Celebrating Osama bin Laden’s Death: What Would Jesus Do?
As I was watching the celebrations and reading reactions on Twitter and on comments sections of news stories into the wee hours, I couldn’t help but wonder how many of the people celebrating so joyfully on the death of a terrorist leader consider themselves Christians. So, in all seriousness: What would Jesus do?
Didn’t Jesus teach that we should judge not lest we be judged? That we should first remove the plank from our own eye, so we can see clearly to remove the speck from our brother’s? Most importantly, didn’t Jesus teach on the importance of forgiving those who have harmed us? That we should turn the other cheek?
If you’re a born-again Christian, you probably believe that everyone who hasn’t accepted Jesus as their lord and savior is going to hell, right? So shouldn’t a born-again Christian, rather than celebrating the death of a terrorist leader, be instead mourning the loss of an opportunity to save that soul? Because Christianity teaches, does it not, that no matter how many bad things a person does in his life — even if that person was responsible for thousands of deaths — all he has to do is accept Jesus and ask for forgiveness, and forgiveness is given, right? If you are a Christian, and you believe the Bible is God’s word, then didn’t Jesus die for everyone’s sins? Even the sins of Osama bin Laden?
I’m not being snarky here, I’m genuinely curious what my Christian friends’ point of view is on this. Would Jesus have been celebrating Osama bin Laden’s death in front of the White House or in Times Square early this morning? Would he have been there in the crowd chanting “USA! USA! USA!?”
Update: A friend pointed me to this post, which is a response by one Buddhist to bin Laden’s death. For me, this piece sums it up pretty well.
this is the same question i was asking myself this morning…i know he was a bad person, but when is it ever okay to celebrate the death of anyone?! i don’t think it ever is it makes me sad to see the headlines “celebrating osama bin laden’ death”
Thank you so much for writing this! I am really feeling sad and bothered by the events happening around us. Reading your post gave me solice and hope that i am not alone!
I was one who chanted and was proud of this when it first aired….but than my heart was changed and emotion settled. It is true what you are saying.
Yes it is true that Jesus teaches forgiveness, that He died for everyone’s sins. However, God is also a God of justice, and He also teaches that we reap what we sow. Bin Laden, as does everyone, has a choice, to choose Jesus and the salvation He offers, or to not. Obviously, he chose not to accept Jesus. For this I feel sorry for the man as he will be spending eternity in hell; however, I am a born again, Holy Ghost filled believer, and I don’t feel pity for Bin Laden’s death in general. When it is all said and done and God has passed judgement upon the world, don’t you think there will be celebration in heaven even though millions will be in hell?
Mickey, I believe you are misinterpreting what the Bible has to say about reaping what you sow.
From Galatians 6:1-10:
6:1 Brothers, [1] if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.
6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
And to further respond to your comment, Mickey:
I don’t believe the idea of Christians celebrating in heaven while the unbelievers burn in hell is at all in keeping with the teachings of Jesus. If you are, as you say, a “born again, Holy Spirit filled believer,” should you not be attempting to live your life as Jesus would have you live it? Is not a rather large part of Christianity the edict to turn one’s life over to Christ?
I don’t know. It just seems to me that if more Christians actually practiced what God sent Jesus to us to preach, there’d be an awful lot less judging of others and celebrating of earthly “victories,” and ignoring of the poor and down-trodden, and certainly, a lot less killing of others. Because I don’t believe I’ve read anywhere in anything Jesus preached where he taught his followers to kill their neighbors, even their neighbors who didn’t believe in the path he preached.
And lastly, I’d note that a fundamentalist Muslim might just think that it’s the Christians who have it wrong and are the infidels who aren’t going to heaven. But at the end of the day, if you actually look at what the Koran and the Bible both have to say, their messages aren’t actually that dissimilar … it’s the human beings interpreting those messages, I think, who tend to get their wires crossed.
