Obama Urged to Fully Comply With Anti-Torture Treaty

The fifteenth anniversary of the U.S. ratification of the United Nations Convention Against Torture passed last week with little fanfare and virtually no press attention from the mainstream media.

But according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), “U.S. policy continues to fall short of ensuring full compliance with the treaty.”

For example, the organization said that an appendix to the Army Field Manual (AFM) can still facilitate cruel treatment of prisoners and detainees at home and abroad.

The Convention Against Torture and Other Forms of Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading Treatment (CAT) is the most comprehensive international human rights treaty dealing exclusively with the issues of torture and abuse. It came into effect in 1987 and has been ratified by 146 countries.

The treaty was initially signed by the Ronald Reagan administration in 1988 and was ratified by the Senate on Oct. 21, 1994, but with reservations, understandings, and declarations (RUDs) that failed to make the treaty fully applicable.

The administration of former president George W. Bush exploited these RUDs to justify abusive interrogation policies, including the use of waterboarding, stress positions, extreme isolation, and sleep deprivation.

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Should Christians Endorse Torture?

I think not.  How can we love our enemies by torturing them?  The really sad thing for me is that many Christians have accepted torture because they felt the need to support their choice for president: George W. Bush.  This is a shame.  Just like it is shameful for a Christian to vote for Obama and begin to support abortion because they feel the need to continue to defend their choice for president.

We need to get rid of our pride.  How do I know this?  I had to get rid of my pride to take another look at my vote for George W. Bush and it wasn’t until I did that that I realized how deceived I had been.  Perhaps I will write more about why I can’t support George W. Bush and should have never done so in the first place.  It is also important to seek out the truth.  If you do not have a proper understanding of the policies of your candidate then how can you vote for them?  This is about as ludicrous as voting for the 10,000 page 789,000,000,000 dollar bailout without ever reading it; and this is exactly what I did when I voted for Bush.  I am sad to see that many people made the same mistake with Obama.

We should not change our beliefs based upon identifying with a political group.  This is the danger in supporting a  candidate at all costs (even Ron Paul).  No political group or personality should have our full allegiance, this should only be reserved for our Lord and Savior Jesus.

Everything that enters our life as Christians should be under the authority of Jesus, and the Word of God.  If it isn’t it will, eventually, overtake our allegiance to Christ.

Check out this article on why Christianity and Torture aren’t compatible.  I’d love to hear what you think.