Osama bin Laden is dead

I'm sure you, like the rest of the world, have heard the news - Osama bin Laden is dead.

Osama bin Laden was the mastermind behind the 9/11 terror attacks that killed thousands of Americans.

And tonight he was killed by a helicopter raid in Pakistan which was carried out by CIA paramilitaries along with some Navy SEALs.

I watched President Obama's address to the nation with my roomates tonight. He said "Justice has been done."

The news showed thousands of people outside the White House waving American flags and chanting "U-S-A!!" They were so happy. And at Ground Zero in New York, there were tons of others rejoicing that this man was finally dead after almost 10 years of hunting him down.

My first reaction was that I was happy, too. Not elated, but relieved that this wicked man was gone and could no longer hurt people.

But the more I thought about it (and the more I watched the people cheering and celebrating around the US), I got a yucky feeling in my stomach. Why did I feel this way?

I jumped on facebook and saw a status update my friend Kevin posted: "What do you desire more: revenge or repentance?"

Hmmmm. And then I read the responses to his update.

- "Justice. Whether or not God hears one's words of repent is of no relevance to me. But a man must accountable for his disgressions against man." (Marvin)

- "We all want justice. We just don't want it to be dispensed towards us." (Kevin)

- "It isn't revenge, its criminal justice amidst war...that is separate from his personal choice of faith/repentance. I hope he did repent, but his death is justified and a consequence of his personal choices." (J.T.)

- " '10 years, 2 wars, 919,967 deaths, and $1,188,263,000,000 later, we managed to supposedly kill one person. Worth it?' I saw this on someone's site and it's fitting for this post, I think." (Kaycee)

- "I can't cheer for death, no matter the circumstances. And I'm not qualified to cast the first stone." (Kevin)

- "I too find it a little unnerving to celebrate death. Reflection is more appropriate and supporting those who has lost a loved one." (Sue)

- "I'm wondering if we want to see people reformed more than we want to see them punished. Because it's easy to forget that, by God's justice, we also deserve death. Doesn't God desire mercy?" (Kevin)

And then a friend posted this blog about bin Laden's death and what the Christian reaction should be, and I loved it. Go read it and then tell me what you think.