usama bin laden's death and judgment

When I awakened this morning to engage in my ritualistic remote control calisthenics between CNN and FOX news, I watched about thirty minutes of uninterrupted news about bin laden's death--"What was it like inside the compound?" "Didn't the nearby Pakistani military govenment have some inkling that he was hiding there?" "Should we stay in Afghanistan now that bin laden is death?" "Did the villagers have and observations to share about the traffic around the compound?" "How were the Seals' forces trained for this covert assault?" etc.....

However, the most bizarre for me revolves around this question, supposedly to be resolved today--"Shall we release a photo of the dead usama bin laden?" Allegedly, a high level conference was being scheduled to make that determination.

As Bev and I watched FOXES' over-the-top coverage several thoughts emerged in my mind, and I am writing them down as I reflect on them (You may or may not be pleased I chose to record them...)

1. Is the picture for the benefit of Amricans seeking "closure"...sleeping better now that they knopw bin laden is dead?

2. Is the picture meant to be a vengeance release for the families of 9-11 who have been grieving the loss of loved ones in the attack and desiring some little bit of revenge to "ease their pain"?

3. Is the picture a way for our nation to move forward in "triumphal procession" with the body of bin laden on view for all the world to see?


4. Is the picture a way of visually making President Obama a "national hero"? Under the presidential watch of Clinton and Bush such a conquest never happened.

5. Is the picture a means of "finessing" the continuation of waterboarding as a means of securing information from political prisoners (it is alleged the information helpful in locating bin laden came from an informant who underwent the tortuous waterboarding)?

I am not certain of why this is such a hotly-debated issue. What I ponder this morning is the truth of Hebrews 9:27, "...man is destined to die once and after that to face judgment..."

The judgment for every unrepentant sinner--including me--is eternal death, "The wages of sin is death", Romans 3:23. Usama bin laden is dead and God's judgment awaits him, as it awaits any of us who reject Christ.

Bin Laden is dead; I don't need to see the picture of his corpse. I am simply reminded that life is short and how we live it has eternal consequences.