Like many of you, I woke this morning to the news: U.S. forces kill elusive terror figure Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. I’ve got a strange mix of thoughts and emotions about this. Maybe you do to.
Relief? Clearly the world is a safer place without Bin Laden in it. He’s facilitated many terrorist plots that have killed thousands of people.
Satisfaction? For Bin Laden to escape justice for this long was an injustice. He deserved to be punished for murdering so many people, and now he has received the ultimate punishment.
Joy? There certainly are a lot of people feeling joy and celebrating Bin Laden’s death. But I was reminded by a tweet by Michael Hyatt this morning:
Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles. -Proverbs 24:17
Pride? Some of the scenes from around the United States show people waving American flags and chanting U-S-A… U-S-A… It seems like some people are celebrating the news as if the U.S. had just won the World Cup or beaten the Soviet Union for a gold medal in hockey. To me this is not so much a victory for the U.S. as it is a victory for humanity.
Sadness? If you believe all human life is precious, then that includes the lives of terrorists. It is possible to believe killing Bin Laden was the right thing to do, and still be saddened by it.
What are your thoughts and emotions on Bin Laden’s death?
I believe in God. I love God. But I love my Children too and want them to grow up in a safer world. I feel happy that the madman is dead. He destroyed so many families and their love ones. I loved the comment from the Vatican. The Pope gets it.
I missed the pope’s comments. What did he say?
My son’s teacher, a former co-worker and a great friend, passed away unexpectedly yesterday. As much as the school and her family are in pain, we REJOICED knowing she was with her Lord and Savior.
So perhaps that tainted my view on this event. I believe vengeance is not for us to take as evidenced by scripture, but can believe God used these military personnel to bring about this justice. But he was still a human soul that did not know Jesus. And that should be mourned. (I cannot take credit for this phrase–I saw it on Twitter and agree with it whole-heartedly.)
Hey Paul,
I am with you, lots of mixed emotions. Sure one bad guy is gone, but the world is still not a great place. Thousands will die today for lack of clean water. More because of no health care. Millions are still starving, thirsty, and being persecuted. Bin Laden is gone, but Im not sure Im ready to celebrate yet.
Thanks Paul for posting. Agree that there are conflicting emotions. I found myself very emotional last night and this morning. Maybe a sense of relief and closure? 9/11 was so devastating for so many. I think as humans we like things tied up in neat little boxes and bringing a terrorist mastermind to justice allows us to feel a sense of relief and resolution. For me though, it also brings back the pain of that day and all of the destruction.
Also, we’ve been a country experiencing an ugly political division and right now, it seems that many feel that with the death of Bin Laden, the USA is once again united in defeat of a common enemy.
I agree though – I was a little uncomfortable with the level of joy and celebration. At the same time, it also felt like an episode of 24!
Laura, yeah closure is another thing a lot of people are probably feeling this morning.
I have my doubts that this will be much of a unifying event. Bin Laden hasn’t been in the news nor have any major terrorist plots, so I think most people didn’t consider OBL much of a threat to our country any more, certainly not as much as the financial crisis.
Yep – this post pretty much sums up my feelings. Another verse that speaks to this is Ezekiel 18:23 – “Do I delight in the death of the wicked?” If God doesn’t delight in it, then should we? Are we better than God?
This is justice. This is right. This is good. But not all good things are joyful.
I’ve experienced all those emotions today too. No matter how evil someone might be…rejoicing over their death always strikes me as odd. Glad he is gone but celebrating is the wrong word for how I feel.
I agree with Lis’ comment “But he was still a human soul that did not know Jesus. And that should be mourned.” As hard as it is to understand, God loves/loved him just as much as you and I and desired to have a personal relationship with Bin Laden.
My first thought was actually concern for our troops and those working with them in the war zones in regards to the retaliation that will probably occur to some degree..
I’m concerned about retaliation as well. I’m sure images of Americans celebrating Bin Laden’s death will be all over Al Jazeera TV and will stoke some angst certain parts of the world.
