There are no simple answers. My mind has been reeling from the moment I heard about the death of Osama Bin Laden. The news of his death brought much complexity to my mind. Complexity that I have never felt before. Since 9-11, I think it's safe to say, we've all been anticipating any information that could be given about Osama's whereabouts, so he could be brought to justice, but as I've been on rediscovering what my faith means, I find myself now asking, "what is justice in this situation, and was his death really the solution?" The bottom line is that this whole thing is messy. There is nothing black and white about this conflict. It is mixed up with strong history that goes back generations and generations, radical ideals that people are willing to die for, loss that is so profound that one man's death won't fix, and countless other factors that we won't even be able to account for. While I do hope that some sense peace was felt for those who needed it, I personally don't feel as resolved as I imagined I would. I thought I would feel this huge sense of relief when answers came, but instead, I was filled with more questions.
How do we, as those who say we follow Jesus, respond to this news? How do we gracefully extended ourselves and Christ through this new development? Do we rejoice his death, or mourn the fact that the depths of him have been blackened by his choices, and he is painfully mislead? Can we feel both? Relief AND compassion? I don't have a perfect answer, but I do believe that both sides of the coin can be felt, but must be done so with respect and grace. I have to believe that Jesus has deep sorrow for this entire conflict, deep deep love for Mr. Bin Laden, and would likely ask us to respond to this whole conflict with great thoughtfulness. Do I think Jesus is, through the roof excited, that Osama Bin Laden is dead? No. I think we need to be very careful with how we respond and how we use the name of God in what we're saying in response to his death. To me thoughtfulness doesn't mean throwing parties in honor of his death, popping champagne, liking pages on facebook that celebrate his death in demeaning ways, and saying that God is rejoicing over his demise. Striping him of his humanity does not equal justice.
I think Jesus' heart is breaking over this entire conflict. I'm struggling with what our part in Osama Bin Laden's justice, is. I almost think that death is the easy way out for him. Death for death makes me leery. My deep desire for justice, wishes he would have been tried in a court of law and had to sit in prison and be faced with the weight of his choices. This conflict is not simple, and is not solved by his death. The symbolism of a leader like him being taken out of control, is powerful, and a huge statement, but it also does not do away with this war all together, and scary enough, we are also capable of the atrocious things he did. That humbles me.
Conversely, I do feel a sense of relief in knowing that he can longer delegate such heinously evil operations. There is pride that I feel in the fact that Americans were the ones to take him out. We are indebted to those who work tirelessly to protect our country, and I want to extend my most heartfelt "thank you" to those who have served, are serving, and have died in the battlefield. Let me be be very clear that I am so very grateful for the men and women who sacrifice more than I ever could, to keep us safe and protected. My internal conflict has no bearing on the profound respect I have for those who carried out this endeavor. They are heroes. There was great bravery in the team that executed this operation, and I commend them with my deepest gratitude. They should be honored and well respected for the success of their mission, for they placed themselves in grave danger to do so. THAT is a selfless act that I can appreciate, even in the complexity of this entire conflict.
Let us walk graciously and compassionately through these events. Let us ask the challenging questions with respect and thoughtfulness, and let us not forget that justice is not ultimately ours to invoke. We will see traces of it now, but Christ has the final say, and that is the kind of justice I can trust, for it is righteous, perfect, and far more powerful than we could dish out ourselves.
Grace and peace be with you all.
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