Bible-thumping

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live? Ez 18:23

I want to thank all of my friends who posted this on facebook today. I'm not religious, I don't particularly feel anything that strongly about the bible, but it was nice to see so many pausing for a moment in the heat of the Joy Bloodlust very emotional response to Bin Laden's death.. I think my own reaction was of the most reprehensible sort, the "OMG this means President Obama has a better chance of getting reelected" reaction that reveals the cold political calculations behind much of my moral posturing. How would I have reacted if this had happened under President Bush? Death is death and it is joyless no matter who orders it.

The truth is I'm not nearly as sorry that Bin Laden is dead as I am about the trail ocean of bodies behind him. People he killed, people we killed trying to get to him and people who were just unlucky enough to be the wrong color to have been born in the wrong place. If killing Bin Laden gives President Obama the political cover necessary to stop some of that killing (as I believe he wants to, despite years of actions to the contrary) then I will be glad for it.

And I don't need the Bible to tell me that killing is wrong, but it cheers me up to see so many compassionate people condemning this in the language of the same God President Bush believes told him to go to war in the first place. The master's tools, or something.

So thank you, friends, I am glad to know you.