Christian Reflections on the Death of a Terrorist

“Osama Bin Laden is dead.” These five words contain tremendous power, and are capable of eliciting many emotions and reactions in each person. I share in this space my own initial reflections, as someone who is proudly American yet professes even greater allegiance to Jesus Christ, who is the incarnation of a merciful God.

I am thankful for what this news possibly means: the prevention of future atrocities against humanity, and the weakening of Al-Qaeda. As a citizen of the country that committed this action, I am also thankful for the courage and service of our military, and the government’s and military’s leadership, including the leadership of both President Obama and former President Bush. This was made possible by the hard work and leadership of many.

I am hopeful that this is indeed a step toward peace and human dignity. However, my hope is tempered by the fact that violence begets violence, and peace cannot ultimately be achieved by violent means. In a 1963 speech Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction.” Indeed, only the light of Jesus Christ is powerful enough to destroy the evil and hatred that persists in this world. It is foolish to believe our acts, however noble, can ultimately rid the world of evil and establish justice.

However, we do live in a world where at times, acts such as this one may be considered necessary and just. This is a reality that elicits deep sadness within me. Equally sad and troubling is the outpouring of celebration, joy, and excitement over the death of another human being. No matter who has died, responding in jubilation is never appropriate. When we dance, chant, and sing in celebration, then we are no better than those whom we disdain for celebrating in the same way over the loss of American lives.

Finally, I am in prayer. I pray for those who lost loved ones in the events of 9/11 or other terrorist attacks orchestrated by Al-Qaeda. Surely their pain and grief has flooded back as a wave of emotions in the wake of this news. I pray for a world so broken that military force and the killing of a fellow human may be considered justice. I pray also for the soul of Osama Bin Laden. I believe that redemption is possible even for the soul of a man who committed horrific evil against humanity, and I am thankful that God is far more merciful than we have the capacity to be.

I do not fully understand what this news means. I do not know the will of God in this. What I do know is this: when we fail to live as Christ calls us to live – be it orchestrating murder of thousands with terrorism, responding inappropriately or de-humanizing the death of a fellow human, or simply being arrogant enough to claim we know what justice is – there is a God of mercy with incalculable capacity to forgive. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.