And, once again, it comes down to that basic human need to have an “us” and a “them.” And, when it comes to matters of religion, to feel that “we” have it right and we’re safe when we depart the earthly plane. After all, how can you know you’ve got it right, unless someone else is wrong?
How many wars have been fought and innocents killed in the name of people needing to believe that their religion is the “right” one? That, to me, is the real tragedy.
May I contribute this?
Our enemy is not one person or country or belief system. It is our unwillingness to feel the sorrow of others — who are none other than us.
If we are able to do this, there is salvation for us all.
I am also sad. The most disturbing part for me is that people are saying statements such as, “Osama, burn in hell…” That for me is a little too judgemental. We should be praying for him and the rest of those who don’t know Jesus, like Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:44-45 (But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.) It’s time to witness to the world who Jesus really was!
The death of Osama bin laden is bitter sweet. I was watching on TV earlier and a man who lost his brother in the 9/11 attack said this…”When I heard about the execution of bin laden this morning I had mixed emotions…I have been waiting for this day for 10 years and now that it is here…it is a bitter sweet moment. I still cannot have my brother back.” That is the reality for one victim of the heinous crimes that Osama bin laden committed. No one knows how Jesus will judge him but we can be sure of this…His judgement will be just and not even Osama will be able to disagree with his own judgement. I don’t think we should water down the atrocities this man and his radical muslim religious freaks committed because that is what is wrong with most of the world today…we try to water down our sins…Sin is Sin and that is the TRUTH Jesus preached and that is what eventually got Him crucified. I do believe that for Christians today this is a bittersweet Victory for all of us just like the man who lost his brother in the news clip…The TRUTH is that Osama bin laden’s soul was lost today…and heaven is NOT rejoicing over that in fact Jesus weeps over it and every soul that is lost. If we are truly Christians and believe that Jesus’ Holy Spirit lives in us…we are weeping, too. We should all be on our hands and knees this day thanking God that He is Sovereign and in Control…and that He keeps giving us (the United States of America), the opportunities to turn back to Him. I believe that is what is delaying His coming back..I pray for our country and the World that we will all seek His face diligently in these last days because the birth pangs are getting stronger & stronger. We should ALL be asking ourselves if we are ready to face our Maker and our God…and pray for our brothers and sisters, too…for we are all One in Him (believers or not). We will have the opportunity to pray on the 60th Annual National Day of Prayer on Thursday, May 5 (how amazing is God’s timing!?!). And, I pray that President Obama will also be bold to stand up and recognize this as a day to stand together in prayer for not only our country but for the whole world and to Thank the One and Only God, Jesus Christ for the victory that was won in the last few days. Shalom.
Kim, thank you so much for posting this. I used to follow your posts on the Blog-which-shall-not-be-named, and just recently found this one. Please take the time to read this post, written by a friend of a friend, who while Christian, is asking the same exact questions. I really dug it.
http://thekenosis.blogspot.com/2011/05/osama-bin-laden-let-us-weep.html
What kind of an idiot believes a book that’s full of contridictions anyway? More, to the point one doesn’t need outside “help” to decide what right and what isn’t. It’s called criticial thinking, you may know it as that thing religious folk don’t excercise.
Not that there isn’t a point there somewhere. There must be a difference between being relieved and even glad that a terrible man and someone many believe to to a real thread is gone. There is nothing wrong with that. That should be different from just being bloodthirsty (which many unfortunately are) and it is not something I agree with at all.
Even in Christianity, those are forgiven who actually ask for forgivness. The one in question never did. And besides, once someone reachess the status of a mass murderer – all bets should be off. Once someone violates the human contract to an extent that Osama did – it just falls outside normalcy by definition. There is also such a thing a personal responsibility. It’s Osama’s baggage.
