Will Van Wagenen

Will Van Wagenen has a Bachelors Degree in German from Brigham Young University, and a Master's degree in Theology from Harvard University. Will spent seven months in Iraq doing human rights work in 2005-2006. He is a regular contributor to the Mormon Worker.

Why Torture is Evil

Most defenders of torture rely on the argument that torture saves (American) lives, and that torture is therefore justified and moral. Such defenders often cite fantastic scenarios similar to the following: Imagine a terrorist group is planning to detonate a nuclear bomb in the middle of a major US city. Now imagine that one of … Continue reading “Why Torture is Evil”

Abu Ghraib and the American Devolution

When I was a kid, I liked the musical band Devo, whose name was derived from their concept that man was devolving. It was funny at the time, but 30 years later I feel compelled to write why torture is wrong, so maybe Devo was right. I wrote about apparent torture at the U.S. naval … Continue reading “Abu Ghraib and the American Devolution”