I remember arriving at my daughter’s former school that crisp September morning. I was on volunteer duty that morning as the children were arriving at school and a friend of mine hollered frantically for me to come to her van. She turned up the volume on the news and I heard the screaming over the air waves.
Over the last several years America has held her breath in anticipation that Bin Laden would be captured.
Tonight several news sources announced the DNA results of Bin Laden are positive, Bin Laden is dead.
I have mixed emotions.
I have no doubt that Bin Laden’s name will be added to the world’s most infamous criminals when the topic of hell comes up.
Hitler, Stalin, Bin Laden.
Is there a hell hot enough or big enough for all of them?
This last year, I came to reject the traditional concept of hell in favor of a type of universal reconciliation. Many people are at odds with what that means or what it will look like. My views on this are different from even many Universalists I know.
I believe in justice.
How does a Christian respond to the death of Bin Laden?
Does the idea of a literal fire torture chamber appeal to people and make them feel good about Bin Laden’s death?
{photo credit by Tom Wasinger}
Is death ever something to rejoice over?
Proverbs 29:2 When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan.
If the people groaned when someone like Bin Laden ruled, then surely his departure from this earth is one of relief.
The weight off the shoulders of American citizens is indescribable.
Over the next week we will see all sorts of emotions and I have no doubt those who believe in a traditional hell will become hostile with those who don’t.
How does one reconcile these mixed emotions with our faith and trust in a sovereign God?
Did we trust in His sovereignty when the Twin Towers were attacked?
Can we trust God with this sovereign moment of knowing that enemy has been defeated?
Can a Christian rejoice that a terrorist is now gone?
I can’t help but to wonder if Christians and many others, are rejoicing that he is in their idea of hell.
Isn’t it enough to know he’s dead?
Romans 6:23 tell us “For the wages of sin is death”
Bin Laden is gone.
Is death enough for us or do we hunger and thirst for more blood?
Even the Jewish Law said an ‘eye for an eye’.
It didn’t say ‘eternal torture for an eye’.
To be just is to have equal punishment… under the old covenant with the chosen people.
In the New Covenant with Christ, he has covered us.
But there are those who rejected our interpretation of who Jesus is.
Mainstream Evagelicalism and many other camps of Christainity will adamantly state that Bin Laden will suffer for eternity.
They won’t know what took place in his heart over the last several years. They won’t know what took place between his heart and mind with the voice of God as he pillowed his head at night.
But many Christians have already judged Bin Laden as a permanent citizen of their idea of hell.
What they believe doesn’t change where Bin Laden really is.
Does this literal torturous hell make Christians feel better about people who reject their version of Jesus?
Do they feel superior somehow?
I am relieved that Bin Laden is gone, but I will not make a judgment on his soul being in torture forever. I don’t need that thought to find peace with his death, nor within my own self.
I trust a sovereign God who told the Pharaoh that there was a purpose for him.
Romans 9: 17 For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
I pray that Christians will be wise in how they openly respond to the news of Bin Laden’s death.
We are not demons dancing at a party in celebration of burning the bleeding souls of men over a bonfire forever and ever.
Any death in this life is a death plain and simple. There are people who loved Bin Laden. He was some mother’s son.
No matter how wrong a crime he committed, his penalty was death. The just payment and he died.
My friend called to tell me of this announcement and I sat in shock and disbelief.
I checked several news sources where I saw it as the headline “Bin Laden is Dead’.
I began telling my oldest daughter of the news and my lips quivered. I cried. I held my breath, then let it go with a sob.
It’s ok to cry, it’s ok to be relieved, and I believe it’s ok to experience any emotion that comes naturally to us at this time.
How will the Christian community respond to the news of his death?
There are hurting people in this nation who will experience all sorts of emotions.
Do not push their buttons.
Be kind.
Let them experience their feelings.
Be a light to shine peace.
{photo credit by Lady Jess}
Let’s not fight and argue over how we “should” respond.
For those who can, be gracious.
My idea of universal reconciliation varies in a few different ways.
I believe our breath is the very breath of God that gives us life. Without our breath, we die.
I believe our breath returns to the one who gave it.
What He does with that breath is up to him.
Do our memories or personalities live on in the mysterious after life?
I would hope so.
Will we have understanding of who we are in the after life and have our flesh dealt with there?
I know that is a popular thought, but if we drop our robes of flesh then how does flesh get dealt with in the after life?
The flesh and everything that goes with it does not go to our Creator in a way that our breath returns to him.
