Should Christians rejoice over the death of Osama bin Laden?
By Ruth Schenk | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
After a 10-year manhunt, terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden is dead.
On Sunday, May 1, U.S. Navy SEALs stormed his compound in Pakistan and killed him in a confrontation.
As the news of his death spread, cheering crowds waving American flags gathered to celebrate at Ground Zero and Times Square in New York City.
The New York Post ran an online headline that read, “Justice at Last.” A print version front page simply said, “Got ‘em!” The St. Petersburg Times headline read “Dead.” The New York Daily
News headlined their story about bin Laden’s death with, “Rot in Hell.”
While the mood of the moment was celebration, newspapers reported that those who lost loved ones in 9/11 responded with a mixture of cheers and tears.
Over the days that followed, a debate was waged over how people should feel about the death of bin Laden. The debate was especially strong among Christians.
There’s no doubt that as the leader of the al Qaeda network, bin Laden caused a lot of heartache. He is linked to several deadly attacks, including suicide missions against U.S. embassies
in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000. He also claimed to be the mastermind of the destruction on Sept. 11, 2001, when nearly 3,000 people died after
19 hijackers flew planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon in Arlington, Va. A fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pa.
Since that attack, many American soldiers have died fighting “the war on terror.”
Southeast member Don Waddell was an Air Force Colonel, an F-4 fighter pilot in Vietnam and he now leads the New Member Ministry at Southeast. In 28 years of military service, he
grappled with the morality of killing enemies. Waddell said he is not cheering bin Laden’s death. He is, however, relieved. Waddell discussed how he believes Christians should react to the
death of bin Laden.
Q: Should we celebrate the death of Osama bin Laden?
A: Osama bin Laden was a human being created by a God who loved him. He had a family. At the same time, he has brutally murdered many people and instigated terror. So I celebrate that the world is safer with him gone, I celebrate a huge victory in the war on terrorism, but I grieve that he died without knowing Christ as his Savior. Former Southeast Senior Minister Bob
Russell put it this way: “Israel rejoiced when Goliath was slain. However, Prov. 24:17-18 warn us, ‘Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles do not let you heart rejoice, or the
Lord will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him.’ There’s a difference between being relieved that an enemy is no longer a threat and gloating over his defeat—President
Obama said he didn’t intend to ‘spike the ball.’”
Q. Can we celebrate justice, not death?
A. Yes. I am not critical of those who cheer bin Laden’s death, but I am personally uncomfortable with celebrating anyone’s death, even my enemy.
David grieved over Saul’s death, even though Saul tried to kill him repeatedly. When David heard that Saul was dead, “David and all the men with him took hold of their clothes and tore them. They mourned and wept and fasted till evening for Saul and his son Jonathan, and for the army of the Lord and the house of Israel ... ”
(2 Sam. 1:11-12).
Q. Should we pray for terrorists?
A. Yes. Matt. 5:44 says, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you that you may be sons of you Father in heaven.” When it comes to someone like bin Laden, this is a hard saying; but Christ wants us to pray for our enemies as a first step to loving them, as He loves us.
Q. How did you reconcile the commandment not to kill with your own military service? Does the commandment apply to war?
A. War is a detestable activity that should be pursued only as a last resort. All sensible, God-fearing people abhor fighting and killing, but we live in a fallen world inhabited by evil people, and I believe the Bible allows for nations and soldiers to fight and kill under some circumstances.
Joshua’s invasion of Canaan is a good example. Deut. 20:1 says, “When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.” The profession of soldiering is never condemned in the Bible. In fact, soldiers are praised for their faith, loyalty and courage.
While Jesus taught us to love our enemies, he used violence against the moneychangers in the Temple. He also resisted evil. We are told to do the same thing (John 2:14-16; Romans 12:9 and James 4:7).
Q. As a soldier, did you question your job in light of the biblical mandate not to kill?
A. I remember rolling in on a target described as a “known enemy location" in Vietnam. My job was to kill other human beings. As a Christian, I was conflicted about that. At the same time, I knew that my enemy, the North Vietnamese, had brutalized our POWs and killed friends of mine in battle.
My job was to kill the enemy who was trying to kill my Army and Marine buddies on the ground, but I took no pleasure in knowing I had taken the life of another human being.
Q. According to some news reports, bin Laden’s location was discovered as a result of waterboard torture at Guantanamo Bay, where prisoners of war are held. How should Christians respond to that?
A. This is an extremely complex and difficult issue, and I can’t find any scriptural precedent except according to Romans 13, we must submit to governing authorities unless it pursues policies contrary to God’s Word. What constitutes “torture?” Is torture even effective? I’d like to think that torture is not reflective of American values, but in a day when a nuclear weapon could be detonated in a large city, wouldn’t we do most anything to obtain information that might preclude that attack?
Q. Should Christians be conscientious objectors?
A. This has been a difficult issue for Christians throughout history. I respect the conscientious objector who refuses to fight, though I disagree with his or her position. What would have happened in World War II if all Americans had been Conscientious Objectors?
Certainly Christ called us to love our enemies. However, there is a distinction between how we respond individually, (Love your enemies) and how nations are to defend themselves from evil governments. Romans 13:4 says, “For he (the one in authority) is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.”
Q. Do Christians have a responsibility to take a stand against evil?
A. Yes, of course. We must speak out when we observe evil in our culture. We must oppose it by speaking the truth in love, by prayer, preaching and evangelizing. Evil is spiritual, and we should oppose it by spiritual means, for the most part. For instance, by speaking out against the evils of pornography and abortion, believers are seeking to restrain it, if possible.
We cooperate with the police and authorities who seek to eradicate evil and crime, but we should never act individually to bring about justice. “ … It is mine to avenge; I will repay says the Lord,” (Romans 12:19). Sometimes He uses appointed authorities to execute justice, but that’s His job not ours.