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Bin Laden’s Death: Time to Celebrate? • A Complete Perspective

I envisioned a lot of things happening after the death of Osama bin Laden, but I never imagined that we’d be bickering over the controversy surrounding people celebrating his death. And that’s exactly what has developed over the past few hours.

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Since Bin Laden’s death, I’ve heard people rejoicing that he is dead, while some scold those actions and proclaim that we should not celebrate death. Others have become infatuated with scripture verses of loving your enemies (Matthew 5:44), while others have referenced rejoicing when justice is served (Proverbs 21:15). Martin Luther King Jr.’s quote about hate driving out hate has been quoted, as has George W. Bush’s quote stating that “We will rid the world of the evil-doers.”

So, who’s right? Who’s wrong?

After taking it all in, and even participating in the debate, I think I have come to a final conclusion on the proper perspectives to consider.

Putting Bin Laden’s Death Into Perspective

First, let’s establish a simple fact – Osama Bin Laden was an evil man (or you can define what level of “bad” you think he was). Point is, he was bad. We all know Osama Bin Laden as the architect behind the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans, but his legacy of violence and terrorism spreads much further than American soil. Bin Laden, the founder of Al-Qaeda, is also responsible for planning the attacks on the United States embassies in the major East African cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Nairobi, Kenya, as well as the attack on the USS Cole. These were just a few of the countless attacks that Bin Laden spear-headed around the world in the name of Jihad.

With that said, there is no doubting that Osama Bin Laden was detrimental for our world and the freedom that Americans (and humans in general) hold dear. If you need help being reminded of Bin Laden’s evil, then I encourage you to look through the 9/11 pictures posted on this site.

Celebrating vs Gloating

Let’s establish an important distinction. The “you shouldn’t be celebrating” people were right in speaking out against those that were gloating or cheering over Bin Laden’s death. I think it’s important that the distinction is made between celebrating versus gloating. I learned this distinction growing up playing sports – the importance of good sportsmanship. We won and celebrated respectfully… but we still celebrated. Gloating is simply not acceptable, especially with the historical and emotional context of this event. With that said, most of the people gloating and cheering, especially outside of the White House, appeared to be college kids looking for a reason to skip school and get drunk. Many of them also appeared wearing their Obama-supportive gear and signs.

My Personal Perspective on Celebrating Bin Laden’s Death

When I first heard that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, I was a bit overwhelmed. Primarily because I knew what this would mean for the friends and families of the 9/11 victims. The death of Bin Laden will never bring back the lives that were lost that day, but I can only imagine the reconciled peace of mind that they would have knowing that the mastermind that had taken so many lives was no longer a threat. I can’t help but think that there would be a new sense of freedom in knowing that a man that had caused so much imprisonment through violence and terrorism had finally been served justice.

Is it really that hard to understand why and how someone would be able to rejoice with this new-found freedom and peace of mind? I don’t think so. Freedom brings joy, and joy often brings the emotions that lead us to celebration. If it’s hard for you to understand this, then maybe you have never experienced true joy after having gone through such turmoil. Humans are emotional beings, and the actions we have seen are very common when a victory of this magnitude is reached.

The “You Shouldn’t Be Celebrating” People Should Be Careful

Nobody knows what the person “celebrating” has been through. We don’t know who they may have lost, or how they may have been impacted by Bin Laden’s life of terrorism. I find it more appalling trying to dictate to a person who lost someone on 9/11 that they should not be celebrating, than the actual celebrating itself. Who am I to tell someone whose son or daughter was killed that they should not celebrate or be joyful? Who am I to take the freedom found in this event away from them? The families of 9/11 victims have endured things that most people can’t comprehend. Can you imagine watching your child jump to their death from a high-rise building in order to escape being burned to death. Can you imagine knowing that your loved ones died in a state of extreme fear, as they lived out their last seconds in complete agony, both mentally and physically? Nobody has any right to turn these victims into villains for finding joy in Bin Laden’s death.

Who is “Celebrating Death” Anyways?

