Have you heard that Osama Bin Laden was killed?
Of course you have. It has been all over the Internet and news since it happened. At first my thoughts and reactions where anything but Christ-like: I was glad that he was dead, one less terrorist of the face of the earth, he got what was coming to him, he deserved it…
Wait…he deserved it?
I have committed sins in my lifetime. Sin that is all the same in the eyes of God. Maybe not in the eyes of the society we live in, but sin nonetheless.
So I to deserve death.
However, there is one thing that separates me from Bin Laden. I have been saved for my eternal death through Jesus paying the ultimate price for me. A price that allows me to repent of my sin and have forgiveness of the sins that I have committed in this life.
Then that raises more questions for me. What if Bin Laden accepted Christ in his fleeting moments? What if Bin Laden was grant forgiveness and is now on Heaven? All possibilities. Terrible people have come to Christ…(John Saddington over at Human3rror did a great post on this yesterday. It is definitely worth your time.)
So today I write my blog post on the Bin Laden news. I am glad that I did not post as soon as I heard the news. The past few days have given me time to think about how I should react as a Christian. And as a Christian I have to say that i am saddened that a person died without coming to know Christ. That He has to suffer eternity in Hell. That he did not find peace and comfort from this word by developing a relationship with God in Heaven.
So today I am saddened that Bin Laden the man is not in Paradise. I am glad that Bin Laden’s reign on terror is over.
There will be others though, and our prayers should be that they should come to know Christ so that they will not miss out on the peace that comes with knowing that you have salvation and that your eternity is sealed.
It seems like the more time that passes the more questions and thoughts I have on the whole situation. Mixed emotions definitely.
Care to share you initial reactions, and how you now feel?
Dustin (114)
Bill (cycleguy) (106)
Brandon (106)
ThatGuyKC (95)
Michael (92)
Moe (70)
seekingpastor (57)
Ben (56)
Steven (46)
Sean Sabourin (44)
My emotions have been met with a balance of “craving justice” and “saddened grief”. It tough- I can see both sides of the coin.
I know it it tough.
Thanks for sharing Dustin!
I feel the same way you do. Yeah he was a pretty rotten guy and yes I guess he deserved to die, or at least be punished for his crimes. But at the same time, the fact that he is now probably in hell suffering for his sins should never be something to rejoice over. I’m glad his reign of terror has been ended and I celebrate the ones who took him down. but the fact that he (and millions of other people) die without Jesus is a sad thing. Thanks for your thoughts.
Thanks for sharing John and taking the time to stop by and comment!
Adam, thank you for waiting to post this until others (like me) had a chance to process.
On a philosophical level, I might be inclined to say I feel something like pity for OBL as a human being.
Mostly I’m just glad he’s dead. No apologies.
I appreciate and respect those with a more mature faith who can see the event a little more holistically.
All in all being completely honest I am glad he is dead as well. Not glad he is a sinner who died without pleading for forgiveness.
Ithe world a better and safer place without him. Probably.
Thanks for sharing. Glad you are a part of this community.
Nice opening question, btw.
Ha. A blogger I know named KC does it. Thought I would give it a try.
Adam,
Wrestled with the same emotions and internal conflict. Thanks for putting it to words. I posted a quote over on my blog that resonates with what you have written. Have a great day!
Will check it out Nate. Thanks for stopping by and sharing.
Honestly, I actually was never happy that he was killed. Was I angry that they killed him? NO. I kinda felt by myself when it all broke the news. I had no joy that he was dead. I mean he was an evil guy and deserved to be brought to justice but I honestly can’t say that I’m glad that he’s dead. I don’t want anyone to day without first coming to know Christ. I’m glad that he will not be able to hurt others anymore but I’m not happy that he’s dead and possibly in hell. I’m with you thought that the more I think about it the more questions I have about how we react to situations such as this. I think we can learn a lot about ourselves from this.
I totally agree with that. Thanks for sharing Joseph.
Great thoughts Adam. I’ve been wrestling with things myself and posted some questions I’ve been dealing with on my site.
I think ultimately I’m glad that he’s not longer a threat more than I am that he’s dead. But more than anything I’ve been pretty disappointed in the response. It’s pretty sickening to me the idea of people cheering over someone’s death.
Granted he did some terrible things, but like you said, I am a sinner just like him and God sent his son to die for both my sins and Bin Laden’s.
That’s hard to wrap my mind around.
SO hard I agree. thanks for sharing David.