RESPONDING TO THE DEATH OF
OSAMA BIN LADEN
As Christians and as citizens of Australia, we cannot remain silent about the death of
Osama bin Laden.
We are deeply aware of the decade of conflict arising from the actions of bin Laden. We
are aware of many deaths which have taken place around the globe. We are also aware
that the story of Osama bin Laden had its origins in the Cold War struggle and the
resistance to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
We believe that the international community did have a responsibility to call attention to
crimes which bin Laden is alleged to have perpetrated, and to act to bring him to trial. We
believe that both victims and perpetrators require that justice be done. The way in which
Osama bin Laden has been killed simply provides motivation for more killing.
As people of faith we believe that the God of peace has acted in our human history to
give us a way of living together in union and harmony.
We therefore reject the act of assassination which has taken place. Justice will not be
served when nations use acts of violence to impose their will on others. The Biblical
tradition teaches that justice involves ‘putting things right’. This involves recognition of
fault and recompense as essential to the process of justice.
We are distressed that our Australian leaders, committed to rejection of capital
punishment in Australia, accept and promise capital punishment aboard. We refuse to
accept acts of assassination or murder as done in our name.
With this death, our dignity as human persons is obliterated, not merely the dignity of
those directly in the Pakistani compound but all humanity is diminished in this act.
As Christians we believe that Christ took a way to end all such killing by his own
murder. As people who seek to follow his way we reject the meeting of violence with
violence. We are encouraged at voices of church leaders and heads of other religious
communities who have spoken out, and implore congregations and councils to speak and
act and pray for healing and reconciliation in our communities.
We are aware of the way in which propaganda is used to shape our response. Therefore
we reject acts of celebration and joy at this death. We call, rather, for prayer,
acknowledging the pain of all deaths, those who continue to fear bombings, and those
who grieve the wasted lives.
We pray that the God of peace may send the Spirit of new life in this time of anguish.
And we commit ourselves to building bridges of communication and shared life with
those who differ from us.
Wes Campbell
6th May 2011
Wes Campbell (Revd Dr)
Chaplain, University of Melbourne
Uniting Church Minister
A word from the Vatican
Christians should never welcome anyone’s death. Osama bin Laden, as we all know, had
the very grave responsibility of spreading division and hatred amongst the people,
causing the death of countless of people, and of instrumentalizing religion for this end. In
front of the death of man(sic), a Christian never rejoices but rather reflects on the grave
responsibility of each one in front of God and man(sic), and hopes and commits
himself(sic) so that every moment not be an occasion for hatred to grow but for peace.
A word from Desmond Tutu
God's love is too great to be confined to any one side of a conflict or to any one religion.
People are shocked when I say that George Bush and Saddam Hussein are brothers, that
Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon are brothers, but God says, "All are my children." It is
shocking. It is radical. But it is true. God's dream is that you and I and all of us will
realize that we are family, that we are made for togetherness, for goodness, and for
compassion. In God's family, there are no outsiders, no enemies. Black and white, rich
and poor, gay and straight, Jew and Arab, Muslim and Christian, Hindu and Buddhist- all
belong. When we start to live as brothers and sisters and to recognize our
interdependence, we become fully human.
A word from Picasso
-Posted By Rev Geoff Boyce, Flinders Un chaplain, South Australia
to Flinders Spirituality at 5/06/2011 03:11:00 PM
Methodist statement on the killing of Osama Bin Laden
May 3, 2011
The Methodist Church in Britain has issued the following statement on the death of
Osama Bin Laden in a raid on his compound by US Special Forces.
Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they
stumble
Christine Elliott, Secretary for External Relationships, said: “We cannot rejoice in the
death of another, even if that person is regarded by many as a threat. Proverbs 24:17 says
‘Do not rejoice when your enemies fall, and do not let your heart be glad when they
stumble’.
“Osama Bin Laden favoured an ideology that was destructive over the principles of basic
humanity and mainstream Islam. He took responsibility for and celebrated the 3,000
deaths of 9/11 as well as other atrocities, and his language of intolerance lives on. Some
like to speak of a “War on Terror” but references to war are ultimately unhelpful.
“Across the Middle East we are experiencing momentous political change lead by
ordinary people. A far-reaching tolerance of diverse cultures and a search for the peace
and well-being of all must become the order of the day. It is imperative that we work for
peace and justice.”