Celebrating death or rejoicing over murder. This is the term that the “you shouldn’t be celebrating” crowd has been using. While there may be a very small, immature community of people who are simply “celebrating death or murder,” it seems pretty arrogant to suggest that “death” is the base of the celebration that we have recently witnessed. Sure, people are glad that Bin Laden is dead, but that is NOT what is being celebrated. What is being celebrated is the fact that an evil man is no longer capable of killing innocent people… and that is plenty of reason to celebrate.

The BibleScriptureGodLoveYourEnemyTurnTheOtherCheek Crowd

I’ve seen scriptures that relevantly support both sides of this issue. After some thought, I’ve come to realize that pulling any single scripture out in order to defend your position is wrong. Even I made this mistake. Should we love our enemies? Yes, but every use of this scripture I have seen lately has been taken out of context. The simple fact is that God hates evil, and the Bible is full of verses telling us to do the same. But what if my enemy is evil? How can I then hate evil and also love my enemy? This is where context comes into play, along with the ability that God gave us to use common sense that is applicable to today’s world.

God is love, He is light, He is compassion and mercy. The Bible discusses nearly 430 verses pertaining to evil, some which are very relevant to this situation. I won’t post them all because I’m not trying to turn this into a Theological debate. I’m simply trying to show that scripture represents both sides of this issue.

Psalm 34:16
“but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth.”

Psalm 36:4
“Even on their beds they plot evil; they commit themselves to a sinful course and do not reject what is wrong.”

Psalm 97:10
“Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”

1 Thessalonians 5:22
“Reject every kind of evil.”

Romans 12:21
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

So now the question becomes – How do we love our enemy and also hate evil? What does it mean to be delivered from the wicked, or to be reject evil? What doe sit mean to overcome evil with good? Would “good” be considered removing that “evil” from existence, or simply ignoring it?

Loving Your Enemies

I haven’t done a Theological breakdown of these verses, so don’t accuse me of trying to twist anything. I’m simply providing my perspective on how I perceive these verses as a Christian.

Luke 6:35
“But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.”

Does it sound like the author is writing this in context to a mass-murderer who has declared war on Christianity? If so, then should we not also take the rest of the verse out of context and start “lending” money and goods to terrorist organizations around the world without expecting anything back?

I highly doubt that this is the message that was being conveyed.

Matthew 5:44
“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”

Again, we see that we should love our enemies. The verse continues by telling us to pray for those that persecute you. This brings the definition of “enemy” into a better perspective. If it was simply persecution that Bin Laden was guilty of, then this verse might apply. Unfortunately, it was execution that Bin Laden was guilty of. Now, if someone killed a friend of mine, I would still pray for the murderer, but I would also advocate that they be served justice for the sake of preventing future pain and innocent death.

My personal take on this is that the love referenced in these verses is meant to be expressed for the potential opportunity to introduce Christ to the “enemy” that we should be loving. Taken out of context, this verse would not support the use of self-defense, or protection of any sort against another human being because… how can you love someone that you are trying to kill in self-defense?

I don’t believe that God is obnoxiously cheering in Heaven over Bin Laden’s death. It is God’s desire that all men shall enter the kingdom of God. However, God is a just God, and teaches us that evil being overcome is a good thing. This leads me to believe that God mourns for Bin Laden’s soul, yet rejoices in the fact that an evil element has been removed from causing further pain.

Other Bible Verses About Our Enemies

If we’re going to allow Bible verses to be taken out of context for the sake of securing our position, then we must also consider verses like these, right?

Psalm 72:9
“May the desert tribes bow before him and his enemies lick the dust.”

Psalm 92:9
“For surely your enemies, LORD, surely your enemies will perish; all evildoers will be scattered.”

Psalm 143:12
“In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.”

Isaiah 29:5
“But your many enemies will become like fine dust, the ruthless hordes like blown chaff.”

In Conclusion

I think it’s okay to celebrate the event of Bin Laden dying, not because we celebrate death, but because we advocate life and liberty. There is a new peace of mind and freedom found in knowing that a murderer no longer has the capabilities to carry out terrorist acts that took innocent lives. We must also be sensitive and respectful, being sure to represent America as the exceptional country that it is. Yelling and shouting and making signs is uncalled for, and dilutes the respect that the world has for us as a nation. We must conduct ourselves as professionals and patriots of freedom in a manner that makes it easy for people in other countries to look up to us.

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