Posted on 05/09/2011 7:14:46 AM PDT by shortstop
For a week now they’ve been scolding us.
The liberals who hate America, the ones who dominate the media and the pulpit.
They’ve been telling us that the spontaneous and jubilant gatherings in the wake of the death of Osama Bin Laden were somehow savage and undignified, that they were frightful and unchristian, and that we are “better than that.”
They are full of crap.
And let’s not be confused about what they are doing. Their intent is to beat down patriotism and nationalism. They want to bring the full weight of political correctness to bear to silence the young hearts that chanted “USA” outside the White House.
How sickening it must have been for them to see, after all their years of work, that Americans still love their country, that the rising generation is as naturally patriotic as the declining generation.
For citizens of the world, and for other globalists, the notion that college students in Washington, D.C., and in New York City would celebrate the defense of their country is deeply disappointing.
So for a week it’s been long faces and condescending tones as these demonstrations were deemed inappropriate and those who participated in them were called immature and wrong.Most galling has been the litany of so-called preachers who have filled newspaper stories across the country. Rejoicing in the death of another, they say, is immoral, and especially unchristian. They opine that no religion countenances such jubilation at the death of an individual and that the death of anyone – including Osama Bin Laden – is a cause for mourning.
The proof of our virtue, they have said, is how we treat our enemies. By that standard, the religionists said, we have failed both in killing Bin Laden and in celebrating the fact that we did so.
Well, like I said, the liberals are full of crap.They are wrong on the theology, they are wrong on the sociology, and they are wrong on the principle.
As to the theology, anybody who says it is ungodly to rejoice at the death of your enemy hasn’t read the Bible. Repeatedly through the sacred text of Judaism and Christianity, there are records of great celebrations at the defeat of foes and the slaying of specific enemies.
When David killed Goliath, the Israelites rejoiced.
When the Hebrews arrived in the Promised Land, and began killing the people who were living their, their repeated victories on the battlefield were met with jubilation.
Repeatedly, at the defeat of an enemy or an enemy nation, the Lord commanded his people to celebrate. When evil leaders or false prophets were killed, the news was received joyfully.
Many of the Psalms of David were songs written in celebration of military victories.
From a biblical standpoint, the joy and exultation of the young people outside the White House and at Ground Zero were completely appropriate.
They were also socially and psychologically normal.
If someone is an enemy of your nation, threatening the safety and prosperity of your homeland, it is natural to be relieved and joyous when that person is no longer a threat. While he is alive, he is a danger to you. When he is dead, he is not. It is natural and justified to want him dead and to then be happy when he is.
The oddity in this was not in the cheering crowds, but in the pontificating pastors, waxing insanely about the sanctity of a modern Hitler’s life. The world is a better place with Osama Bin Laden out of it, and anybody with any common sense at all realizes that. Those who say they can’t rejoice at the loss of any human life, no matter how loathsome, have their heads up their arses.
Which gets back to the original point.
What really has these reporters and clerics upset is the fact that young Americans are still patriotic. Some were surprised by the fact we finally caught Bin Laden, others were surprised by the fact that college students love their country.
It’s important to recognize the voice of truth in all this, and the voice of America.
Both were heard in the happy singing of patriotic songs outside the White House and at Ground Zero.
It is righteous and worthy to fight back against your attackers and to rejoice in the deliverance that comes through their demise. Likewise, it is righteous and worthy to love your country and to celebrate its good fortune.
In fact, in the face of such good fortune, it would be ungrateful to remain silent.
Ungrateful to whom, you ask?
To God.Because the victory of a week ago came from him. Yes, two presidents were involved, and a team of Navy SEALS. But every happy outcome is guided by the hand of Providence. For 10 years we prayed that we would be spared from our enemy’s evil, and now we have been.
And the gratitude goes to God.
Because this fight is about good versus evil. And Osama Bin Laden was evil. And those who fight him are good.
Which is another thing the pastors and reporters won’t say.
Why is there a developing liberal view that we should not have killed Bin Laden? Some loudmouth liberal/radical types have said he should have been taken alive, so we could give him his fair trial.
And, how do liberals reconcile the action to get Bin Laden, with the fact that a good liberal president did the deed??? Their president decided to allegedly violate Bin Laden’s rights, whatever rights he allegedly had, by administering justice at the barrel of a gun, rather than a courtroom.
This could get ugly on the liberal side, if the liberals are going to get panties in a twist about how we failed to live up to our highest ideals of justice and all that. And the man responsible is their own president.
No, you got a hint from Panetta the other day. They won’t have to reconcile it at all.
He said the military made the decision. They will blame the military for this and have one more reason to vilify them and worship at the altar of BO.
Liberals were the ones doing the cheering.
“Do not rejoice when your enemy falls and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; or the Lord will see and be displeased and turn His anger away from him.” Prov 24:17-18
Obedience to the Bible trump patriotism.
http://bible.cc/proverbs/11-10.htm
Proverbs 11:10 says that when the wicked perish, there will be shouts of joy in the streets.
I would take this scripture to mean something different. I think this refers to personal enemies - in that most of us have someone we could class as an “enemy”, and we should not wish them harm, but pray for them.
To me, “evil” is something far greater than an “enemy”.
I’ll go with your verse.
There is Divine rejoicing over the destruction of Gods enemies (Revelations 19:1-4).
We should join God in the destruction of his enemies.
Of course, if you believe Bin Laden was an ally of God, you should join those who are not rejoicing.
Otherwise, you could cherry pick Joel 3:10 to prove the Lord is a warmonger.
This is not a case of taking pleasure in the general misfortune of others.
Millions prayed to God for help in accomplishing the result we had last week. They should rejoice. And thank Him.
Loving one’s enemies does not, at all, imply you wish them to succeed in their evil plans. Or that you even wish them to continue to exist physically.
Bringing about the earthly death of a ruthless killer is NOT a case of we lowly sinners executing spiritual judgment.
And it is NOT just tolerated by God, it is expected.
As Christians, we do NOT “rejoice when” someone like UBL “falls” spiritually. But we quite righteously rejoice when such a man who’d already fallen is prevented from carrying out more evil plans.
And you are, of course, quite correct that the “Bible trump patriotism.” America is entirely too soft on convicted murderers/rapists in general. Death is the correct sentence. It is something we are told to do for the sake and safety of the living. It is not spiritual judgment of the offender. No one on earth today is qualified for that job.
“Read on to verses 24 and 25. Context is everything in understanding the scriptures.”
24He that saith unto the wicked, Thou are righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: 25But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them.
The sited passages give no indication that rejoicing in the death of an enemy is OK. (Seems more like approval for someone who rebuked Obama for calling homosexuality normal.)
“Millions prayed to God for help in accomplishing the result we had last week. They should rejoice. And thank Him.”
To the best of my knowledge, no exemplary person in the Bible ever rejoiced over the death of another individual.
Or understand the difference between enemies which merely have a strong difference of opinion, such as the North and South in the Civil War and those actively working to thwart the Works of God and discredit righteousness such as Goliath and Bin Laden.
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