Preaching and Osama
The death of Osama bin Laden brought a sense of relief that his influence to some extent
ends, but I cannot celebrate his death. What are we doing when we publicly rejoice in
someone's killing? The same argument justifies capital punishment as “justice”. In
claiming to uphold human rights against its enemies we fall to shameful hate and revenge
rhetoric. Killed in a firefight - understandable. Glee at his death? Popular barbarism. But
it is popular and clearly lies below the surface among so many who otherwise champion
freedom and human rights.
Emotions at a time like this are often tangled. Joy belongs to relief. It is surely
understandable that people flocked to Ground Zero and celebrated. And many will want
Sunday's worship to join those celebrations. Our spiritual and moral leadership is then
crucial. It does not make sense to deny the relief. What we must not do is join the chorus
of hate and revenge. For then we are surrendering to the very values we allegedly want to
destroy. No person is to be hated or written off as expendable. That is at the heart of the
gospel of love. Justice is not the institutionalisation of community hate and revenge, but
setting things right. That means confronting perpetrators of injustice and violence. Love
is about truth and includes bringing people to face up to what they have done, but it
should never mean hating them or seeking to kill them. That they might fight and die in
resisting arrest is another matter.
People are going to need help this Sunday in many congregations to get hate and love
sorted. We have additional responsibility if we see ourselves as interpreters of the
Christian tradition, because that tradition has unfortunately been the inspiration for both
love and hate and for some it is the main plank of their evangelism: how to avoid hell,
when God will wreak permanent and painful revenge on all unbelievers. Following Jesus'
own example, and that of Paul, we need to discern and discriminate what gives life and
what brings death in our tradition and shape our sermons and liturgies accordingly. We
might then pray something like this:
O God of justice and mercy,
we have heard the news that Osama bin Laden is dead.
For many this has brought relief and the hope that hate and violence will cease.
For many this event has stirred feelings of hatred and revenge in the celebration of his
death.
Forgive us where we have turned from relief and hope to hate.
Your love knows no bounds.
Your love calls us to face up to ourselves.
Your love confronts the hatred and violence in us and in our world.
Your justice sets us us right, challenging our wrongdoing,
restoring our humanity, offering us hope of forgiveness and change.
Your mercy knows no hate, knows no limits, knows no end.
Grant that as we share relief at the end of Osama's leadership
we may be strong to embrace your mercy and your justice in our world
that love may replace hatred, justice, injustice, hope, hopelessness,
and healing and peace take root where there is alienation and pain,
In the name of him who is full of grace and truth. Amen
Written by Rev Prof William Loader, Emeritus Prof Murdoch Uni
Thu Feb. 01 2007 1:37:41 PM | Associated Press
'Jesus loves Osama' church signs draw criticism
SYDNEY, Australia — A sign that reads "Jesus Loves Osama" that is outside some
churches in Australia is drawing criticism from the government and other religious
leaders.
Although, they concede it is probably true according to Christian beliefs.
One sign outside the Central Baptist Church in downtown Sydney also had a smaller
footnote -- quote -- "Jesus said: `Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you.'''
Several other churches in the city had similar signs urging prayers for Osama bin
Laden, the al Qaeda terrorist leader.
Anglican Archbishop Peter Jensen says churches that posted the sign were obviously
trying to illustrate Christian teaching that God loves everybody -- no matter how evil
their sins.
But he says the signs imply that bin Laden is doing the right thing.
The Telegraph quotes a Central Baptist Church official as saying Jesus Christ loves
everyone in the world, even bin Laden.
The official says all they're doing is sharing the Christian gospel.
Message on the death of Osama bin Laden
May 2, 2011
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
The death of Osama bin Laden is an occasion for solemn remembrance. We remember
the lives of all whose deaths resulted from his choosing hatred and violence. We stand
with those who continue to mourn the death of loved ones while giving thanks for
their lives, their love and their faith. We also continue to hold in prayer all whose
service in the military, in government and in humanitarian and peacemaking activities
contribute to a safer and more prosperous world.
At the same time we also recall who we are: people baptized into Christ, freed to serve
our neighbors. We are people called as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation with our
neighbors, serving God’s work of restoring community. We engage our neighbors of
other faiths, including our Muslim neighbors near and far, in respectful, searching
dialogue and shared commitment to build a world that reflects God’s will for peace
with justice. We pray for our neighbors, even those who are our enemies.