Proman, I’m with you on the personal responsibility thing, truly. Honestly, that’s one of the things I’ve struggled with since grade school catechism, and through studying various ideas around spirituality, what I really struggle with is the Christian idea of “grace,” and the belief that no matter what evil (or good) a person does in life, accepting Jesus is a “get out of your bad deeds free” card. I understand the theological and biblical basis for the belief, but my own faith, I guess, wavers on that point and many others.
What got to me about this whole bin Laden thing, though, was all the jubilation and celebration over it.
I was born and raised in OKC. I was living there when the Murrah Building was bombed. I was IN the Murrah Building, in the HUD office, which was completely destroyed, exactly a week before the bombing. Just about everyone I knew in OKC either lost someone they knew, or knew someone who had lost a loved one on that day. When Timothy McVeigh was executed, though, there was a sense of closure in OKC, I guess, but not so much happiness, or shouts of jubilation, or even a sense of retribution.
McVeigh was stalwart until the end that he was justified in what he did, he never apologized or expressed any sorrow. And yet the overwhelming sense I had of how my hometown reacted to his execution was more just a sense of sadness, and loss that could never be made up for, and lingering disbelief (still, really, on that count) that it happened at all.
I guess that’s just more what I expected from the news of bin Laden’s death.
I think the hardest idea for people to wrap their hearts around is… Osama Bin Laden, as heartless as he was(and this is the most important part), was still a creation of GOD! I was getting a sinking feeling in my spirit as I watched the celebrations. In our humanness, the celebrations make perfect sense… But if you look at it from WWJD…I believe a tear was shed.
As a Christian this is a sad event! I read an article from a lady about how celebrating the death of osama makes us no better than the muslims who celebrated 9/11. She is right. At the end of the day we are all one people and Jesus would not like to see us celebrating the death of one of our brothers no matter what they did! Jesus asked God to forgive the people who crucified him…. why can’t we all use that as inspiration to forgive our enemies? I prayed and will continue to pray for our brother Osama and i know i might get alot of negative feedback but living as Jesus wants all of us to do is more important to me. Thank you for this post and God bless all of my brothers and sisters
I realize Proman is provoking, but its comments like ‘What kind of an idiot believes a book that’s full of contridictions anyway?’ that makes any kind of real discussion nearly impossible. What’s the number 1 rule of writing – write what you know, right? A comment like this shows a lack of understanding. If you haven’t taken the time to read the book (any book for that matter), making false claims about it only hurts your cause.
I do agree that there are societal ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’, however those are subjective at best. I personally can’t put faith in a manmade system that changes based on the masses. Right now, it’s easy to look at this Osama situation and judge anybody cheering for his death (I think it’s wrong also). But do you think the Romans under Octavian rule would have any problem cheering for a death like this? Does that mean they were ‘wrong’ and we are ‘right’? And the argument that societies become more civilized over time often becomes an excuse and not an explanation. In the context of their own society, what’s the difference between gladiators then and ultimate fighters now?
My point is that there is an absolute. There is Truth. And if you accept that there is an absolute, you are accepting that man could not have been the creator of that.
Kim, I appreciate your honesty and willingness to share your thoughts. I too struggle with the idea that accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior is too good to be true. But on the flip side, that is the very reason I stand in awe and praise His name! What I see from events like this and what you described from McVeigh is validation of our human condition. Some people think religion is just a crutch for people who need hope. But doesn’t the world claim that ‘people are inherently good’? That is a false hope that we all try to hold on to, because the opposite of that is what Jesus taught – Romans 3:10 As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one.” The truth is, we are all inherently BAD – as in, separated from God. Which is where Jesus comes in…the bridge to a relationship with God, and each person has to choose to cross it.
One more comment – by Jesus’ standard, the absolute Truth, there is no sin greater than another. (James 2:10 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.”) By this standard, which is impossible to live up to, murdering thousands is no worse than lying, in God’s eyes. Saying otherwise is exactly where judgment comes from. It’s of course easier for us to say murder and genocide is worse than lying because we all lie – we don’t all murder. It’s judgment based on subjective societal ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’.