Paul, right now I’m a mixed bag of emotions, like you are.
My first thought was of disbelief, “I won’t believe it til I see a pic of the body!”
My next thought was one of jubilation. “It’s finally over for the families of all those poor innocents he’s killed!”
But is it, really? Does the death of Osama bin Laden negate the pain, the frustration, the anger of the families of victims who’s lives have been cut unexpectedly short? Surely, they might feel some closure, some relief – but does that bring a loved one BACK?
Does the death of one terrorist negate the fear of another attack? Call me paranoid, but I don’t think so.
I am full of confusion. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? He’s one terrorist among many. One Godless man among many. Does the death of bin Laden mean the end of al-Qaida? I’m not sure what to think. I fear retribution.
On the other hand, this death, plus the death of a friend this weekend – have made me realize how much I love and depend on My Savior, my family and my friends. God Bless.
Psalm 58.10-11 The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked. Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous; surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
~Amen, I’m rejoicing.
Osama Bin Laden dead! – Ok, let’s now kill the ACTUAL people behind 9/11.
well paul. honestly i feel nothing real about it. but i am relieved because i know there was many people affected by this man. it is good that you have voiced yourself.
Two years ago, if this had happened then, I would be one of those rejoicing in the streets. But today, after finally believing in God’s love and grace for me, I have to believe in that same grace for all of mankind. The mixture of emotions that I have felt over the last 15 hours is not something I expected. I’ve even felt like shouting at the top of my lungs for everyone to just shutup! I find, though, that it isn’t what everyone is saying, it’s all the emotions I am feeling. My son, who was wounded in Iraqi, while serving with our great military, today, he is happy, full of joy and I feel his happiness and I am proud of his service, and I am heartbroken for the things he went through. I remember watching when the towers fell and the devastation and total heartbreak of the lives lost and family burdened with those loses, but today, because I understand God’s love and grace for all, I am also saddened for this man, who although he was evil beyond measure, he was still a child of God. How can I feel so many emotions? It makes me sit back, unable to speak, but feeling guilty in my silence. I have to ask myself how much do I love?
I think there is some double standarding here. We teach our kids how awesome it was that David killed Goliath & cut off his head in defiance. We teach them how awesome God is that he used Sampson to slay hundreds. David came home from killing thousands and he was dancing in the street. God made Sauls daughter barren for mocking David on this. Need I go on? We use visual aids to teach these lessons & it is a form of rejoicing in the way we tell these stories.
That’s an interesting comparison I hadn’t considered. In the biblical examples, I think the people were celebrating victories over their enemies and not so much their deaths. So, perhaps the level of celebration depends ones perception of how much bin Laden’s death gives us victory over al Qaeda or terrorism.
What do you think? Do you think the two are analogous?
All we know about this situation is what we have been told by government and/or media. Our response should necessarily be tempered by this reality, unless you truly believe that these sources are flawless,
Paul, thanks for sending me your link and for your post.
After reading all of the comments above, I can relate to the mix of reactions. While I understand the confusion that may come with some of the OT Bible stories that Tapper pointed out, I also know that in Ezekiel 33:11, God, Himself, clearly states that He does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, but desires for all to turn and repent. Jesus said while on the cross, “Father, forgive them. They know not what they do.” These words were directed to each person who would live and sin, not just those who physically put Him on that cross.
Prov.24:17 admonishes us, “Rejoice not when your enemy falls.”
Maybe we have been teaching our children to look at and learn lessons from Bible stories more from man’s perspective than God’s.
I’d like to invite any of you to read and leave thoughts on my blog, “Is Heaven Celebrating?” as well.
http://AmyLayneLitzelman.com/is-heaven-celebrating/
Thanks Amy. Thanks for stopping by to comment. Some good thoughts in your blog post today. I encourage others to go check it out.
