I’m going to try to tone down the exultation. After all, a human being has died, one who was loved by God and might have found salvation. One who might have done much good if he’d turned his heart and considerable gifts to Jesus Christ, rather than to a doctrine of bloodthirsty deception.
Nope, can’t do it.
This was not some Pakistani peasant who’d never been out of the mountains. This was a sophisticated man, born to wealth, who’d spent time in the West and surely had the opportunity to hear the gospel. He was not interested in grace. He chose a form of Islam which hails the murder of innocents and considers women and children the perfect body armor (a woman was used as a human shield in the final firefight. I understand she was one of Bin Laden’s wives, but whether he or someone else tried to hide behind her I haven’t been able to determine). In his own words, he loved death better than life. He was a man without pity, who joyfully slaughtered thousands of my countrymen.
As a Christian, I’m gospel-centric and forgiveness-oriented. But I think we sometimes forget that justice is also a part of God’s nature. One of the chief consequences of the Fall (and a chief complaint of atheists and agnostics in their attacks on religion) is that the world is not just. God has postponed final judgment, leaving such justice as we can scrape together in this world in the hands of fallible human beings. In a situation like this, I think it’s permissible to rejoice a little bit when we see some partial justice done, especially when it’s visited on an individual who knowingly embraced evil.
There’s a troubling and intriguing passage in 1 John—Chapter 5:16:
If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying he should pray about that.
I don’t claim to understand what that verse means. But I think it provides adequate grounds for me to conclude (I could be wrong) that some people have gone so far in evil that the only thing that can be done with them is put them out of the world.
And if that putting out makes the world a safer place, and gives closure to the families and friends of victims, I feel good about that.
That’s my opinion. You may disagree.
Here’s an AP story about how it went down (assuming it’s accurate)
I just barely was able to restrain myself from chanting “USA” as I heard the news. Twain said something like, “I’ve never wished death upon a man, but there are some obituaries I have enjoyed reading.”
I like you 1 John quote, it’s an interesting text, and the context in the following verses seem to match your reading.
Phil, all I get is an AP-Mobile advertisement.
I saw some of this discussion on Facebook, and I think there are some fundamentals that should be named.
1. Some crimes merit execution as their just punishment. We can argue about which crimes should be capital crimes and how an execution should be performed with mercy, but the fundamental point is that there are evil things someone can do and thereby justly forfeit his life. I think the Bible gives us plenty of rationale for this position.
2. The state’s role is to defend justice and protect its people. Bin Laden was a self-declared enemy. He wanted to kill us and did kill many of us. How can such enemies be defeated or converted to allies without a fight?
3. Though the Bible directs us to have great compassion for our enemies, it also encourages to defend the weak and needy. If crushing the enemies is never something God wants us to do, then why are so many Psalms written they way they are? We must have mercy in all things, but we must also do what is just, and sometimes that means fighting.
4. If peace by force of arms is illogical and unChristian, then why did God direct his people to kill the Canaanites when taking over their land? This is the point of contention with those who argue that a Christian cannot support any war while claiming to believe the sixth commandment.
I hope I haven’t rambled.
One thing I had meant to add was that the government was legitimately exercising its “power of the sword” in executing justice on this man.
An AP Mobile ad is all I get too now. Perhaps they removed that article. I was minutes old when I read it. Curious.
Yes! And we need to uphold the legitimate vocation of soldiers in this. Some of the comments of Christians disturb me in the way in which they are conflicted when it comes to this. Good grief.
This strikes me as a good balance.
By the way, that Martin Luther King quote about “I will not rejoice…” appears to be a fake: Some convenient extra stuff grafted onto a genuine line.
I just saw the article I tried to link to here: “Phone call by courier led to bin Laden”
Mike Horton also has some good thoughts, here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2011/mayweb-only/osama-justice.html