In my vocation as an American citizen, I am glad that justice has been served and this man is no longer a threat to our country and to the world. I was a pastor just about 2 miles from NYC on 9/11 and remember what the days, weeks, and months were like after that day. It was not an easy time. I am proud of our military, intelligence people, and presidents (yes, both Obama and Bush) for carrying this out and getting it done. Thank you. You have done your jobs well.
In my vocation as a Christian, I am sad that a man has been lost for eternity. I am also a little uncomfortable with the jubilation over death. I understand it and I am not condemning it. I'm just a little uncomfortable with it. One of the best comments I read about that was from Catholic blogger, Father Z, who wrote:
I can understand the urge to celebrate that a paragraph of a chapter of US history has been brought to an end. I would rather see Americans welcome this news with a quiet nod of the head than with squealing in the streets. It seems to me that his death isn’t something to strut about as if it were a gold medal win at the Olympics.
1 comment:
You are so right! And it is hard to put your finger on why there should be some concern about how we deal with the death of Osama bin Laden. I suspect that as a society we have become dulled to the tragedy of death, because we see so much of it played out in the media and in electronic games. But the ancients had a more sober view of death. I find it fitting that just as we have gone through the joyous celebration of the resurrection of our Lord, here is a reminder that the word “Sanhedrin” does not always carry a negative connotation:
“Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.”
- Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:5; Babylonian Talmud Tractate Sanhedrin 37a
This is a commentary on why God created humanity through one human being, Adam.
Peace and Joy in the sure knowledge of the Resurrection.
George A. Marquart
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