Osama bin Laden

With the death of Osama bin Laden Christians are entitled to be thankful that a man who symbolised evil in the world is no longer alive.In the long list of those who have brought terror and distress to the human family this man came near the top. As with many of them, bin Laden was reputed in his personal life to be polite and gentle, and he genuinely thought his philosophy would prove to be beneficial for mankind as a whole. We know that evil often comes with a smiling face, and soft hands, but it is deeply ingrained in human affairs. The call of international statesmen for us all to be alert to the possibility of reprisals is urgent. Even more urgent is the need for people actively to embrace a philosophy of peace and goodwill with as much fervour as bin Laden embraced his twisted beliefs. It is good at this time to read again that superb prayer by Kate Middleton at her wedding to Prince William. As we are dismayed by the presence of evil people in the world, we are encouraged by the opposite presence of people of simple goodness. God be praised ! The devil, as our scriptures say, does not sit waiting for us to fall into his trap: he 'seeks whom he may devour'. Evil is a busy, determined enemy,who succeeds in proportiomn to our anaemic failure  to resist.