The End of an Enemy

Last night, it was announced that Osama Bin Ladan was killed by the U.S. military. I feel that this was a necessary action. Most Americans probably agree.

However, it seems that beyond that, there is a lot of disagreement.

My first thought was some relief that this leader and terrorist who have murdered many innocent people around the world is gone. My second thought was that this was a man, a human being who just died and went to spend an eternity in hell.

I saw on the news many Americans who celebrated. There were impromptu gatherings in Washington D.C, New York City, many college campuses, and other major cities, where people chanted and sang the National Anthem. One person said, “This is V-J for our generation.” That expressed the feeling of many who felt that the death of this man represents a great victory.

I have heard people say they don’t believe it. Some Americans are so suspicious of our government that they think the military would pretend to kill an enemy and lie to the people about it. They think this is part of some kind of conspiracy. I guess we have been lied to so many times that many of us just don’t believe anything. Our government has lost the trust of the people.

There are some who immediately made comments that made political points; some praising the President for the action, others making disparaging remarks about him.

Today, many people were quoting Bible verses in response to those who celebrated this death, verses that declare that God does not take pleasure in the death of the wicked, and we are not to rejoice in the death of an enemy. This is truth. I wonder, though is it spoken in love? How would it feel to have lost loved ones on Sept. 11 or in the war in Afghanistan, or any of the other terrorist attacks the Bin Ladan planned.

Amazing how many different responses there can be to one action, and each person feels so sure that he or she is right, and justified, and reasonable.

I am not trying to vindicate or criticize any of these responses. I’m just thinking in blog form. America is a funny place. I am often shocked by responses of people. What seems perfectly reasonable to me, someone else thinks is naive or simple. A friend will say something that to him is flat-out truth, something that to me sounds like outlandish foolishness.  We need to treat each other with so much compassion, understanding, and respect.

Bottom line, it seems that an enemy is gone…unless you think it is a lie, then the truth remains to be seen.