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Osama Bin Laden... What is the Christian response to this?

What is my moral response to the death of Osama

  • I hope he burns in Hell

    Votes: 31 26.5%

  • I'm just glad he is dead. Let God Decide

    Votes: 41 35.0%

  • Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner

    Votes: 13 11.1%

  • Conflicted

    Votes: 17 14.5%

  • Other/Poll fail

    Votes: 15 12.8%
  • Total voters
    117
  • Poll closed .
KeystoneDeac10

KeystoneDeac10

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First and foremost, I would like to say that I am extremely proud of my country, the servicemen and women who got Bin Laden, and everyone who was involved in this historic event. I beleive that this is both a strategic and symbolic victory in the war against terror.

I believe that we deserve our day of celebration for a mission accomplished and I think there is nothing better than being able to celebrate in the streets at ground zero, in front of the whitehouse, at a baseball game, or wherever fellow Americans freely gather.

That said, I am struggling with some conflicting emotions at the present. I will NEVER be able to understand the profound loss of those who were victims of this tragedy or those who lost a loved one in the September 11th attacks and hope that raising this topic is not offensive.

The following article was posted by a friend of mine and made me think, "How is a Christian (or any person with rational thought or a morality system) supposed to respond to Bin Laden's Death?"

http://www.americamagazine.org/blog/entry.cfm?blog_id=2&entry_id=4174

Personally I feel comfortable celebrating the end of the career of a mass murderer and someone I believe was profoundly evil, however, I can not celebrate the death of another man.

I wouldn't say I am a religious person by any means and I am very curious if we could hear from some people on this board who have opinions on the matter. The Easter thread gave me some hope that a worthwhile conversation could be had on this topic.

Thanks all
 
A true Christian wouldn't be celebrating Osama's death. A true Christian would hope that Bin Laden accepted Christ as his savior after his death.
 
"Yes he deserved to die and I hope he burns in Hell!"
 
I am Christian, but not overly religious. However, I have also had a hard time celebrating this and watching others celebrate like their team just won the Superbowl.

I am glad he's dead. I am glad the manhunt for him is over. I hope this is the beginning of the end for all the lives lost as the result of his work (ie: I hope AQ fizzles out.) However, part of me is saddened by the fact that he could have been taken out long before 9/11 (no politics), and thousands of lives could have been spared.

I guess I am feeling relief more than anything.
 
"I think it's a pity there isn't a hell for him to go to"
-Christopher Hitchens
 
I doubt there is a black and white "Christian" response to something like this (or really anything) because it seems the tenets of Christianity and other religions are interpretted differently by different inidividuals and different groups who identify themselves with a particular religion.

My opinion on religion isn't the most educated though. I guess I'd call myself a christian although that may be being a bit liberal with the term considering that I haven't been to church since the mid 90s when I was in middle school. I grew up in a protestant christian family although no one in my immediate family is overtly religious, but I think my parents go to church with some regularity although I doubt it's every week


To sum up my feelings though

Yes, he deserved to die, and I hope he burns in Hell
samjackson.jpg
 
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Demonbeck said:
I am Christian, but not overly religious. However, I have also had a hard time celebrating this and watching others celebrate like their team just won the Superbowl.

I am glad he's dead. I am glad the manhunt for him is over. I hope this is the beginning of the end for all the lives lost as the result of his work (ie: I hope AQ fizzles out.) However, part of me is saddened by the fact that he could have been taken out long before 9/11 (no politics), and thousands of lives could have been spared.

I guess I am feeling relief more than anything.
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I Definitely have that same sense of relief. When it comes to people celebrating in the streets, I can't help but feel somewhat hypocritical. I have felt nothing but scorn when I see extremists out in the streets of Arab nations celebrating deaths of our soldiers and heroes. While I think there is a difference, I can't help but wonder if they are looking at us right now just as we look at them.
 
roland said:
I went with other... I'm glad he's dead, but I'm not a Christian.
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I kind of realized after the fact that the Christian element to this is somewhat irrelevant. I suppose this would have been better addressed as just a moral question. It just so happened that the best article I found was written by a christian
 
I hope they force him to become a Redskins fan.
 
bym051d said:
A true Christian wouldn't be celebrating Osama's death. A true Christian would hope that Bin Laden accepted Christ as his savior after his death.
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I dont think any Christian believes that this is an option.
 
