Osama bin Laden is Dead
I tend to stay away from most anything political. I don't particularly like having an opinion. I feel quite strongly that they should be adequately supported, and that requires research, which I rarely have the time and energy to do. Or sometimes, I really want to hold one opinion, and I know that if I do the research my black and white view will turn gray, and so I simply refrain from actually having an opinion in the first place.
When the death of Osama bin Laden was announced last night, my first response was, finally. Then it started taking over facebook, some people cheering and others posting scriptures like Matthew 5:44 or Proverbs 24:17, and then those who were attacking people with, "how dare you rejoice that someone is dead/in hell/etc." I decided I needed an opinion, and here I share it.
I am not happy that Osama bin Laden is in hell. I am not rejoicing in his death in any way. The death of one man, even if he is the head of Al Qaeda, does not change much in the grand scheme of things. Gosh darn it, though, the world is rid of a bad, bad man.
I think that justice has been served. Ten years ago, bin Laden was behind attacks that claimed more than 3,000 lives. Though his death does not bring anything back to those who have lost loved ones, it is a victory within this war he started. If you haven't seen it already, I think President Obama's speech was very well done.
The attacks on 9/11 were atrocious. They continue to affect so many people in this country, from those still mourning the loss of loved ones to those whose loved ones are overseas fighting the war. Too many of my friends have fought - and are still fighting - to protect what Osama bin Laden attacked. To decry his death is to discount their sacrifice as worthless. I am not saying that we should rejoice that he is dead - rejoice is not the right idea at all. Rather, I think we should be thankful that justice has been served. Our God is a God who judges the earth (Psalm 58).
For those who seem so upset that we are not praying for bin Laden, I would point out that David often prayed concerning his enemies - mostly against them. This can't be anti-scriptural, as David's prayers make up a good portion of the Bible, and he was a man after God's own heart. He prays for God to smite his enemies, to judge them, to break their teeth (ouch!), to bring him justice, for vengeance, and even for their deaths. It's not a nice litany. Powerful, and biblical.
We tend to shy away from God's wrath, treat it as something embarrassing, hide it so as not to scare people away. God's wrath is not like our fits of anger, though - it is nothing to apologize for. It is inseparably linked to His glory. He hates wickedness (Psalms 5:4, 11:5). Osama bin Laden was a wicked man, who killed many, many people.
I am no better.
I deserve God's wrath, and yet He has seen fit to give me His mercy. "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)
I don't know why God chose me, but I am ever thankful that He has saved me and loves me and will never let me go.
And today, I am thankful that He has used American troops to triumph over this evil, even if it is only a small victory. Good riddance.
a picture I took of a memorial at Ground Zero, January 2006
When the death of Osama bin Laden was announced last night, my first response was, finally. Then it started taking over facebook, some people cheering and others posting scriptures like Matthew 5:44 or Proverbs 24:17, and then those who were attacking people with, "how dare you rejoice that someone is dead/in hell/etc." I decided I needed an opinion, and here I share it.
I am not happy that Osama bin Laden is in hell. I am not rejoicing in his death in any way. The death of one man, even if he is the head of Al Qaeda, does not change much in the grand scheme of things. Gosh darn it, though, the world is rid of a bad, bad man.
I think that justice has been served. Ten years ago, bin Laden was behind attacks that claimed more than 3,000 lives. Though his death does not bring anything back to those who have lost loved ones, it is a victory within this war he started. If you haven't seen it already, I think President Obama's speech was very well done.
The attacks on 9/11 were atrocious. They continue to affect so many people in this country, from those still mourning the loss of loved ones to those whose loved ones are overseas fighting the war. Too many of my friends have fought - and are still fighting - to protect what Osama bin Laden attacked. To decry his death is to discount their sacrifice as worthless. I am not saying that we should rejoice that he is dead - rejoice is not the right idea at all. Rather, I think we should be thankful that justice has been served. Our God is a God who judges the earth (Psalm 58).
For those who seem so upset that we are not praying for bin Laden, I would point out that David often prayed concerning his enemies - mostly against them. This can't be anti-scriptural, as David's prayers make up a good portion of the Bible, and he was a man after God's own heart. He prays for God to smite his enemies, to judge them, to break their teeth (ouch!), to bring him justice, for vengeance, and even for their deaths. It's not a nice litany. Powerful, and biblical.
We tend to shy away from God's wrath, treat it as something embarrassing, hide it so as not to scare people away. God's wrath is not like our fits of anger, though - it is nothing to apologize for. It is inseparably linked to His glory. He hates wickedness (Psalms 5:4, 11:5). Osama bin Laden was a wicked man, who killed many, many people.
I am no better.
I deserve God's wrath, and yet He has seen fit to give me His mercy. "But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." (Romans 5:8-11)
I don't know why God chose me, but I am ever thankful that He has saved me and loves me and will never let me go.
And today, I am thankful that He has used American troops to triumph over this evil, even if it is only a small victory. Good riddance.
a picture I took of a memorial at Ground Zero, January 2006
Great post Laura, and I agree.
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