Do you agree with the Rev. MLK?

• SportsAndLady

  

  ‎"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that..."
  --Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• I Wear Pants

  Kind of, I mean, I'm as happy as the next guy that Bin Laden is dead but as long as both sides celebrate the deaths of the others I don't think this shit's going to end.
• gut

  Agreed. Watching the celebrations made me a little sick as it reminded me of celebrations in the Middle East on 9/11. Celebrating his death? No thanks. We've moved on. We've recovered. To me the cheering shows weakness and is also something we should be better than.
  
  Bring the troops home. That's something worthy and deserving of celebrating.
• Mohican00

  

  gut;757674 wrote:Agreed. Watching the celebrations made me a little sick as it reminded me of celebrations in the Middle East on 9/11. Celebrating his death? No thanks. We've moved on. We've recovered. To me the cheering shows weakness and is also something we should be better than.
  
  Bring the troops home. That's something worthy and deserving of celebrating.

  Only the worst parts of human nature would celebrate death.
• Gblock

  that was my first thought when i saw the celebrations...i feel like you have to act better than they do even if they never will.
• I Wear Pants

  
• cbus4life

  Yea, pretty much.
  
  I mean, sure, i'm as happy as the next person that OBL is gone, absolutely. But, i couldn't help but feel very uncomfortable watching folks celebrating on TV. Was surreal. When i heard OBL had died, my reaction was one of relief, not "hell yea lets go out in the streets and go nuts." I understand both sides of it, sure, but fall more with MLK's line of thinking, i guess.
• vball10set

  I'd be a hypocrite if I said I wasn't overjoyed at Bin Laden's death--it made my day....now, let's go get that prick al-Zawahiri
• The Equalizer

  

  I've been smiling all day. Now that he's worm...shark food....lets move onto the next dirtbag hiding in a cave...mansion. I will celebrate this day for the rest of my life.
• Pick6

  

  There is an exception to every rule.
• iclfan2

  

  Don't find it weird or sick at all that people were celebrating it. The man masterminded attacks which killed 3,000 Americans. Did you forget? Celebrate it for weeks if you want. I HATE the argument that we have to be "better" than them. We already are better than them. IF our country wants to have a hell of a time at the death of that scum bag then have at it!
• fan_from_texas

  I believe this quote has been debunked as fake. It doesn't appear to have been said by MLKJ.
• Con_Alma

  One can celebrate the certainty of the known leader of a terrorist group not having the opportunity to continue his heinous acts while not being elated with the militarist murder that happened.
• O-Trap

  

  I have to admit that though I will most certainly be in the minority, I don't "rejoice" at his death, be he Satan incarnate.
  
  His actions were vile on a level few human beings have reached, but it is his actions that I find myself hating. To a large degree, I pity the man who has a worldview that justifies such atrocity in his own mind.
  
  It's an easy thing for a patriotic American to hate a man who shows hate toward America, and while I feel like I can sympathize, I'm not sure I can justify it, at least in my own mind.
  
  Whether or not Dr. King said these words, I find something wise in them. bin Laden has become another soul destined to go on in whatever hell may exist, and make no mistake, it is nothing short of his just dessert.
  
  However, I am of the conviction that it would be my just dessert as well, be it not for the existence of divine mercy. Our reaction is to see ourselves as better ... incapable of such atrocities, but I'd be willing to bet that if we were given over to means, motive, and conviction the way he was, we may indeed be not all that dissimilar.
  
  This life, while fragile, is small. If eternity exists for the human soul, I would suggest that said eternity is infinitely more important than the life we live in a carcass. As such, while ending his natural life may have been better for the rest of us who are still living our own (and I contend that it is), I feel shallow if I don't consider the eternal consequences with sobriety instead of vengeance or ill will.
  
  I suppose I'm being a wet blanket on what would otherwise make for a good lynch mob mentality (except that the monster is already dead), so I won't say anything else on the subject. It's just that the more I think about it, the less I see his death as a victory, and the more I just see his life as one big tragedy.
• sherm03

  

  fan_from_texas;757724 wrote:I believe this quote has been debunked as fake. It doesn't appear to have been said by MLKJ.

