Christians of strong religious faith and sound moral conscience often end up in disagreement. But there are certain acts that a follower of Jesus simply cannot accept. Here is one: A Christian cannot justify the torture of a human being.

by David Batstone

by David Batstone

I write my column this week from a hospital room. In many respects, the events of the outside world pale in significance for me and my family as we focus on the health of my 11-year-old son. My wife and I spent the last four hours agonizing over whether we should give the surgeon a green light to perform an operation on him. While there is a chance that his condition could resolve itself without surgery, there is also a chance that it could spiral downward. Meanwhile, he experiences awful pain. Hence, we agonize over how to act in our son's best interests.

One piece of news did break through my self-imposed bubble this week. Maybe it's more honest to say that one piece of news filtered through precisely because I am attuned to how much a father feels the suffering of his son.

This week, the 1,000th U.S. soldier died in Iraq, according to the Pentagon's own accounting, going back in time since the first day of the invasion. My thoughts immediately went to the parents of those young (in most cases) men and women who lost their lives. I am sure that those parents feel proud for the sacrifice and bravery that their children demonstrated, putting themselves in harm's way in service for their country. I am equally sure that those parents feel unspeakable grief once the phone call came that their beloved one would not be returning home.