Loving Bin Laden

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I’m interested in the possible responses here. I believe it will pass the news story rule, but if not, please delete or move the post.

As American Catholics, are we bound to love and pray for our arch-enemy, Osama Bin Laden?

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consumedconvert said:
I’m interested in the possible responses here. I believe it will pass the news story rule, but if not, please delete or move the post.

As American Catholics, are we bound to love and pray for our arch-enemy, Osama Bin Laden?

CC
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We can pray for his conversion. It would indeed be a hauntingly beautiful site were he to shave his beard and head and go bearfoot in sack-cloth and ashes begging forgiveness in front of the Pope.
 
consumedconvert said:
I’m interested in the possible responses here. I believe it will pass the news story rule, but if not, please delete or move the post.

As American Catholics, are we bound to love and pray for our arch-enemy, Osama Bin Laden?

CC
Click to expand...
Praying for your enemies, whether near or far away, is among some of the hardest things we do at times.

Osama is a Muslim. As such, his own religion recognizes the 10 commandments, at least as inspired scripture. The commandments include the prohibition of murder.

I’m not sure I can earnestly pray for Osama’s general good, but I can certainly pray that God will open his heart to understanding that murder is wrong, no matter who the target is, that there is no “pass” if the target is someone Osama would describe as an “infidel”. I can pray for that. I can pray that he will become peaceful.

I’m not good enough to love Osama, but I can honestly say that, if we were in the same room, I wouldn’t seek to do him harm. (I strongly suspect might want to, but I would not, just as there are other things my impulse urges me to do, but I do not do.) I would treat him as I would treat any stranger. I submit that such equal treatment would be a stretch for some, if not many.

It will be interesting to see how this thread develops.
 
I know I’m supposed to forgive bin Laden, but if I meet him can I kick him in the knee just once?
 
I used to believe such acts of love were not humanly possible (and technically they’re not, except for the grace of God), but when I saw how the Amish responded to their school shooting, that changed.

The ‘Christianess’ of that response left me humbled and, I believe, spoke out as a testimony to the whole world. If they can do it, so can we.
 
seekerz said:
I used to believe such acts of love were not humanly possible (and technically they’re not, except for the grace of God), but when I saw how the Amish responded to their school shooting, that changed.

The ‘Christianess’ of that response left me humbled and, I believe, spoke out as a testimony to the whole world. If they can do it, so can we.
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Their response was truely awe inspiring.
 
IvanKaramozov said:
Their response was truely awe inspiring.
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Code:
So true. You expect the Pope to forgive the muslim show shot him (although that was inspirational also), but to see a group of people forgive the killer who shot their children, is a whole different ball game. Lord, may I be so merciful…
 
Shoshana said:
Code:
So true. You expect the Pope to forgive the muslim show shot him (although that was inspirational also), but to see a group of people forgive the killer who shot their children, is a whole different ball game. Lord, may I be so merciful…
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I know, and not only forgive, but confort his wife, and care for his family
 
That truly was a wonderful and awe-inspiring response from the Amish people. I know I’ll never forget it. That was really saintly behavior…
 
Bin Laden , like it or not, is a child of God. And Jesus ,himself, gave us to the Two Great Commandments…Love God with all your Heart, Mind, and Soul. and Love your neighbor as you love yourself.
So I continue to pray for his conversion of heart, as well as for all our troops , and for those that have fallen.
I believe in the power of prayer, and I pray his conversion is very soon !
 
This is the sort of challenge we all have to face, because we all have enemies. Our enemies can do wonders of hostility.
A devout Protestant woman named Corrie ten Boon, a Dutch woman, was put into a prison camp by the Nazis for hiding Jews when they were occupying her country during the war. She wrote a book about her experiences which was also made into a movie. After the war she gave a talk in Germany in which she spoke of forgiveness. Suddenly one of the guards in the prison camp who had been particularly cruel appeared before he and asked her to forgive him. It is clear that she later thought that this challenged her greatly to actually live out what she herself had been saying about forgiveness.
 
mdgspencer said:
This is the sort of challenge we all have to face, because we all have enemies. Our enemies can do wonders of hostility.
A devout Protestant woman named Corrie ten Boon, a Dutch woman, was put into a prison camp by the Nazis for hiding Jews when they were occupying her country during the war. She wrote a book about her experiences which was also made into a movie. After the war she gave a talk in Germany in which she spoke of forgiveness. Suddenly one of the guards in the prison camp who had been particularly cruel appeared before he and asked her to forgive him. It is clear that she later thought that this challenged her greatly to actually live out what she herself had been saying about forgiveness.
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Code:
If i remember the story right…she could not do it and had to beg God to do it for her. And it happened.🙂
 
consumedconvert said:
I’m interested in the possible responses here. I believe it will pass the news story rule, but if not, please delete or move the post.

As American Catholics, are we bound to love and pray for our arch-enemy, Osama Bin Laden?

CC
Click to expand...
Yes.

And not just American Catholics. All Christians…

“Love your enemies. Do good to those who hurt you.”
 
I know that I would not be able to be in a room with him because my duty would require me to kill him. It is not that I enjoy that sort of thing, it’s just that I would be more fearful having to explain to God why I broke my vow to ‘uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; so help me God’ as opposed to why I decided to take someone’s life.

But I do forgive him and I’m sure that is hard for some of you to believe, but I do. I will also say a prayer tonight that he turns from his ways and accepts the Word of Jesus Christ.
 
HM8404 said:
I know that I would not be able to be in a room with him because my duty would require me to kill him. It is not that I enjoy that sort of thing, it’s just that I would be more fearful having to explain to God why I broke my vow to ‘uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; so help me God’ as opposed to why I decided to take someone’s life.

But I do forgive him and I’m sure that is hard for some of you to believe, but I do. I will also say a prayer tonight that he turns from his ways and accepts the Word of Jesus Christ.
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I’m grateful that you came and told us. I’m thankful for your protection.
 
Just wanted to say THANKYOU !!! May God send his Angels to guard & guide you and all those who bravely serve with you.🙂
(This goes out to HM8404)
 
HM8404 said:
I know that I would not be able to be in a room with him because my duty would require me to kill him. It is not that I enjoy that sort of thing, it’s just that I would be more fearful having to explain to God why I broke my vow to ‘uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; so help me God’ as opposed to why I decided to take someone’s life.

But I do forgive him and I’m sure that is hard for some of you to believe, but I do. I will also say a prayer tonight that he turns from his ways and accepts the Word of Jesus Christ.
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Just curious, are you a member of the military? Just trying to understand the “duty” part.
 
I believe that it would be morally wrong to express love toward Bin Laden. There’s is a time for everything, including a time to hate.

I pray for Bin Laden often. But he better be praying that my prayer’s aren’t answered.
 
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