May
4
Written by:
Sharon Watkins
5/4/2011 11:10 AM
The death of Osama Bin Laden gives rise to conflicting emotions. There’s a kind of relief – even gladness – that he’s finally out of the picture. There is a sense of completion that a goal, long set, is now accomplished - maybe that’s partly where the celebrations have come from. There’s renewed sadness as memories of 9/11 come flooding back - I can’t imagine what it’s like for the people who lost loved ones in the attacks, who live with these memories every single day. There’s renewed gratitude for the people who were the first responders on 9/11. Gratitude for those who stepped up to answer their nation’s call to respond in the various ways, right or wrong, our leaders have felt necessary.
But there’s also a troubled sense that violent death is not cause for celebration. Bin Laden’s life was itself a testimony to the devastation that fear and hate bring when they overcome the forces of life and hope. If I am honest, I have to admit that I resonate with the decision to search him out. But I also know that violence begets violence, and though his death brings a kind of closure to a decade-long search, it will bring its own retribution. The cycle of violence is likely to continue. Others will lose their lives before this tale is completely told.
Maybe that’s ultimately in part why Jesus told us to love our enemies. Not just for the principle of the matter, but also because in practice, hate will circle back and strike at us again.
In the midst of these conflicting emotions, there is the reality that we can choose which ones we act on. Jesus witnessed to the power of love and life. He brought his message into a violent and repressive empire. He expected his followers to resist evil with all their strength – but not by adopting evil’s methods of fear and hate. He called his followers to love at all times and to call upon the power of love to overcome evil, thereby being the sign posts of God’s empire of healing, hope and wholeness.
I understand that Jesus’ way is impossibly idealistic. But there is an idealism of violence that should be recognized as well. It was hate and violence that created Bin Laden in the first place. New instances of destruction and loss will result from his violent death. The relief and rejoicing of the moment will give way to sorrow another day.
So I wonder if, in the midst of the relief and the reflection, there can also be some renewed commitment to Jesus’ way of love and to God’s reign of wholeness. Not in a soft way, but in a tough, overcoming evil way. I wonder if we can take this moment to re-commit to becoming experts in using life-giving, peace-making techniques to overcome fear and hate. Even in our own communities can we seek out those who some might consider our enemies and learn how to treat them with love?
I cannot honestly say today that I grieve Osama Bin Laden’s death. Even so I am grieving. That in the life of Bin Laden and in his death, the ways of violence and death, for a moment, triumphed over the ways of Jesus. It is my prayer that this moment can become the moment where we make up our minds to be extremists for the powers of life, hope and love, where we recommit to being a movement for wholeness in a fragmented world.
14 comment(s) so far...
Sharon, thank you for so eloquently speaking what has been on my heart. I will share this with my congregation Sunday morning during our prayer time.
By Maria Tafoya on
5/4/2011 11:41 AM
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Excellect and prophetic call to action. Thank you Sharon. In my better moments, I suspect that Bin Laden did not get up each morning looking for ways to do evil. I suspect he thought he was protecting his people from what he saw as an evil force. When we begin to perceive each other as evil, there seems to be no end to the evil we can do to one another. If we could truly see all people as God's beloved children, perhaps we would have less evil to threaten us.
By Wayne Majors on
5/5/2011 9:53 AM
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Sharon,
My friends and I were having a discussion about this. I felt those same conflicting feelings that though he led people to do many evils, I felt sadness when we killed him. My sadness is more for his soul as he must have grown up in such a fragmented and unloving life that he would feel the need to commit these crimes. I learned a saying from Phillip Yancy that goes "Hurt people, hurt people." When we are ourselves hurt by the wothers around us we are more likely to lash out at others, so may have been the case with Osama Bin Laden--a hurt soul without grace to make him whole.
By Jared Pulley on
5/5/2011 1:11 PM
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Well said Sharon. Must admit I too was not deeply conflicted that the U.S. sought out the advocate, mastermind & underwriter of numerous acts of terrorism over the years in additon to 9-11. Nor do I grieve Osama bin Laden's death. What has conflicted me is much of the triumphalistic jubilant celebration I've observed from Sunday evening outside the White House & elsewhere, and still continuing to less extent. Do I feel a sense of relief that an instrument of evil & terrorism has been silenced? Yes. But I hope as a society we refrain from the celebratory behavior some in the Middle East exhibited on 9-11, that appropriately appalled us. Such demonstrations then & there, and now & here, does not appear to help construct/incarnate a path for a nation, for a church, or for individuals...for movement toward more wholeness in a fragmented world. Thanks again Sharon for your reflection and for all your do on behalf of humankind day in & day out.....
