truelight Mike
Member
The Amazing Teachings of Jesus:
Forgive
What if we forgave everyone that ever hurt us?
What if we lived like that daily?
Forgive
What if we forgave everyone that ever hurt us?
What if we lived like that daily?
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The Amazing Teachings of Jesus: Forgive
- Thread starter truelight Mike
- Start date
lostwanderingsoul
Well-Known Member
Forgiveness is fine but sometimes when a person deliberately causes injury or other harm to another person, there is a need for punishment. If every harmful act was forgiven without punishment, it would be a free pas for people to harm other people and many would take advantage of that.
How is that an amazing teaching? Why is it even a good idea?
Maybe by forgiveness you mean just not taking revenge or harboring red hot hatred. If so, I'll give you that.
But if you (or Jesus) meant treating the offender like nothing happened, that is decided on a case-by-case basis. There needs to be a reason to do that, such as that the relationship in question remains important even after whatever betrayal we are considering occurred. I was willing to do that with my sister because pushing her out of my life wasn't the best choice..
But with most others, simply eliminating such people from one's life is the best approach. It is appropriate to appraise people, accumulate the ones with good character in your life when possible, and distance oneself from the rest. Let the anger and rage evolve into contempt, and don't seek revenge. Disloyal people don't deserve more just because some peripatetic preacher said otherwise. I need a compelling argument to go with that advice.
Doesn't the same Bible say that we reap what we sow? From the pen of the poet: "If you plant ice you're gonna harvest wind."
We should forgive everyone, starting with ourselves. Forgiveness is about our heart, not about the other person reaping what they sow, or "letting the off the hook" for their actions. They own their actions. I don't need to hold hatred. That's my choice. Jesus was very Wise to teach this.
Jeremiah Ames
Well-Known Member
I agree completely with you here.
The point is not whether there would be crime in the society.
The point is that you forgive it.
Whether there is punishment for crime is not the point either.
A world full of fallen people obviously needs laws and punishment. But forgiveness is another matter.
Then you would be laughing a lot more and frowning a lot less. If you do not live like that then you begin to frown, a lot more, and laughing a lot less. Each day then brings more frowning and less laughter. Eventually, there are things to really frown about because you forgot laughter. In a humourless world of serious frowning I suggest laughter, not as an escape, but as a reality check.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
Rampant crime, and you might as well walk around with a sign that says "abuse me, use me, take full advantage of me."
I am not a Christian and I doubt the historicity of the bible. As such I take the gospel in its entirety as a narrative tool to convey a message to the people of the budding church. As such, I don't read this as forgiveness means not perusing justice, especially considering the dialogue of the thief on the cross:
Luke 23:39-42
Taken as a moral story it illustrates to me that the writers felt like forgiveness means something more like not holding grudges. Punishment where due but ending at that.
Not that I don't have problems with the story taken more literally, the least of which I don't believe execution for thieving is just, but I don't see asking for forgiveness meaning asking for no justice, biblically.
Satans_Serrated_Edge
Deicidal
You would become a human doormat and be miserable and resentful all of your days.
I think the world would be more compassionate and full of healing if we were more forgiving. It's extremely difficult and painful, though. It's a long journey to forgive those who have deeply hurt you. I know this very well. There's a number of people who have harmed me and those I love, even ruining our lives, and I don't know if I can ever forgive them. 
Pretty much. We see this in action when people forgive those who have wronged them even while the person receiving justice for the harm caused, such as families of murder victims forgiving the murderer while the murderer is in prison. It's mostly a out compassion, noy holding grudges and seeing the possibility of redemption within all. Has nothing to do with crime and the law, although it could motivate people to strive for better treatment of prisoners, criminal justice reform and abolition of the death penalty.
Has nothing to do with letting people abuse you or continuing in abusive situations.
Rational Agnostic
Well-Known Member
I agree that we should usually forgive people, but some people definitely don't deserve forgiveness, like murderers and rapists.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
I don't remember the scholor's name I heard this from, but apparently the thieves weren't thieves, that was was one of the many translation errors in the Bible, and the were actually insurrectionists.
To me, forgiveness is not a one way street. If someone wrongs me, I am not going to just forgive them because it's considered a virtue to do so. Unless there is some sort of apology or reperation--something to acknowledge and at least attempt to rectify the situation--this person isn't getting my forgiveness. I view just forgiving everyone who hurt us in a similar way as to how LeVay viewed loving your enemies.
Is abortion murder? If having sex with your wife when she doesn't want it a kind of rape?
Or....the other way around.
truelight Mike
Member
To forgive someone who does not deserve it is a very powerful thing for the offended and the offender. It can bring light into a dark place.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
It would be torture. Sometimes people that hurt other people need to be hurt themselves.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
I am inclined to agree because very little is gained by holding grudges. My view is that doing so has deleterious effects on the holder. That said, forgiveness is the easy part. The thing is to never forget. Forgive, by all means, but never forget why you had to forgive.
Forgiveness is part of major religions:
Quran "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. "
Buddhism https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/forgiveness.htm
Judaism http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1619314/jewish/The-Art-of-Forgiveness.htm
Quran "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. "
Buddhism https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/forgiveness.htm
Judaism http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1619314/jewish/The-Art-of-Forgiveness.htm
Forgiveness is part of major religions:
Quran "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. "
Buddhism https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/forgiveness.htm
Judaism The Art of Forgiveness
Quran "Show forgiveness, enjoin what is good, and turn away from the ignorant. "
Buddhism https://www.buddhanet.net/e-learning/forgiveness.htm
Judaism The Art of Forgiveness