It’s really very simple: you mourn the death of a good person and you celebrate the death of an evil person. And there’s no question the OBL was evil. As an atheist, the conundrums of “God loving all his creatures” or forgiveness are completely meaningless to me.
Mike, I understand and agree that as an atheist, God’s love falls on deaf ears. Extreme situations and ‘evil’ people like Osama are clearly seen as bad people who don’t deserve forgiveness. But I can’t help but wonder if you, saying that conundrums of forgiveness are meaningless, would expect someone you love to forgive you if you hurt them? No matter your religion or belief system, forgiveness is a necessary part of life.
I don’t think you actually meant that the idea of forgiveness in general is completely meaningless, because the implications of that lead to pure anger and bitterness. But if you do believe in forgiveness the way I suppose (please correct me if I’m wrong), then it’s all based on your personal guidelines of what is forgivable and what is not. That too, I believe, is just as dangerous as not believing in forgiveness at all.
Either way, you are still a child of God, whether you want to be or not :), and I pray that God’s love surrounds you in an undeniable way!
Justin, I appreciate you sharing your thoughts from a Christian point of view in a non-confrontational and loving way.
The point you make about gladiators vs modern-day ultimate fighters is a valid observation. I’ve written in the past about our need to choose sides, to experience victory and defeat, both through warfare that really does kill people, and war games (i.e. sporting events) that simulate battle. Part of what’s cool about the Olympics is that it allows countries to compete for the pride of victory without bombs or guns, right?
And Mike, I hear your point of view as well. For some reason, I’ve tended in my personal life to always end up with atheists or agnostics (and, many moons ago, a few narcissistic atheist Objectivists — whoo boy, was THAT fun). Given my own struggle coming to terms with rational logic versus the elements of faith and grace that spirituality requires, I guess it makes sense that I’d end up attracted to people with whom I tend to engage in spirited discussions on faith and spirituality.
However, when you say, “It’s really very simple: you mourn the death of a good person and you celebrate the death of an evil person. And there’s no question the OBL was evil. As an atheist, the conundrums of “God loving all his creatures” or forgiveness are completely meaningless to me.” I have to wonder if you really thought through what you said before you wrote it.
“Good” and “evil” are not black and white concepts. Or to put it another way: Sure, “A is A,” but only to the extent that we both can agree what “A” really is can we communicate about “A” in a mutually satisfactory way. What’s good and what’s evil depends completely on your perspective, does it not?
To his followers, Osama bin Laden was the good guy, the hero standing fast against the Western infidels. There may be no question to YOU that he was “evil,” if by “evil” you mean “was directly responsible for causing many deaths.” But by that standard, haven’t we as a society, throughout American history (not to mention European history) caused many deaths as well? Criminy, how many people on both sides have been incidental victims in our decade-long quest to kill this ONE man? And does anyone really believe that Al Qaeda, or the War on Terror generally, is over because we finally got him?
We exacted a measure of what we perceive as justice, perhaps, or at least retribution — from our perspective as Americans — in finally taking Osama bin Laden down, yes. I think that’s about the most we can objectively say about it.
And while you may personally find the concept of “forgiveness” meaningless, forgiveness as a concept is not specifically a religious or spiritual thing, for all that many faiths do believe in it as a virtue.
Thanks Kim. Those are excellent points you brought up. Of course it saddens me to hear that you have tended to side with atheist/agnostics. The struggle you bring up about rational logic versus faith and grace that spirituality requires is a very real struggle, and I’d bet that most people struggle with that their entire lives.