By Rod Reeves on
5/5/2011 1:11 PM
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Sharon, thank you for your incitful and well-spoken words. They bring true Christian Faith and sanity to the overflowing glib being written by thousands of others. Bless you!!!
By Mary Rena Floyd Smith on
5/5/2011 1:11 PM
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Thank you for putting in words the turmoil the last couple of days have brought to my inner peace. I was briefly elated for about five minutes upon hearing the news but deeply troubled afterwards. I have many Muslim friends back in my home town and have made friends with many others via the internet but have not been able to discuss this recent event with them.
By Carl Lowery on
5/6/2011 11:18 AM
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Thank you for your very well written message on Osama bin Laden's death. I have been wrestling with my feelings and your blog seemed to sum them up. I'm going to share your well spoken words with my family. I thank you so much for putting into words how we should fell and respond. Hate breeds hate but love breeds love given time. God bless you.
By Joanne Oltmanns on
5/6/2011 11:18 AM
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Thank you for putting my thoughts and emotions in to words.
By Melinda Grandstaff on
5/6/2011 11:18 AM
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I too wonder if this is not really a time to celebrate. Bin Laden influenced many people but there had to be a personal side to him. Did he have personal relationships that will be affected by his death? I feel for those who did love him. We can say we are glad he is dead but what about our own souls? The final judgement and retribution is God's. We have to recommit ourselves to the way of life that Jesus led. Thank you for saying what you did and I will be passing this along to my congregation on Sunday.
By Verla Miller on
5/6/2011 12:40 PM
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Well said, Sharon. Especially your point about there being an idealism to violence. Dr. King considered his non-violent approach to social change to be very realistic. He and Gandhi would probably argue that in at least some contexts, the pacifists are the true realists.
By Bruce Ervin on
5/9/2011 8:06 AM
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I suspect that some of our conflicted feelings about the killing of Osama bin Laden are fuels by competing loyalties between Jesus Christ and the United States. It's not only that Jesus' teaching is idealistic but it calls us to a loyalty that supersedes alegiance to the United States and patriotism. Until Constantine, Christians were clear about the the supremacy of the Kingdom of God over the Roman Empire. With the mingling of God and country in Christendom, sorting this out becomes confusing. As Christians we can certainly feel gratitude and relief at the killing of someone who orchestrated the killing of so many, but we can also speak a sober, prophetic word of warning about inappropriate celebration and a call for respecting the image of God in all humans, even the most evil.
By Norman Stolpe on
5/9/2011 11:22 AM
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It is good to think and reflect on the death of Osama Bin Laden and one needs to add this to the long list of those who have sought to destroy families and country. I grew up during World War II and when Atomic Bomb was dropped and the war in the Pacific ended and the death of Hitler caused a direction of ending war in Europe. We have had to deal with many different leaders who were removed to help make the world safer, and our country more confidence in our efforts to help make families and communities safer from out side side evil. It is a reminder that we to have a faith in God as the people of the Old Testmant learn to experience. The Prophets cf the Old Testament called people to turn to God, and that is what needs to have today. A call to turn to God for help during this time of evil in our world. Our prayer of direction throught Jesus Christ. Amen.
By Rev. Dr. George H. Mullins on
5/11/2011 2:16 PM
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Sharon, Thank you for this reflection. I've been a little dis-heartened at how easily many have dismissed Jesus' commandment in this instance. If he didn't mean "this enemy", just who did he mean? I don't know if you happened to see/hear Bill Maher's (profanity riddled) commentary "Christians need a new name". He pointed out that when we dismiss Christ's commandments as "too hard", we cease becoming his disciples and become merely his "fans".
By Pastor Layne Beamer on
6/1/2011 6:58 PM
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Thank you so much for your comments. Having been brought up as a Quaker, it saddened me to see the glee on the media concerning the death of Bin Laden. I log on to your site frequently to listen to, and read your words. Again, thank you.
By Jim Lamb on
7/4/2011 9:37 AM
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