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Health & Fitness

A Pastor's Take on the Celebration of Osama bin Laden's Death

Pastor Steve Rogers of Elim Tabernacle was asked the other day how he felt about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

I, for one, am very thankful for the safe return of each member of our special forces.

They took on an incredibly dangerous and difficult task of bringing an end to at least one layer of our nation's war against terror.

Osama bin Laden seemed to spit in the face of the religious and personal freedom that we should appreciate and value and also defend these God-given rights.

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While I don’t feel right in condoning or judging the actions of the brave young soldiers, (whom in my heart of hearts I greatly admire their courage and their dedicated sacrifice and skill), I do feel, however, a word of perhaps more caution than warning, maybe, restraint more than nit-picking critique.

I hate, so much, to be a “wet blanket,” but, I keep seeing pictures and clips of Americans dancing in the streets, singing “God Bless America,” due to the death of another.

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Look, being taught to turn the other cheek doesn’t mean you allow someone to walk all over you. It doesn’t mean you stand idly by and suck your thumb as someone threatens to annihilate your country.

Just as a personal word of caution – from someone who is, quite honestly, kind of confused myself over my own emotional back-and-forth on this, due to the memory of the pain and suffering that this guy “master-minded.”

He hurt SO many people: wives, husbands, sons and daughters, good people and probably some not so good ones, wealthy and poor people, Muslims and Christians and a whole bunch of others. He hurt a lot of people.

I’d just say, be careful of the things that make you dance. What causes you to celebrate? Some might say, (celebrating is) harmless, leave it alone, no big deal. I hope you're right. I hope this doesn’t cast any darkness on a great nation, a nation that traditionally is the best at celebrating life and and living it more abundantly.

As for myself, I will try to not to condemn anyone for an outward expression of something I feel might be better left as a quite sigh of relief.

I will just thank God that none of our soldiers lost their lives carrying out our President's orders.

I will pray for our President, I will pray for our country and I will pray for our solders, as well as for all of the families that have been hurt and after the unnerving emotions brought on by vengeance will continue to miss the loved ones that have been lost.

I will pray for America and I will celebrate life.

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