Christians, and Christian societies, honour dead bodies, because Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, had one.
We do not abuse the dead.
We do not kick corpses.
Traditional Christians do not encourage cremation.
President Obama made the right call to take out bin Laden, the right call to end torture of prisoners, and was right not to release the bin Laden photograph.
No person who doubts bin Laden’s death will be convinced by a photograph released by the American government. Photos are easily doctored and if both parties are lying about the DNA evidence, they will lie about a picture.
Terrorists forced Americans to see evil on 9/11, but our government will not return the favour by showing us the dead body of our foe. We are better than the terrorists. We are civilised.
bin Laden is dead. Nothing is to be gained by flaunting his remains. Justice does not demand revenge, gloating, or cruelty to the bin Laden family. Their evil son, father, and husband has received justice. Let it end at that.
John Mark Reynolds is the founder and director of the Torrey Honors Institute, and Professor of Philosophy at Biola University. In 1996 he received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from the University of Rochester. John Mark Reynolds can be found blogging regularly at Scriptorium Daily.
Publication date: May 6, 2011
