Osama Bin Laden and Just War

I am not comfortable with the celebration and gloating over the death of Osama Bin Laden.

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 am not a pacifist and I am satisfied that he experienced a just punishment on earth and that he will not be able to kill anymore. I believe in the Just War.

Augustine gave the fullest explanation and rationale in in his book, City of God in the 400s. Based upon Romans 13, Augustine insisted there is no "private right" to kill. One can kill only under the authority of God, as communicated by direct or implicit command from God, or by a legitimate ruler who carries out God's intent to restrain evil on earth. Augustine further suggests that one who obeys such a command "does not himself 'kill.'" He acts only as an instrument of the one who commands.

Augustine concludes, "The commandment forbidding killing was not broken by those who have waged wars on the authority of God, or those who have imposed the death-pencaptiony on criminals when representing the authority of the state, the justest and most reasonable source of power."

When there is no command by God, war may be waged only by those 1) with legitimate authority, and 2) only for a just cause. Augustine was not, however, specific on what causes can be considered just. He has been interpreted narrowly, as saying states may go to war to avert (defensively) or avenge (offensively) a violation of their rights, or broadly, as saying war may be waged to redress any wrong against God's moral order. Thus Augustine fashioned what is now called the "just war theory," which over the centuries has become a complex set of criteria to govern both the recourse to war in the first place and the conduct of war once begun. With the exception of the "peace churches" (Quakers, Brethren, and Mennonites), mainstream Christianity has stayed to the present day essentially on the course set by Augustine.

A Just War is One that . . .

"Force may be used only to correct a grave, public evil, i.e., aggression or massive violation of the basic human rights of whole populations."

Just Cause - While there may be rights and wrongs on all sides of a conflict, to override the presumption against the use of force, the injustice suffered by one party must significantly outweigh that suffered by the other.

Just Means - The waging of war must be done to minimize harm for all innocent people and civilians.

Just authority - Only duly constituted public leaders and authorities may wage war.

Just intention - Thwarting or correcting a suffered wrong is considered a right intention, while material gain or maintaining economies is not.

Probability of success - Arms may not be used in a futile cause or in a case where disproportionate measures are required to achieve success;

Proportionality - The anticipated benefits of waging a war must be proportionate to its expected evils or harms.

Last resort - Force may be used only after all peaceful and viable alternatives have been seriously tried and exhausted or are clearly not practical.

I believe, based on everything I have seen, that what happened to Osama Bin Laden is the right thing. For that I am thankful, but it is with sadness for everyone's lose and all the evil that was part of it all.