  
  Yep. It's a fake quote.
  
  http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/05/out-of-osamas-death-a-fake-quotation-is-born/238220/
• bwcomet89

  Does it have to have been quoted by Dr. King to be relevant?
• Manhattan Buckeye

  Con_Alma;757733 wrote:One can celebrate the certainty of the know leader of a terrorist group not having the opportunity to continue his heinous acts while not being elated with the militarist murder that happened.

  
  An excellent point, regardless of who the author of the statement is. Context matters. There is a difference between celebrating the death of a life-sentenced felon as a result of natural old age, and celebrating the stoppage of an international criminal at-large.
• believer

  

  MLK's alleged words aside, I rejoice in OBL's death. Not because I relish the death of any human life, but simply that justice has been served. I would not set bonfires on Main Street to celebrate but you'll excuse me if I smile and offer up a toast to the United States military for a great victory.
• coyotes22

  

  vball10set;757704 wrote:I'd be a hypocrite if I said I wasn't overjoyed at Bin Laden's death--it made my day....now, let's go get that prick al-Zawahiri

  
  Mahmoud Imanutjob first,,,,, Then al-Zawahiri
• O-Trap

  

  believer;757935 wrote:MLK's alleged words aside, I rejoice in OBL's death. Not because I relish the death of any human life, but simply that justice has been served. I would not set bonfires on Main Street to celebrate but you'll excuse me if I smile and offer up a toast to the United States military for a great victory.

  Make no mistake, as I said, it was a just outcome.
  
  But that sword is even double-edged.
• Jawbreaker

  O-Trap;757831 wrote:I have to admit that though I will most certainly be in the minority, I don't "rejoice" at his death, be he Satan incarnate.
  
  His actions were vile on a level few human beings have reached, but it is his actions that I find myself hating. To a large degree, I pity the man who has a worldview that justifies such atrocity in his own mind.
  
  It's an easy thing for a patriotic American to hate a man who shows hate toward America, and while I feel like I can sympathize, I'm not sure I can justify it, at least in my own mind.
  
  Whether or not Dr. King said these words, I find something wise in them. bin Laden has become another soul destined to go on in whatever hell may exist, and make no mistake, it is nothing short of his just dessert.
  
  However, I am of the conviction that it would be my just dessert as well, be it not for the existence of divine mercy. Our reaction is to see ourselves as better ... incapable of such atrocities, but I'd be willing to bet that if we were given over to means, motive, and conviction the way he was, we may indeed be not all that dissimilar.
  
  This life, while fragile, is small. If eternity exists for the human soul, I would suggest that said eternity is infinitely more important than the life we live in a carcass. As such, while ending his natural life may have been better for the rest of us who are still living our own (and I contend that it is), I feel shallow if I don't consider the eternal consequences with sobriety instead of vengeance or ill will.
  
  I suppose I'm being a wet blanket on what would otherwise make for a good lynch mob mentality (except that the monster is already dead), so I won't say anything else on the subject. It's just that the more I think about it, the less I see his death as a victory, and the more I just see his life as one big tragedy.

  
  These are my feelings as well. Couldn't have put it better myself.
• ernest_t_bass

  

  O-Trap;757831 wrote:To a large degree, I pity the man who has a worldview that justifies such atrocity in his own mind.

  
  The geek in me comes out... "It is pity that stayed Bilbo's hand."
• Skyhook79

  

  I Wear Pants;757663 wrote:Kind of, I mean, I'm as happy as the next guy that Bin Laden is dead but as long as both sides celebrate the deaths of the others I don't think this shit's going to end.

  
  
  
  "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Eph 6:12
• WebFire

  believer;757935 wrote:MLK's alleged words aside, I rejoice in OBL's death. Not because I relish the death of any human life, but simply that justice has been served. I would not set bonfires on Main Street to celebrate but you'll excuse me if I smile and offer up a toast to the United States military for a great victory.

  
  This is my feeling. Some people are just high and mighty pussies I guess!
• jmog

  Do I think he deserved to die and justice was served? Yes.
  
  Did I "rejoice"? No.
  
  Just like if I had a family member murdered. I would want the murderer dead but I wouldn't rejoice when it happened ..
  
  
  Relieved is a more adequate response I think.