Baconwfu said:
I doubt there is a black and white "Christian" response to something like this (or really anything) because it seems the tenets of Christianity and other religions are interpretted differently by different inidividuals and different groups who identify themselves with a particular religion.
Click to expand...


Good point.

Still, we may try to formulate and/or communicate a response even if unanimity is impossible (as I suspect you'd agree).

At one time in my life, I was essentially a pacifist--no killing under any circumstance. But, in spite of the wretchedness of our ability to get most anything entirely right, I've eventually come 'round to see the need for even the most severe of responses to certain crimes against people. Yes, including the need of war and the death penalty (rightly applied, difficult as these may be to define and implement).

As I indicated on the Easter thread, I think it's reasonable and arguably "Christian" to rejoice in the serving of justice, difficult as it may be to approximate and rightly appreciate. But I do tend to agree with drawing the line at rejoicing in the death of anyone. At the same time, I think we can be pleased if/when evil people are forced to cease their evil and criminally harmful actions. So I can rejoice in the serving of some measure of justice but grieve that such is necessary.

Ultimately, I think the Cristian response to this, and many other difficulties, is to do the best we can but trust God (as we do believe in God) to make things actually right in the end...even if we're conflicted or muddled about what that may mean.
 
I posted a little about this on the Easter thread, but I'm conflicted. I'm relieved he's dead and think it was necessary, but cannot celebrate the death of another individual, especially one whom I believe is in hell. I don't believe God is celebrating his death be He takes no delight in the destruction of the wicked (although in Scripture it does not seem that he objects to the destruction of the wicked, either). So I'm conflicted, I can be happy that justice has been served, but not celebrate the means in which it happened. As I said in the Easter thread: Relief & hope (for future peace) are appropriate responses to news tonight. However, the only death I 'celebrate' is the death of Jesus.
 
IamThunderbolt said:
I posted a little about this on the Easter thread, but I'm conflicted. I'm relieved he's dead and think it was necessary, but cannot celebrate the death of another individual, especially one whom I believe is in hell. I don't believe God is celebrating his death be He takes no delight in the destruction of the wicked (although in Scripture it does not seem that he objects to the destruction of the wicked, either). So I'm conflicted, I can be happy that justice has been served, but not celebrate the means in which it happened. As I said in the Easter thread: Relief & hope (for future peace) are appropriate responses to news tonight. However, the only death I 'celebrate' is the death of Jesus.
Click to expand...

your god murdered his only son I seem to recall
 
IamThunderbolt said:
I posted a little about this on the Easter thread, but I'm conflicted. I'm relieved he's dead and think it was necessary, but cannot celebrate the death of another individual, especially one whom I believe is in hell. I don't believe God is celebrating his death be He takes no delight in the destruction of the wicked (although in Scripture it does not seem that he objects to the destruction of the wicked, either). So I'm conflicted, I can be happy that justice has been served, but not celebrate the means in which it happened. As I said in the Easter thread: Relief & hope (for future peace) are appropriate responses to news tonight. However, the only death I 'celebrate' is the death of Jesus.
Click to expand...

Personally, I'm celebrating the hope that this brings rather than the death of an individual. I also think it's another opportunity to unite people (much like people reacted after 9/11). Last night felt like the first time I could see an end to this conflict.
 
Marquee Moon said:
your god murdered his only son I seem to recall
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True (although we might quibble over the language use here), and that was the only time the death of someone pleased him - hence that being the one death I will celebrate because of all its implications. And that death didn't take so well.
 
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