I’m now off topic, forgive me ;),but when I read that, I can’t help but want to re-frame the ‘struggle’. Rational logic and faith are not mutually exclusive. Unfortunately, framing the struggle that way really gives no way to solve the problem. Atheists/agnostics require just as much faith in their belief as Christianity, or any other religion. In fact, claiming atheism takes more faith than logic. I can understand agnostic beliefs, or being unsure, unable to prove one way or another – but ‘knowing’ that there is nothing else to life beyond the physical world is anything but logical. In my opinion, agnostics and Christians have more in common than atheists and agnostics. So to re-frame the struggle, I think it’s better stated as relative vs. absolute truth. But I won’t comment further on that topic because I may not stop!
And full circle – you are absolutely right that our perception of the event from our American point of view is the best we can do. It’s never possible to look at humans, the way we act/react, and come to any sort of justification for the bad or good. That’s what makes us human.
Justin, I didn’t say I’ve tended to “side” with atheists and agnostics, just that I’ve tended to be involved in relationships with a lot of them. Which I suppose to a certain extent means that the exploring of faith and spirituality tends to be at the forefront of my mind a lot, and therefore I tend to end up with friendships and relationships that force me to constantly challenge both my assumptions and theirs. And in the end, I guess that tug-of-war in me of intellect versus faith is maybe one of the life lessons I’m still working on learning.
Even when I encounter people I find particularly challenging to deal with on a personal level, I do believe whoever crosses our path crosses it for a reason. Often, I find that when I’m feeling under attack by someone, it’s because underlying their barbs they are mirroring my own insecurities and challenging my own incessant need for a perfection that’s impossible for anyone to attain. And no, being aware of this doesn’t necessarily make it easier to deal with those who can be challenging, but I do try to hold on to a belief that every person has worth and value, and there is something to be learned from every encounter, even those we don’t like.
I completely agree with you that the conundrum of steadfast atheism — as I’ve pointed out on numerous occasions to my atheist friends — is that atheism is, in and of itself, a belief system. And many atheists can be just as stalwart and fundamentalist in holding onto their non-belief as the most fundamentalist of Christians are in their faith.
And I agree with you completely that believing you “know” with absolute certainty that there is nothing to life beyond this physical world isn’t as logical as atheists think it is. Even within the logical realms of maths and sciences, we discover new things we didn’t know all the time.
But while on the one hand, I think it’s the height of arrogance and narcissism to say “this is all there is, and I know this for a fact,” on the other hand, I also believe it’s equally arrogant and narcissistic to say, “my spiritual path is the ONLY right path, and I know this for a fact, and everyone who believes otherwise will burn in Hell for eternity.” That, I think, is derived more from our need to feel secure that we’ve made the right choice and are on the right path. And the answer to that is something we can only find out, if at all, when we reach the end.
Which is probably why the best spiritual home I’ve found for myself is Unitarian Universalism, because it’s the one church I’ve found that holds most true to my own belief that there are many different paths to take to get to whatever lies beyond this life and this lifetime.
Anyhow, thanks for a most interesting discussion.
i cannot help comparing the death of osama bin laden and the celebrations that followed to the bible revelation concerning God’s 2 witnesses who will prophesy in the last days in Jerusalem and note the part that states the world celebrated over their deaths as they were hated on earth is this a forerunner of what is to come? And is obama becoming more powerful so that also as stated who can make war on the beast, a powerful force? worth considering…..
I apologize Kim for the assumption, that’s my bad! You definitely have a good point about the equal narcissism on both sides of the fence. And while I am told by some that I’m narrow minded in my faith, I tend not to give those comments much weight. Christianity itself is not narrow minded at all, however that’s not to say some Christian’s aren’t narrow minded. According to Christian doctrine, Jesus was about the most open-minded liberal to ever roam the earth. He never forced anybody to do anything. He also had zero qualifications that people had to meet before He would consider inviting them. Christianity isn’t some ‘boys club’, if you will. Although, as you point out, some people act as such because of whatever insecurities breed the need for exclusivity.
