In the Shadow of a Corpse: bin Laden and the Weight of War

Late into the night on May 1, 2011, we all received news that many of us (at least me, and I doubt I am alone) never thought we would hear: the terrorist mass murderer Osama bin Laden had been killed by US military forces. Since then, the responses to the news within America has run an emotional marathon.

Initially there was exuberant joy, punctuated by chantings and flash mob parties.

Then there was the quiet objection to all of the celebration, both in the name of civility as well as the underlying fact that, in the short term, this could make things worse.

This was followed was the objection to the objection, which can be summed up to essentially that a horrible person is dead in a justified act of war, and thus no shame need be pointed. "We aren't cheering for death, we're cheering that this man is dead."

For my part, I am still not entirely sure how to react.

As a Christian, I profess to be of the belief that loving our neighbors is at the center of our faithful journey towards Christ. The Gospel doesn't leave a handy footnote either, saying "But if your neighbor happens to me an infamous terrorist who hates everything you and your friends stand for, you can make an exception."

As an American, I understand that this man represents an ideology and organization that has directly endangered my homeland. Further more, his death was the outcome of a claimed "capture or kill" mission, and that in his final moments, in whatever fashion, he chose to die rather than surrender. And on a broader political level, his death in a way represents a further inroad for the new, democratically elected middle east that we've seen budding over the last six months.

I suppose my one word is that we must remember that war is a messy business. That isn't new news either, seeing how the Hebrew Bible warns us of how the pursuit of power through military force can be intoxicating, and ultimately lead to downfall and destruction. Even if bin Laden's death is justified, and every proper step was taken for it to be a final action, life was taken in the name of justice. It is easy to dehumanize and demonize him, but blood was spilled again in the name of peace; the fact that the way of life Jesus demonstrates (peace arriving from acts of accord and love) is still counter-cultural shows just how paradoxical our world can be sometimes. And while I am not questioning the decision that was made, I do question the need to pound our chest, raise a drink and spit on the watery grave of a fallen enemy.

We've already killed the man, in gruesome and bloody fashion. We invaded his home, overpowered him, and killed him. He was also not the only person who died in the raid, including one woman who may or may not have been used as a human shield. We killed them as an act of vengeance for a deep scar we as a nation have carried for over a decade. We killed him, and in doing so may have ignited the fires of more extremists who will in turn react, and we in turn will react, with our mutual hatred building up until it consumes us both.

We killed bin Laden, and apparently for some that is not enough of a victory. They need to disgrace him even more, especially now that he can't defend himself.