toldailytopic: Should Osama Bin Laden be forgiven?

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Damian

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Are you claiming that Jesus forgives the dead Bin Laden?

I'm claiming that Jesus taught that we should forgive everyone. Indeed, the forgiveness of your sins is dependent on your willingness to forgive the sins of others. And I have supported that claim with scripture.
 

Traditio

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Justice screams that the perpetrator pay the price for this horrible crime.

You'd better thank our Merciful Savior that the claims of Justice already have been satisfied, Inzl. But for Him, there is hope neither for you nor for me.

"And you, when you were dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh; he hath quickened together with him, forgiving you all offences: [14] Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he hath taken the same out of the way, fastening it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-15).

We should all be praying for Osama Bin Laden. Perhaps, in the borderlines between life and death, as he was breathing out his last, God might have granted Osama the grace, in his last breath, just to whisper out: "Lord, have mercy on me!"
 

chatmaggot

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I think so many people are saying that they forgive Osama because of Matthew 6 stating...

“For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

It seems that they are fearful that they won't be forgiven if they don't forgive Osama.

And when Luke 17 is quoted...

...if he repents, forgive him...

They have some cockamamie story as to why this doesn't mean what it says.
 

Traditio

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They have some cockamamie story as to why this doesn't mean what it says.

"But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, [9] Christ died for us; much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8-10).
 

Seydlitz77

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I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (Doctrine and Covenants 64:10)

Yeah it's likely God will not forgive him. However we must, because if we don't we are allowing his evil to continue to affect us personally even beyond his death. He wanted to scare us, anger us, incite us to rash action; as long we don't forgive him he gets what he wanted out of us.

Forgiveness is not weakness or rolling over, you can forgive and still take the necessary action to protect yourself and those you love. To forgive is the greatest strength because through it we deny other's the ability to manipulate our emotions and actions.
 

Lovejoy

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You'd better thank our Merciful Savior that the claims of Justice already have been satisfied, Inzl. But for Him, there is hope neither for you nor for me.

"And you, when you were dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh; he hath quickened together with him, forgiving you all offences: [14] Blotting out the handwriting of the decree that was against us, which was contrary to us. And he hath taken the same out of the way, fastening it to the cross" (Colossians 2:13-15).

We should all be praying for Osama Bin Laden. Perhaps, in the borderlines between life and death, as he was breathing out his last, God might have granted Osama the grace, in his last breath, just to whisper out: "Lord, have mercy on me!"
I think Romans 13 lays out the rights of the state in terms of temporal justice, and that is what was served out by this action. I agree, however, that it should be left at that. I have no amibition to see anyone spend eternity separate from God. My forgiveness, thought, is a simple matter of not hating him, and reserving a sufficient sense of grace to believe that God has as much mercy for him as He has for me. As I have never really been harmed by the man, though, I find that a relatively cheap notion to be had. I will spend my prayers on those that have been harmed, so that they can come to that more extravagant grace of the wronged. Well, I do pray for the remaining insurgents, as this has been an expensive, painful path to justice.

Keep in mind, though, that anyone who spent his last few moments using his wife as a human shield is unlikely to have found the backbone to repent of anything in particular.
 

Uberpod1

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I don't know how you forgive a dead man.

I do think it is an unfortunate sign that so many people feel joy over the death of a human being. Killing him was a necessary evil. It would be nice if we could keep it to a somber sense of satisfaction. Some level of justice was delivered.

Something provoked Bin Laden. He is not simply an evil man. We would do better to understand what lead him to evil acts.
 

chatmaggot

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"But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, [9] Christ died for us; much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8-10).

How does that relate to what Jesus said in Luke 17? Are you implying that when Jesus said IF they repent then forgive them...that we just ignore what Jesus said?
 

Nick M

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I forgive him. I'm no better than he is. I have the potential for all sorts of terrible things within me. And, he actually thought he was serving God by doing what he did, like most religious people today, and no different than Catholics burning Christians at the stake for distributing Bibles. He was deceived by the god of this world. I wish he would have gotten saved before his death.

He didn't repent. He was shown the gospel and rejected it. You are much better than him. That isn't to say you don't deserve death. We all do. Well, not andyc or godrulz.

He will be rendered judgement according to his works, since he is not in the book of life.
 

Lovejoy

Active member
I don't know how you forgive a dead man.

I do think it is an unfortunate sign that so many people feel joy over the death of a human being. Killing him was a necessary evil. It would be nice if we could keep it to a somber sense of satisfaction. Some level of justice was delivered.

Something provoked Bin Laden. He is not simply an evil man. We would do better to understand what lead him to evil acts.
I have to admit that I get grim satisfaction from the fact that even though he used his wife as a shield, she survived and was there to ID him to the CIA.
 

elohiym

Well-known member
I'm claiming that Jesus taught that we should forgive everyone.

You seem to see some purpose in forgiving a dead man. And you seem to not be understanding that God will punish, not pardon, the wicked if they don't repent. I forgive you.

Indeed, the forgiveness of your sins is dependent on your willingness to forgive the sins of others.

You are mistaken. God's forgiveness is unconditional.

And I have supported that claim with scripture.

You're not discerning those scriptures spiritually, but carnally.
 

elohiym

Well-known member
"But God commendeth his charity towards us; because when as yet we were sinners, according to the time, [9] Christ died for us; much more therefore, being now justified by his blood, shall we be saved from wrath through him. [10] For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more, being reconciled, shall we be saved by his life" (Romans 5:8-10).

Did Bin Laden believe that?
 

Ktoyou

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He was the enemy, it seems hypocritical to forgive him for his actions. Now it is God's place to judge him.
 

Ask Mr. Religion

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We tend to confuse forgiveness with consequences. Behavior has consequences. Forgiveness is dismissing a debt owed. We can forgive the debt owed, but the consequences of the debt are often in the hand of others. In Osama's case, they were in the hands of the state which properly wields the sword.

Forgiveness is not

- circumventing God's justice

- waiting for time to heal all wounds

- letting the guilty off the hook

- the same thing as reconciliation

- excusing unjust behavior

- explaining away the hurt

- based on what is fair

- being a weak martyr

- stuffing your anger

- a natural response (!!!)

- denying the hurt

- being a doormat

- conditional (God mandates it!)

- forgetting

- a feeling....

God commands us to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of the will, it is not some emotion.

FYI:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs...osama-bin-laden-and-the-devaluing-of-justice/
 

Damian

New member
We tend to confuse forgiveness with consequences. Behavior has consequences. Forgiveness is dismissing a debt owed. We can forgive the debt owed, but the consequences of the debt are often in the hand of others. In Osama's case, they were in the hands of the state which properly wields the sword.

Forgiveness is not

- circumventing God's justice

- waiting for time to heal all wounds

- letting the guilty off the hook

- the same thing as reconciliation

- excusing unjust behavior

- explaining away the hurt

- based on what is fair

- being a weak martyr

- stuffing your anger

- a natural response (!!!)

- denying the hurt

- being a doormat

- conditional (God mandates it!)

- forgetting

- a feeling....

God commands us to forgive. Forgiveness is an act of the will, it is not some emotion.

FYI:
http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs...osama-bin-laden-and-the-devaluing-of-justice/

The question in the OP was: "Should Osama bin Laden be forgiven?"
 
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