I tend to agree with some of the basic principles of Unitarian Universalism – being acceptance, loving all of mankind and understanding the individual in each person. However, where I start veering away is when those principles supersede the idea of salvation. I can’t subscribe to the idea that each person can potentially find their own meaning in this life and the next, to the point that they lead themselves to their own salvation. I completely accept and love my friends and family that are non-Christians, however I still have to hold true to what I believe is the Truth. Accepting that there are multiple ways to the afterlife is an altruistic concept, yet at it’s core there is really nothing to believe in accept yourself. You can’t accept (in a more concrete way) everybody’s ‘truth’ and still keep your own ‘truth’. As the challenge goes – what if my truth says yours is a lie, is it still true?
But I do genuinely appreciate the humanist view of life. We are all created equal here and it’s very important to accept everybody. One of the hardest things for Christians to understand, in my opinion, is our inability to ‘save’ others. Our (Christians’) job on earth is to just spread the news about Jesus. However, only God can give His grace and offer salvation. I think a lot of Christians want to ‘save’ non-believers to the point that if they fail, they reject them. There is a reason Jesus told us not to judge others and to love one another no matter what.
And I must comment on Maryann’s question – I do find prophesy interesting, as do most people. Unfortunately, those interests are manifested into garbage productions like 2012, but that’s another topic. But, I do not believe it’s worth spending time on the end-of-times prophecy. As far as I’m concerned, that question was answered when Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
And thank you too for the wonderful conversation, Kim!
Thanks to you as well, Justin. I get very tired of conversations about religion and spirituality that quickly deteriorate into defensive posturing and name-calling. I wish more Christians would just engage in these kinds of thoughtful, respectful conversations: “I respect what you’re saying; here’s where I’m coming from.”
I think a lot of people are on the fence spiritually. They’re searching for meaning, for answers, for peace, for a sense that they’re on the right path, for why they’re here and what’s the point? and what comes after this. And people who are in a state of questioning and seeking … these are the people that a Christian engaging in open, frank, loving conversation actually has a chance of reaching.
Which isn’t to say that you shouldn’t also be loving and compassionate and engaged with your atheist and agnostic friends as well, but in my experience, people who are atheists, whether that’s a lifetime philosophy or a temporary state, tend to be very invested in NOT being open to talking about things like faith and spirituality at all.
When someone is immediately super-defensive about their atheism, or completely disrespectful to or dismissive of the idea that other people might have other points of view, and they assume that anyone who’s not an atheist is an uneducated moron … that person is probably just not in a good place for having that kind of discussion right now, so better to just back … away … slowly. 🙂
Then again, maybe that’s just where I am in my own life. Just not really feeling the need to engage with drama, or with emotionally draining or mean people.
I think everything you said was absolutely right. I think a lot of people are on the spiritual fence too. I have jumped on both sides throughout my life. It’s very hard for anybody to have a conversation about beliefs or religion if they can’t empathize with that very fact. Don’t get me wrong, I feel blessed that God has broken down the fence in my life. I still have doubts and worries and am unsure a lot of times, but I no longer see it as being on the fence; it’s more like being on a roller coaster. When I stay close to God (reading His Word), I am clicking higher and higher up that hill, but my doubts and fears bring me racing down the steepest slopes.
And I’ve had those experiences of simply discussing religion with very strong-willed atheist friends, and you’re right, it’s just not worth it. You can’t take that stuff personally when they shut you out because they would do that with anything they disagree with. I’ve met my share of people who despise country music to the point that they won’t listen to anything that falls close to that genre, and most of the time they’ve never listened to country music before. And when they lash out, that’s when I slowly turn the station…slowly… :).
I don’t think it’s just you. Any conversation takes both people’s willingness to express their own ideas AND listen to others. In my opinion, the problem lies with our progression away from personal communication. It’s much too easy to be hateful and not listen when you’re typing on your computer. But people do that so often, when it comes time to having a discussion face to face, they just want to type their thoughts, hit send and walk away.
It’s nice to know that some still enjoy real discussion.
