(CCU Student) It was months ago, way back in May of this year, that Osama bin Laden was killed in Pakistan by CIA operatives. But I keep thinking about the moral and spiritual questions posed by all the jubilation over this man’s death.
When citizens of the United States found out bin Laden had been assassinated, they celebrated. Baseball games were stopped because everyone was cheering. People started cheering in the grocery store or just where they were when they received the news. Some say people were out of line for celebrating a death, and others say they were celebrating because the man responsible for so many deaths is now dead. Which one is right?
Many people said they were celebrating for those who died because of Osama bin Laden. Yes, the attacks of 9/11 were ten years ago, but in some people’s hearts, it is still raw. Knowing that the coordinator of their loved ones death is dead is reason enough to celebrate. They are celebrating that he cannot hurt or kill anymore people, and that others will not go through what they have experienced.
I believe that people do have the right to celebrate Osama’s death. Although I was not close to someone who died in the 9/11 attacks, I will still celebrate that he cannot bring any more pain to our country. Why can’t people be happy for those who needed closure on 9/11?
There is the debate that the operatives should not have shot him, and instead captured him. However, Osama did have a gun and hostages, and the operatives did what they thought was necessary. If I was an operative, I would think through the pros and cons of shooting him, and made the necessary choice. The pros of shooting this man who has destroyed our country outweigh the cons.
The pros would be: 1) We do not want to jeopardize losing him; 2) He has hostages and a gun; 3) We have waited too long to find him; 4) He won’t come peacefully, which might in turn result of him killing his hostages; and 5) If we do capture him will we have others raid and try to free him. Overall, I believe that it was too risky to not shoot him.
The cons would be: 1) People will be happy we have him captive, and some would be glad that he had not been shot right away; 2) He can have a trial. All together, I think they made the right choice. They respected the Muslim countries’ wishes of burying him there, which shows that our operatives do care about those countries’ traditions.
The other side of this debate is that people say we, as Christians, should not be celebrating that Osama bin Laden went to hell. I disagree with this argument because the majority of people are not celebrating that he went to hell but that he is gone from this world. According to ABC News, citizens of the United States who claim to be Christian are around 83 percent. How many of that 83 percent talk about hell from the Bible? They don’t! They use it as a swearing term and do not care to admit that there is a real hell. They may say that they are a Christian, but they do not live the real lifestyle of Christianity. Therefore, I believe this side is wrong in that we are celebrating a life going to hell.
