Bin Laden: What do I think? How do I pray?
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“Bin Laden is dead.”
How am I to think about a person who allows himself to be so confused and so filled with hate that he masterminds terroristic activities?
Now that this man has been killed, what do I think? How do I pray?
Do I understand the need for a man to be stopped from harming others? While this is taking place, do I understand the need to continue to pray to see more of everyone’s spiritual nature?
Am I comprehending how the actions and wisdom of good men are directed by the intelligence and goodness of God, even as they put an end to a man’s evil deeds?
Does my love for God govern how I view even the most hated?
Do I yearn to make a man pay? Or do I yearn to pray that God’s goodness be recognized as supreme on earth?
Do I doubt God’s ability to correct every human condition?
What impresses me more… man’s inhumanity to man or God’s love for each of His children?
This is an amazing moment in human history. What do I think? How will I pray?
Find Keith on Twitter: @TexasCS
Related post: Prayer is …
My immediate reaction was dismay at the joy, the congratulations, the expressions of “victory.” Then sadness that man is still capable of these feelings under these circumstances.
Do I believe as people are saying, that this is justice? Am I proud that America has murdered a man in the name of what?Justice? Retaliation? Deservedness? Do I feel safer? Justified? Relieved?
I do understand the actions of good men being directed by God as I have had to come to grips with that regarding actions by family members in the military.
And then I got down to business and started praying…..
Do I for one second, believe that God favors one of His children over another?
Do I for one second believe inhumane actions reflect God’s true man?
Do I for one second believe killing a body kills the eternal individual and collective purity of man?
[Pam, Thanks for your thoughtful questions. --Keith]
This is an important point for those of us who follow CS. Everyone here should read MBE’s, Love your Enemies. And review the story of Jesus on the cross from the Bible. We are supposed to see things from a “higher” viewpoint. Although there seems to be elation at this death (execution) what about moral and ethical points. What about the fact that one nation has seen fit to go into another nation and summarily execute someone. What are the practical political ramifications. Does this mean Qadaffy, (sp) who just lost a son and grandsons in a NATO bombing is therefore justified in ordering the killing of the French President? Where does it stop? One man’s terrorist is another man’s hero. We should be seeing this at a higher level.
[J, Thanks for sharing. We all have much to learn about what life really is and what Love can do. --Keith]
This was an issue I debated in my heart in the same way you did. Moreover, I was also grieved over the hateful thoughts that erupted in my friends’ hearts, mostly along the lines of “bin Laden didn’t suffer enough” or “let’s go kill all of al Qaeda in more gruesome ways.”
How can such a good event spawn such widespread hate in people’s hearts?
On the other side of the debate, a good friend pointed me to Proverbs 11:10: “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.” (NIV) Clearly, bin Laden himself is a lost soul that deserves lamentation, yet bin Laden was also a wicked man, where “wicked” in Hebrew means “to break” and in context of the Word means “to continually go against God’s design.”
Therefore, I think the proper way to view this historic event is to rejoice that the world is rid of one wicked man, but also grieve for the soul of one man who had walked far astray.
[KFY, Thanks for your insightful comment. --Keith]
Yes- I’ve been musing with these thoughts too.
One victim of 911′s husband said that “evil energy” was removed from earth.
One victory for the “good guys”?
Where does loving and forgiving your enemies come in?
Do I go along with the thought that man is capable of being evil, of sin, sickness and death? Where does Life, God fit in to this? Or maybe the better question, “What does Love look like in this situation?”
And the replaying of the horrors of the tragedy and loss of life and hope. Is that really constructive or is it sensationalism?
Hopes for unity of Good must be more than just people uniting for self preservation. Is there One Good God that is all powerful?
What can I learn from Christ Jesus’ example of being willing to go through with the crucifixion to be able to demonstrate the resurrection and then the ascension?
Just a few more questions to add to the mix.
[Leslee, Thanks for adding to the mix! When thought moves, that's when healing happens. --Keith]