Celebrating Death?

With the release of the news that Osama Bin Laden has been killed, I have noticed several reports of celebration in the news. A Baseball game stopped in the middle to allow for the crowd to cheer the news. People gathered outside the White House and raised American Flags and their arms in triumph as cameras captured the images.

I will be the first to admit that I am glad that this terrorist is no longer in a leadership position over other like-minded people. What he planned and did to our country, and the resultant countless lives that were lost, is such an act of evil that to simply put those words down doesn't seem to be strong enough.

There must also be an admission that I was not there when he was engaged and then killed. I don't know the circumstances. Yes, the news reports one thing, but if we have learned anything it's that details can change from one report to the next, and different reports can be dramatized in an effort to grow an audience. I'm skeptical, what can I say? It may be that Bin Laden came out guns blazing, and capture was not an option. I don't know, and I'm not criticizing our military in any way.

What causes me to pause is the fact that people seem to be celebrating death. Evil or not, should we ever celebrate when a life is ended? I'm not into politics, so please don't go there with me. All I am doing is saying that as a Christian, as one who believes in and has committed my life to Jesus Christ, I have a hard time digesting and processing how I'm supposed to feel about this.

Again, I am very glad that this terrorist is no longer leading others to wreak havoc and destruction. There's no telling how many lives are saved because he is no longer able to brainwash and control others who believe in violent, lethal demonstrations of hate and anger. I see all the good that can come from this, and it may be that people are simply cheering for those positive things. But, I really don't think that's the case for all of those people, and I just can't seem to bring myself to celebrate death.

Is our culture making a mistake? Jesus said to Love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us. (Matthew 5:43) In the same Bible that records Jesus' words you can find a passage that says there is a time for everything: "A time to kill, a time to heal...A time to love, and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace."(Ecclesiastes 3)

However, I don't see where it says to celebrate the taking of life. Do our video games, novels, TV shows, and movies cause us to forget the difference between reality and fiction? We cheer for the heroes who must kill when it's a game or in our favorite book. We feel relief when the "bad guys" on TV resist arrest by pulling a gun, but take a fatal bullet because of their unwillingness to come peacefully. But, should we actually cheer on the death of others?

I remember a scene from the Bible where there were those who cheered for death. The man they wanted dead was innocent of crimes, and yet they wanted him executed by the state. They cheered his death, and mocked his pain. On THIS side of the story, I can find hope because I know that this Man rose from the grave and defeated death. But I choose to celebrate His resurrection, not His death.

The death was necessary, and I accept it with heavy heart. Jesus' death demonstrates what Ecclesiastes says about a time to kill. The result it brought is one that provides atonement for all the sins of this world. Jesus knew it would happen, and He still told us to love them with the love of God, and pray that they would turn their hearts to Him. His prayers from the cross for their forgiveness demonstrate that we should never quit hoping in the power of God to change hearts. Even as He walked among the witnesses who saw Him after His resurrection, Jesus never called anyone to arms or to seek retribution against those that cheered for His death. He simply gave us the command to go into all the earth, and share the message of salvation with everyone.

When I hear reports of the deaths of men like Osama Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein, or other evil men, I take a very somber breath of relief. Death may have been the last resort and the only way to stop them, I don't know. I'm glad their crimes against humanity can no longer persist, and will support those brave men and women in the military who are called into action because of these evil leaders. But I will always be saddened that there are people whose hearts are so hardened and against God that their actions ultimately lead to their own death.