As of Tuesday, Facebook will be allowing videos of executions on their site — and I’m glad.

DEATH ON NEWS FEED

BBC news was first to break the story: "[Facebook will] take a more holistic look at the context surrounding a violent image or video, and will remove content that celebrates violence," while allowing some content "of public interest or concern" to remain, clearly marked with a warning, Facebook spokesman Matt Steinfeld said in an interview with CNN.

Now, rather than avoiding death, it may be on our news feed.

Americans keep death at arm’s length. We keep death sterile. We like to think people only die in hospital beds in white rooms when they are in their late 90s while surrounded by 15 of their closest loved ones. In America, death — the thing that reminds us we are most human and most vincible — is relegated to such contexts. There, only those dedicated to the dying are present — those who are willing to face their own humanity in witnessing the passing of another.

I think we do need to be faced with death frequently and in a variety of contexts. Not everyone can have a made-for-7th-Heaven death. We need to contemplate violence and atrocity. Only then can we be faced with the reality of our own finitude.

I'm glad these execution videos are allowed on Facebook because they bring the issue of violence and death to our news feeds, where we are forced to contemplate a reality that isn’t so distant in other cultures.

VIDEOS DO NOT DETRACT FROM HUMANITY

These videos do not detract from the humanity or dignity of those killed. It reminds us of ours — and that is why we find it so offensive. It is for our pride’s sake that we say we want to distance ourselves from such images to protect the dignity of the dead. I don’t think the dead care about their dignity.

If nothing else, let these videos give us no excuse to be blind to the reality of death. Let us be held accountable for the knowledge we gain by watching these videos — there are cultures we would consider "unjust" and "unfair" where women are beheaded and condemned to die on the word of their husbands.

Life includes death, and it is only when we are confronted with the marred and decaying or abruptly destroyed image of God that we are faced with the reality that this world is not our home — and yet more terrifying, may be the reality that we are destroyable.

I agree that as Christians, we are instructed by Paul to only think about that which is true, noble, right, pure, lovely or admirable, according to Philippians 4:8. However, I think there is another standard — one that instructs us to be wise as serpents and as harmless as doves, according to Matthew 10:16. With this standard, we must act according to the information we have been given. 

So now, when I'm scrolling on my news feed and watching all the statuses complaining about the weather or work schedules, and my browsing is interrupted by a video of an execution, I gain perspective. I'm forced to see my own humanity — and I think more people could benefit from being faced with theirs.