No, you would’t celebrate anyone who is against America, but you will get out in the street against your own fellow Americans and holler for union thugs and that half-baked administration we have. You feed off the race card and allow this country to be battered on multiple fronts. You wrap your heads up and play muslim until you put yourselves in a position of having this country even have to question if any Sharia Law (treason) applies to suit your agendas. We are tired of you feeding at the troph of being a victim when it suits you. Just buck up or go to the dunes with your silliness and hopefully you will stay.
Using the Jesus card would be good if is in earnest.
People use this to try and shame those who speak out on something they are hearing that is against their own agendas. They care no more for Jesus than they do the rest of the world. They just want to protect themselves from being seen for who they are. They want to protect their progressive agendas and give what our foregfathers died for to those who are not under the banner of this Republic who is proud to be Under God. I am thinking they believe that God the father is not good enough for them and their “intellectual” minds. So I guess they do become fools who do think they know more than God.
I am so against murder and Revenge…I was not celebrating his murder.. Jesus died for all men..ye without sin cast the first stone..back in the days you were to be stoned to death for being a prostitute And Jesus stepped in at that moment..and show her mercy and i Dare to say if that same person was Bin Laden he too would get mercy..I choose to be more like Jesus and so against the murder and revenge actions of his death…jesus lives in my heart and this is what he reminds me of..we all derserve Hell..Your as guilty as he was if you steal or lie..Your not better that Bin Laden in Gods eyes..Our righteousness is as filty rags to God.Love your enemies God says..not hunt them down and shoot them in the face..The thief on the cross didnt live his life for Jesus yet he did so ask Jesus to remember him in heaven…so i wont judge he may have had that moment in prayer to God ..my take on it hugs Deb ..America is hypocrital when you murder unborn children and so many too..but not ok for Bin Laden too..Jesus would say HYPOCrites!!!!
My Lord Jesus is never the party thrower type. that said, the King of Kings would always rejoice for the defeat of satan. Recall what he told those disciples that came back from missionary field? “I saw satan fall like lightning.” Jesus said that with great delight. Osama’s death is worth celebrating, because he is a devil brought down. There’s time for everything, says the wise king solomon in Ecclesiastes. Paul said rejoice with them that rejoice and weep with them that weep. I weep for the lost souls of 9/11 and I rejoice with America and the entire world for bringing Osama down. God answers prayers.
My feelings would be to look into scripture and find a similar event to the death of OBL…..how about the death of Goliath??? An evil philistine who killed Israelites. AFter his demise, the troops cheered, David cut off his head and carried it to King Saul.
There was great celebration! (as there should be at the death of OSL).
OBL lived a long life, had a daily chance to repent and accept Jesus, but declined it! That’s the story of the gospels: Repent! (or accept the consequences).
wonderful
Relious franchises are sick and kind of make me Ill when I fall into their trappings. absolutism as in Christianity re the bible is not thee truth it is in fact is what it Is can god be in complete control of all things is that the absolute truth and would one really believe ESP the bible that these are the credentials the absolute true words of god nothing to be added or taken away written by his hand picked to reveal this truth to those who would choose to believe and to hell with it to the rest.why are Christians so insecure that they can not accept the common birth right inherent in all mankind’s spiritual DNA, how can you seperate god from your self or yourself from god. freedom of choise does not put you into hell for an eternity just who’s choise is it really
Relious franchises are sick kind of make me Ill when I fall into their trappings. absolutism is not truth it is in fact all things it is what it is ,can you be god in all totality other than it is what it is and can god be in complete control of all things is that the absolute truth and would one really believe ESP the bible that these are the credentials the absolute true words of god written by his hand picked to reveal this truth to those who would choose to believe and to hell with it to the rest.why are Christians so insecure that they can not accept the common birth right inherent in all mankind’s spiritual DNA, how can you seperate god from your self or yourself from god. freedom of choise does not put you into hell for an eternity just who’s choise is it really