[Robert Urbanek]

Schadenfreude is a German word meaning the pleasure derived by someone from another person's misfortune. The pleasure is particularly sweet if that misfortune was caused by the afflicted person’s foolishness or evil intent.

While some may feel guilty about such feelings, they are sanctioned by the Bible, as noted in Proverbs 1:24-26.

Because I have called and you refused,
have stretched out my hand and no one heeded,
and because you have ignored all my counsel
and would have none of my reproof,
I also will laugh at your calamity;
I will mock when panic strikes you

Liberals may argue that the compassion and forgiveness of Christ overrides the harsh judgements of the Old Testament, but I see the testaments as being more cyclical, with years of permissiveness followed by years of punishment, then years of quiet and docility and the cycle starting all over again.