One small point:
It has been claimed that to be opposed to torture and not be a pacifist is inconsistent.
Opposition to torture must be (merely) a form of pacifism.
I have shown this is false. A man may oppose torture (or the mutilation of corpses) on the grounds that torture is a form of blasphemy. Killing is acceptable (in some circumstances), but not torture. This reasoning is not based on squeamishness or pacifism, but reverence.
One may be unpersuaded by the argument, but it means that all opposition to torture (namely traditional Christian opposition) is grounded in pacifism.
I will point out, however, that war itself is not an ideal state for a Christian. All Christians wish for peace, though not at any price. No Christian (who is being consistent) wishes for any man to be tortured by any other man.
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
