A couple of days ago, a reporter from the AP contacted me (having read my thoughts on the issue here on this blog) and asked if I would like to be interviewed for a story she was doing on America’s reaction to the death of Bin Laden.
Unfortunately, my comments were edited out of that article. But later that day, another AP reporter — this time, a national reporter — contacted me for the same reason.
And the article was published tonight. You can see it on Yahoo! News and other internet news sites.
Although Ms. Noveck made my experience a bit more dramatic than I believed it to be, I do not regret giving the interview and I am happy that my voice was heard.
Yes, most of the comments on Yahoo! seem to be in strong disagreement with my stance, some even insulting me and/or assuming false things about me (eg, not having directly been affected by 9/11 or the war when I know someone who died in the second tower and have a friend who was seriously injured in Afghanistan).
But a few people actually took the time to look me up and send me messages in support of my view, and because their messages were thoughtful and kind (a few obviously having taken some time to write), it genuinely warmed my heart and gave me encouragement. So to those people, thank you.
In light of the overwhelming response I have been receiving, there are some things I would like to make clear…
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In no way was I judging those who are happy or celebrating Bin Laden’s death. I was sincerely sad about their reactions and nothing more. (And I am sorry to those who felt judged.)
I chose to write about my feelings because…well, it’s my Facebook wall and it’s my blog. I have had civil conversations with those who disagree with me and it has not made me change my view of these people, nor do I hold anything against them.
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My opinion that one should never celebrate a death — no matter how horrible that person was in their lifetime — is a personal conviction based on my religious and moral beliefs.
Yes, I could debate and quote Bible verses all along, but the verses that speaks to me the loudest are those of Proverbs 24:17-18; “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the Lord will see and disapprove and turn His wrath away from them.”
I do not believe holding this belief makes me a better Christian than anyone else. Nor do I believe that anyone who disagrees with me (and still proclaim themselves as Christians) are any less Christ-like.
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My disagreeing with you does not mean that I am judging you, hating you, or think any less of you as a person. We are all entitled to our own opinions and as long as you deliver them to me in a civilized manner, I will respect you and your opinions.
And that is all I would like to say on the matter. Thanks for reading. 🙂
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i really respect you ability to state your opinion, back it up, and not back down when confronted with dissension. I can sympathize with the sentiment of not wanting to be happy, but it was hard for me to really know how to feel. Here’s a reflection in resonated with: http://mycommonplacecollection.tumblr.com/post/5166061876/political-language-quick-reflection
Awesome on getting your comments in the article! Good to hear more of your thoughts on this 🙂
I agree 100% with you on this particular issue, and I’m glad that you had the chance to express your opinion in an article like that!
There’s a very good article on this topic here: http://ht.ly/4LtO3 written by a very wise and eloquent neocalvinist. He too would agree with you. As a Canadian I’ve been watching it a bit from the sidelines and I respect you for expressing your feelings even (especially!) when no one really wants to hear it.
Congrats on being included in the article! I’d just like to say thank you for hosting a civil, respectful discussion on the issue. I’m still not exactly sure how I feel about the whole thing (I struggle with my own christian beliefs similar to yours against my desire to make the world a safer place in a “greater good” kind of way). But, I try to sort things out for myself by reading things where mature adults debate the issue. Again, thanks for being that place.
I shared this post on my Google Reader because I agree with everything you said here. Thank you for providing the verses. Well said Jenny!
Power to the blogs! I think it’s amazing that you were involved in the conversation in such a high level. I can see both sides a bit on this one. I find it odd that your views were taken the way they were. Good for you for putting yourself out there and writing what you believe, especially since you were able to do it without attacking anybody else.
You were mentioned on the website of the British newspaper The Daily Mail!
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1383802/Cheese-eating-surrender-monkeys-U-S-bloggers-slam-Europeans-muted-reaction-Bin-Laden-killing.html
I am so proud of you for knowing what your reaction is/was and not allowing others to sway you by bullying. The interesting thing is that I am finding that MOST people feel this way about the gloating. There is even a big article in the latest Newsweek about it. But you stood up for it before the popularity swung your way and that is so honorable and shows such strength.
Thank you! Your thoughts and support mean a lot to me.
Congrats on being included in the article! I agree with you.
To be fair, I think a lot of the celebrations were more in the spirit of VE Day, that was not the end of that war either just a significant and symbolic turning point. In this case its a little murky in that the symbolic victory was the killing of 1 person.
I will save my celebrations for when I no longer have to take my shoes off to board an airplane 😉
I totally agree with you and congratulation for being included in the article!
My husband and I feel the same way as you. We are not religious by any means but it is very uncomfortable for people to be so jubilant in the death of someone by throwing parties in the streets..etc.etc.
Thanks, Jenny – well put. I don’t think the author sensationalized you at all — just jazzed it up. I am enjoying hearing more from both sides after the initial troubling “USA” chants.
A) Great post
B) I totally agree!
I find it amazing that people are vehemently angry with you for making a valid, logical point. It seems that people descend into our base, animal emotions when something major happens, throwing 2000 years of rationality and historical lessons out the window. What’s even more bizarre are those who somehow twisted your general statement into something that apparently attacked/judged them on a personal level.
People are crazy and irrational.
That’s right, lady! It is your blog and your FB and if they don’t like it, how about they close their browser? You had the guts to say out loud what many of us were thinking!