"Remember Beloved, God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked." -Ezekiel 18:23

Anyone who knows me can reaffirm the following statement: I am, in no way, shape, or form, a religious person. I do not attend church service, I don't receive any of the sacraments, I don't believe in organized religion, and I find the Church to be corrupt.  That being said, I do identify with Christianity (well, the idea of Christianity, not the practice) and I do consider myself a Christian, no matter how non-practicing I may be. 


I've been thinking on it, and everyone in this country and across the world is aware of what occurred on May 1st, 2011. After ten years of searching, the United States has finally won the world's longest game of hide and go seek. Call me a pessimist if you wish, but I truly never believed we'd find him. Ten years of searching through mountain caves and he winds up being at a compound worth millions of dollars in a Pakistani city. Who'd have thought?


As I read countless facebook status updates and received text messages celebrating the death of Osama bin Laden, I began to process my own emotions and gauge my reactions. How did this make me feel? I, for one, am not a supporter of the death penalty here or abroad. I realize that his death was the only guarantee of keeping the world safe from his terror. But I did not want to celebrate with the rest of the world. I felt relief that he is dead, and am proud of the SEALs that risked their lives in this operation, but I don't feel like celebrating death. That's what he did when the towers toppled over in a cloud of fire, smoke, and shards of glass, ending the lives of thousands. Do I want to be grouped into the same category as him? Not a chance in hell.


Am I sad that he's gone? Not in the slightest. He was a horrible, wicked person. He murdered thousands of people, and truth be told, he deserved what he had coming to him... but that idea does not make me smile, or make me want to cheer.... it makes me terribly sad for the world we live in.  Where death of another human being, no matter how wicked, brings rejoicing in the streets. 


I have to ask, after ten years, two wars, over 900,000 deaths, and over $1,000,000,000,000 dollars in expenses for the War on Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq, and around the globe, we've managed to catch our number one man. Is it worth it? That remains to be seen.


This man's death is the start to a multitude of possible consequences.