- Apr 26, 2006
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"Sisters and brothers in Christ,
The death of Osama bin Laden is an occasion for solemn remembrance. We remember the lives of all whose deaths resulted from his choosing hatred and violence. We stand with those who continue to mourn the death of loved ones while giving thanks for their lives, their love and their faith. We also continue to hold in prayer all whose service in the military, in government and in humanitarian and peacemaking activities contribute to a safer and more prosperous world.
At the same time we also recall who we are: people baptized into Christ, freed to serve our neighbors. We are people called as Christs ambassadors of reconciliation with our neighbors, serving Gods work of restoring community. We engage our neighbors of other faiths, including our Muslim neighbors near and far, in respectful, searching dialogue and shared commitment to build a world that reflects Gods will for peace with justice. We pray for our neighbors, even those who are our enemies.
Most of all, in these 50 days of celebrating Christs resurrection, joy finds its fullest and deepest expression not over a human death but in Gods promise to unite all things in heaven and on earth, to reconcile the human family and to bring Gods reign of peace. Confident in what God has promised, we witness our resolve against any act of violence in the name of religion and our renewed commitment of service to the neighbors and world God so deeply loves.
In Gods grace,
Mark S. Hanson"
Mark Hanson, our pretend pope released a statement following Bin Laden's death. Overall I really did like it. The only careful point is the relating to other faith communities, not because I specifically disagreed with his words about shared commitments in principle, but because I do think he probably meant a much closer connection and that it's not just the commitment/intent that is shared but probably sees more common ground than I. To be honest that is why I'm posting it here, I wanted to post it in the TCL forum but thought that the words were sketchy enough to cause an uproar and overly focus on that, which is not why I'm posting this. I think it is good to think about our response as a faith community.
He did well to call for remembrance of the victims and prayer for our enemies. I think I would only add to this our call to pray for all those who mourn, even those mourning Osama. I think we should also while recalling and remembering those his hate and violence hurt, remember it also with a forgiving heart. Bishop Hanson should challenge his people with a call to be forgiving of one of our great contemporary villains.
The death of Osama bin Laden is an occasion for solemn remembrance. We remember the lives of all whose deaths resulted from his choosing hatred and violence. We stand with those who continue to mourn the death of loved ones while giving thanks for their lives, their love and their faith. We also continue to hold in prayer all whose service in the military, in government and in humanitarian and peacemaking activities contribute to a safer and more prosperous world.
At the same time we also recall who we are: people baptized into Christ, freed to serve our neighbors. We are people called as Christs ambassadors of reconciliation with our neighbors, serving Gods work of restoring community. We engage our neighbors of other faiths, including our Muslim neighbors near and far, in respectful, searching dialogue and shared commitment to build a world that reflects Gods will for peace with justice. We pray for our neighbors, even those who are our enemies.
Most of all, in these 50 days of celebrating Christs resurrection, joy finds its fullest and deepest expression not over a human death but in Gods promise to unite all things in heaven and on earth, to reconcile the human family and to bring Gods reign of peace. Confident in what God has promised, we witness our resolve against any act of violence in the name of religion and our renewed commitment of service to the neighbors and world God so deeply loves.
In Gods grace,
Mark S. Hanson"
Mark Hanson, our pretend pope released a statement following Bin Laden's death. Overall I really did like it. The only careful point is the relating to other faith communities, not because I specifically disagreed with his words about shared commitments in principle, but because I do think he probably meant a much closer connection and that it's not just the commitment/intent that is shared but probably sees more common ground than I. To be honest that is why I'm posting it here, I wanted to post it in the TCL forum but thought that the words were sketchy enough to cause an uproar and overly focus on that, which is not why I'm posting this. I think it is good to think about our response as a faith community.
He did well to call for remembrance of the victims and prayer for our enemies. I think I would only add to this our call to pray for all those who mourn, even those mourning Osama. I think we should also while recalling and remembering those his hate and violence hurt, remember it also with a forgiving heart. Bishop Hanson should challenge his people with a call to be forgiving of one of our great contemporary villains.
