can make a moral decision based on the thoughts of men, I must take into account what God's Word has to say about it.

In addition, what is the greater good to one man may not be the greater good to other men. Who defines what is the greater good? Who in society sets this moral code of conduct? What price do we place on the value of human life? If the value of one human life is important, then is it only important when the number of people is large enough? What then is the value of a human when the number is reduced, is a person worth less?

There are precedents that have proven this way of thinking is wrong. History is full of examples of people who believed they were serving the greater good, and some of these believed it with strong moral conviction. A primary example is Adolph Hitler. He truly convinced himself that he had a moral obligation for the greater good to rid the world of the Jewish Nation. The early Roman Catholic Church felt it had a moral obligation to persecute and kill the small number of Christians present at that time in order to save mankind (the greater good) from what it believed as blaspheme.

For me, the final outcome of my moral decision boiled down to this… This moral dilemma is not so much based upon whether I could actually kill someone as much as would such an action be socially acceptable if I did. I would rather do what I believe is acceptable before God rather than to do what men perceive as acceptable.

Again, this has been a great discussion and I appreciate your thoughtful insight. May God bless your home, your health, and your studies.

Dear Frank,

I noticed that you concluded that the young girl would not die from being tortured because the scenario did not state this. However, it did not state that she would live either. How much torture is too much for a seven year little girl? How long would you have to torture her to see if her father would break. I contend that she would die? After all, her father is the leader of the terrorist cell and with such a sinister nature it seems evident that he places little value on human life.

Your decision included how you believed all fathers would react if it were their daughter. However, I do not believe it can be argued here that this father is like all other fathers who would feel compassion for the suffering of his little girl. In addition, he should not be compared to all other men for the most obvious reason; most other men are not intent on the mass destruction of human lives. I conclude that perhaps he would feel bad for his daughter, but he would not relent. In many terrorist religions and/or radical beliefs, it is honorable to die or have one of your family members die for what is believed to be the greater good- for the cause.

I do though agree that there is no easy answer to this or most situational ethics questions. Howbeit, at the same time, I believe there resides a deeper moral issue here. That is, should an innocent person be tortured so that other innocent people are allowed to live. This is not a simple matter of numbers but it addresses the of value of all human life. How valuable is one life in the eyes of God?

In closing, you stated that though the act of torturing her would haunt you for the rest of your life, you would torture her nevertheless. I believe the reason you know you would be haunted by such an act is the same reason I believe it is morally wrong- because a seven year old girl is an innocent victim. Myself, I would not want her life whether by torture or death to be required at my hands.

To all who read this blog...
One last thought on this subject of greater good (the ends justifies the means.) When faced with any moral dilemma, before you act, ask yourself..."Just what would Jesus do?"
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