Most of all, in these 50 days of celebrating Christ’s resurrection, joy finds its fullest
and deepest expression not over a human death but in God’s promise to unite all
things in heaven and on earth, to reconcile the human family and to bring God’s reign
of peace. Confident in what God has promised, we witness our resolve against any act
of violence in the name of religion and our renewed commitment of service to the
neighbors and world God so deeply loves.
In God’s grace,
The Rev. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Reflections at the time of
the death of Osama bin Laden
The news of the demise of Osama bin Laden has been felt to bring a measure and a form of
closure for thousands affected by the acts of terror over the past decade. It is crucial that the acts
of terror in any form, including those masterminded by Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, be
challenged and overcome.
However, the death of Osama bin Laden is no cause for gloating, or unthinking jubilation. The
biblical record is clear in Ezekiel 18:32: “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, says the
Lord GOD. Turn, then and live.” We are therefore not called to relish the death of anyone. We are
called to grieve the fact that turning and living was not chosen in the first place by Al Qaeda, who
chose the way of death, but also to grieve all deadly spirals of violence and fear, hatred and
prejudice with all their various causes.
Learning to find a way of understanding the causes of the way of violence and death can, by
grace,lead to a measure of God given forgiveness of enemies, as the Gospel calls us to do:
Matthew 5:43‐44, John 13:34, Luke 6:27‐28, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, Romans
12:17‐21, 1 Peter 3:9, 1John 2:9‐10. We need insight under God, rather than vengeance.
Vengeance belongs to God (Romans 12:19, Hebrews 10:30). An eye for an eye (Matthew 5:38)
and the whole world goes blind.
This means jingoism and enjoyment of the death of Osama bin Laden can find no place in
Christian prayer or Christian thinking.
We can do no better than end with the words of a Christian leader who gave his life for the cause
of justice, freedom and abundant life for all people: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness:
only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” ‐‐ Martin Luther King,
Jr.
And we also endorse the words of Jessica Dovey: “I mourn the loss of thousands of precious
lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy.”
++Brown Turei
++David Moxon
Archbishops of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia
National Council of Churches member communions
say the death of Bin Laden must be a turning point
New York, May 3, 2011 – The death Sunday of Osama Bin Laden does not “eradicate the
scourge of terrorism," but it should stimulate the churches to commit themselves “to
moving forward together as witnesses for God’s love and peace.”
The statement, released Tuesday on behalf of the National Council’s member
communions, says:
The death of Osama Bin Laden is a significant moment in the turbulent history of the past
decade. It does not eradicate the scourge of terrorism nor does it bring closure to the
grieving and pain the world has endured since the terror attacks of September 11, 2001,
for which he was the primary architect. The National Council of Churches deplores and
condemns the extremism he personified, the twisted illusions that wrought years of
violence and evil in the world.
Now the member communions of the National Council of Churches pray for God's help
as we commit ourselves to moving forward together as witnesses for God's love and
peace. In November 2001, as the world reeled from the terror attacks, the General
Assembly of the National Council of Churches and Church World Service challenged
their communions to take the lead:
It is time [we said then] for us as an ecumenical community to make a renewed
commitment to a ministry of peace with justice, and to make real in these days the
call of Jesus, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew
5:44) In his Beatitudes, Jesus calls us, his followers, to be merciful if we are to
receive mercy; he reminds us that the peacemakers are blessed and will be called
children of God. And, he proclaims us "the light of the world"; our good works
should be a beacon to others so they may give glory to God. (Matthew 5:14-16)
We lift up "Pillars of Peace for the 21st Century," a 1999 Policy Statement of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. We reaffirm and highlight
the Statement’s call to build a culture of peace with justice characterized by these
convictions:
1. "the transcending sovereignty and love of God for all creation and the
expression of that love in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, whose mission was to
reveal understanding about that divine presence, to proclaim a message of
salvation and to bring justice and peace;
2. the unity of creation and the equality of all races and peoples;
3. the dignity and worth of each person as a child of God; and
4. the church, the body of believers, whose global mission of witness, peacemaking
and reconciliation testifies to God’s action in history."
Osama Bin Laden is dead. Just as Christians must condemn the violence of terrorism, let
us be clear that we do not celebrate loss of life under any circumstances. The NCC's 37
member communions believe the ultimate justice for this man's soul -- or any soul -- is in
the hands of God. In this historic moment, let us turn to a future that embraces God's call
to be peacemakers, pursuers of justice and loving neighbors to all people.
The Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon
General Secretary, National Council of Churches
The Rev. Canon Peg Chemberlin
President, National Council of Churches
Bishop John F. White, Sr.
Ecumenical & Urban Affairs Officer
African Methodist Episcopal Church
Bishop Charles Leigh
Apostolic Catholic Church
The Rev. Paula Clayton Dempsey
Minister for Partnership Relations
Alliance of Baptists
The Rev. Dr. Sharon E. Watkins
General Minister and President
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
The Rev. Dr. Robert K. Welsh
Ecumenical Officer
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Stephen M. Veazey
President
Community of Christ
The Rev. Dale E. Luffman
Ecumenical and Interfaith Officer
Community of Christ
Stanley J. Noffsinger
General Secretary
Church of the Brethren
The Rev. Dr. Mark S. Hanson
Presiding Bishop
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
The Rev. Dr. Donald J. McCoid
Executive for Ecumenical and Inter-Religious Relations
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Ms. Sylvia Graves
General Secretary
Friends United Meeting
Herman Harmelink III
Ecumenical officer
International Council of Community Churches
Fr. Leonid Kishkovsky
Director of External Affairs and Interchurch Relations
Orthodox Church in America
The Rev. Robert M. Nemkovich, Jr.
Ecumenical Officer
The Polish National Catholic Church in America
The Rev. Gradye Parsons
Stated Clerk
Presbyterian Church (USA)
The Rev. Dr. Walter Parrish III
General Secretary
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
The Rev. Geoffrey Black
General Minister and President
United Church of Christ
The Rev. Karen Georgia Thompson
Minister for Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations
United Church of Christ
Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster
President, The Council of Bishops
United Methodist Church
Bishop Sharon Zimmerman Rader
Ecumenical Officer for the Council of Bishops
United Methodist Church
Rev. Dr. Stephen J. Sidorak, Jr.
General Secretary
United Methodist General Commission on Christian Unity & Interreligious Concerns
"Do not rejoice when your enemies fall"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By David P. Gushee - Posted on 02 May 2011
Statement by David P. Gushee
on behalf of the New Evangelical Partnership for the Common Good
May 2, 2011
"Do not rejoice when your enemies fall,
and do not let your heart be glad when they stumble."
Proverbs 24:17
We feel compelled to respond today to the killing of Osama bin Laden by the United
States and to the jubilant response across the nation.
A nation has a right to defend itself. From the perspective of the fundamental national
security of the United States, this action is legitimately viewed as an expression of
self-defense.
But as Christians, we believe that there can no celebrating, no dancing in the streets,
no joy, in relation to the death of Osama bin Laden. In obedience to scripture, there
can be no rejoicing when our enemies fall.
In that sense, President Obama's sober announcement was far preferable to the happy
celebrations outside the White House, in New York, and around the country, however
predictable and even cathartic they may be.
For those of us who embrace a version of the just war theory, honed carefully over the
centuries of Christian tradition, our response is disciplined by belief that war itself is
tragic and that all killing in war, even in self-defense, must be treated with sobriety
and even mournfulness. War and all of its killing reflects the brokenness of our world.
That is the proper spirit with which to greet this news.
This event does provide new opportunities for our nation.
President Obama's respectful treatment of Islam in his remarks, and his declaration
that Osama bin Laden's body was treated with respect according to Islamic custom,
offers all of us an opportunity to follow that example and turn away from the rising
disrespect toward Muslims in our nation.
A second opportunity is for the United States to reconsider the questionable moves we
have made in the name of the war on terror. From our perspective, this includes the
indefinite detentions of scores of men at Guantanamo Bay, the failure to undertake an
official investigation of detainee interrogation practices, the increase in Predator
attacks in Pakistan, and the expansion rather than ending of the ten-year-old war in
Afghanistan.
We also now have the opportunity for national reflection on how our broader military
and foreign policies--including the placement of our troops throughout the largely
Muslim Arab world, our posture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and our regular
military interventions around the world, create a steady supply of new enemies.
There can never be any moral justification for terrorist attacks on innocent people,
such as the terrible deeds of 9/11. But we must recognize that to the extent that our
nation's policies routinely create enemies, we can kill a Bin Laden on May 1 and face
ten more like him on May 2. Might it now be possible for us to have an honest
national conversation about these issues?
May we learn the right lessons from the news of this day. For Jesus' sake