When my wife came home from work, we hugged and went through the usual pleasantries. “How was your day?” and “I’m glad you’re home safe” filled the air. However, this day’s conversation took a new route – “Did you hear the news???”
She said, “Yes… but the Christian radio station said I can’t be happy about it.” This struck me as quite odd, though I understood what she meant. During the day, working on a writing project, I read a note on Facebook from a friend of mine. He wrote of his conflicting emotions and thoughts. Being honest, he was rejoicing at Osama’s death, that this person full of so much hatred is gone. Yet, he struggled with the question, “Is killing an evil man, evil?”
My friend brought forth a reflection from Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor during the time of Hitler. He is well noted for his deep writings concerning the Christian faith, but also for his resistance to the Nazi movement and even his participation in an assassination attempt on Hitler. He was imprisoned, writing much about the inner conflict he continued to have with the attempt to rid the world of the genocidal German leader.
This heartfelt note describing a Christian’s struggle with Osama’s death ended with this question, “Even if someone is killed who everyone agrees had to die, what spirit would Christ have us respond with?”
I contemplated this question for a while, later writing this response:
“You bring up great questions… You are not alone in this struggle. It is one that burdens me as well. I am overwhelmed by an amalgamation of celebration & despondency, of hope & despair, of conviction & apathy, and of belief & skepticism. It is not a black and white matter with an explicit boundary. Rather, it is a large tapestry intricately woven with fibers of variant shades, each thread intimately connected to another. Every strand contributes to the integrity of the tapestry, and if one is pulled, it will all come apart. This dilemma of our response involves many elements, for it includes our ideas about life, death, morality, justice and faith (just to name a few).
“I agree with your thoughts about God’s immeasurable sadness for those who reject his ‘transformational grace.’ I ruminate on so many of the “what if’s” that exist. But I also know that contemplating the “what if’s” alone, is just as sinful as the most horrendous act of Osama’s. If we are not moved to positive, loving action, we become enablers of hate as well.
“You ask, ‘How should we respond?’ It is my belief that we should first respond with prayer. Yes, I know that it’s a “Sunday School” answer, but only at the surface. We should pray for his family, friends and those that knew him because they are now in mourning – for death is difficult for anyone’s family and friends. We should pray for those who were killed and injured during the raid – for their families and friends who now are hurled into the seas of grief and loss. We should pray for the victims and their families of the abundant attacks around the world that have claimed so many lives, especially those in the 9/11 atrocities. Not only for their mourning, but for peace in their hearts – that they would allow their feelings of hatred, revenge and sorrow to be replaced with love, forgiveness and joy. We should pray for those that continue to be involved in terror organizations, that they may become agents of peace, no longer instruments of destruction. We should pray for those from our military who participated in this mission, with focus on the Navy SEALS that actually performed the killing, that they would be able to heal emotionally and mentally from the act of taking someone’s life. We should pray for the people of the United States to release the hatred we have built up for those who act different than what we consider normal and right. We should pray for peace around the globe, for people to come together in unity, despite differences we claim. We should pray for Christians to stand up as people of compassion, love, and peace. We should pray for opportunities to administer God’s grace and mercy to those that so desperately need to know it deeply – and we should pray with conviction, asking how we may be messengers of such love.
If we respond with these prayers first, I believe that we will align ourselves with Christ and our actions will simply be the overflowing of God’s love in our hearts being poured into those who need it more than ever right now.
“It is my prayer for all this, and that I would be attentive and receptive to how I can serve others in the midst of these tragedies.
“Again, you asked, ‘How should we respond?’ By asking these questions and struggling with the answers, we already are…”
Struggling with these issues IS a beginning. Therefore, I now ask, “How can we continue and move to positive action, showing God’s love, mercy and grace???”
Joe, thanks for taking the time to share your perspective. Prayer is always a good way to respond. And I think you’re right that struggling with these issues is a good beginning. To be Christ-like, we have to try to understand the heart and mind of Christ including how things like justice, protection, mercy, and love fit together.
Ezekiel 33:11