I don’t believe Bin Laden’s flesh or psyche, that has all evil thoughts of murdering people, is with God.
Even in the parable of the self righteous brother of the prodigal son, he does not enter the party.
But I do believe the essence of life that came from our Creator is returned to the Creator exactly as it was given when Bin Laden took his first breath.
He breathed in and he breathed out.
He’s gone.
Rest well and peace be with you.
{photo credit by Mike Davis}
Sisterlisa
Biblical argument for Gays
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Thank you for speaking up about this and for sharing your thoughts on Hell. I have been debating with friends (Christian and non) on FB tonight about being less exuberant over the death of an obviously tormented soul. Be blessed.
Thanks for bringing this recent post to our attention (in the FB dialogue.) Excellent reflections on bin Laden’s death — and your processing of what we’re to believe in respect to an Afterlife are excellent. One of the differences, I’ve found, between people who “know God” vis-à-vis those who “know the Scriptures” is that those who know the Person of God are uncomfortable with assigning to Him this almost casual attitude of eternally punishing sinners. Our God is simply NOT a God of suffering. When a person declares that our Father “delights” in the punishment of “evil people”, it merely reveals that person does not KNOW Him.
This whole area of the Afterlife demands some serious rethinking of the traditional teachings of the church — a task which needs to draw clearly and simply on the Bible, but the Bible understood in the Light of its Author Who eagerly awaits the opportunity to dialogue with us over the Book He has written.
We must never forget that the Person Who wrote the Book is immanent within its pages, making Himself available to any reader who desires greater understanding of those Mysteries of the Kingdom of God which He has made ours. The Bible is not a “repository of Truth” to be studied, per se, but it is a Conversation waiting to unfold whenever one so desires.
Thanks for bringing this recent post to our attention (in the FB dialogue.) Excellent reflections on bin Laden’s death — and your processing of what we’re to believe in respect to an Afterlife are excellent. One of the differences, I’ve found, between people who “know God” vis-à-vis those who “know the Scriptures” is that those who know the Person of God are uncomfortable with assigning to Him this almost casual attitude of eternally punishing sinners. Our God is simply NOT a God of suffering. When a person declares that our Father “delights” in the punishment of “evil people”, it merely reveals that person does not KNOW Him.
This whole area of the Afterlife demands some serious rethinking of the traditional teachings of the church — a task which needs to draw clearly and simply on the Bible, but the Bible understood in the Light of its Author Who eagerly awaits the opportunity to dialogue with us over the Book He has written.
We must never forget that the Person Who wrote the Book is immanent within its pages, making Himself available to any reader who desires greater understanding of those Mysteries of the Kingdom of God which He has made ours. The Bible is not a “repository of Truth” to be studied, per se, but it is a Conversation waiting to unfold whenever one so desires.
This is really good, Sisterlisa. I think we should be sad that any human being makes such poor choices that half the world throws a party when they die. I also understand that people hate when their loved one’s lives are cut short because of violence and hate. They might feel a sense of closure now. It is a sad situation all around, really. I feel sad that people are happy about death, as if that solves the real problem. They are setting themselves up for disappointment, because hate violence death rejoicing in death hate violence more inflicting death rejoicing in violence hate death is a cycle that just keeps going until someone decides to end it by doing the unthinkable – agreeing with Christ “forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
I don’t rejoice over the death of Osama and I don’t expect God does either. 2 Peter 3:9 says the Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
Is it possible that Osama may have come to this point with God through Jesus Christ, our only way to the Father? Its not for us to know. If he did, the same sins that Osama committed would have been forgiven Him of God- just as God forgave me of my sins.
The bible does teach there is a literal burning hell (see the Gospels) for those who reject Christ. It was created for the devil and his angels and those who reject Christ’s substitutionary death as payment for their sins are following after the devil (their father). We are justified by faith.
At any rate, the bible teaches that governing powers have their place and we will reap what we sow (Romans & Galations). At the very least, this appears to be what has happened to Osama on earth.
Tracy,
Your church’s view of literal hell and how to get enough knowledge to make a decision about Jesus as being your way to heaven is just one of many in the spectrum of Christianity. Aside from our disagreement about that, I agree with the other things you stated here.
What a very thoughtful and gracious post. I too believe in justice. I long for the day to understand what that might look like, and I believe it will begin by God giving us a look into the hearts of people. When assumptions are removed, and we see the reason for the behavior of others–the hurts and disappointments, I trust that we will be moved with utmost compassion and understanding.
Thanks sis!
Thank you, Julie. I agree.