crusader1234 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 [quote]A grave offense is never licit. Torture is always a sin and never permissable. It is never permissable to commit evil even though good may come. The ticking bomb scenario is such a case. If you torture him, you may (or may not) get accurate information to stop the bomb, however you have denied him his human dignity. You have committed evil so that good may come. It's like the old morality question "Would you kill Hitler's mom to prevent the birth of Hitler?" [/quote] This doesn't make sense to me. I'm not disagreeing, but I'd just like to ask a few questions. Isn't the churches general stance on comitting evil that its sometimes neccesary and not 'evil' if it creates more good than bad? For example, War. War, in my opinion, is evil - but sometimes neccesary. It involves the killing of many (which I think is a grave offense) to protect the greater good that is being threatened. Now, the church defends war, but not torture? Something there is missing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Aluigi Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 war is not inherently evil. it is many times just and necessary and good. it is not good because it creates more good than evil, but rather that the action is defense of good, not killing. killing is the unpleasent side effect. read Aquinas on "double effect" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatholicCrusader Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 Torture is NEVER permissible?? That was the normative mode used for most of history... and the Church Herself used it for a long time, albeit in a more humane manner than the secular governments. Torture is not intrinsically evil. That is ridiculous, and, yes, unlike crusader1234, this Crusader IS disagreeing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulls Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 um, humane torture? oxymoron? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crusader_4 Posted November 17, 2004 Share Posted November 17, 2004 I have always wondered this one myself to some degree whether or not torture could be used i have always assumed no as mentioned before it degrades human dignity. Whereas capital punishment could be used in certain circumstances to protect the greater good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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