by BurnTheShips 49 Replies latest jw friends
When you forgive somebody who has wronged you, you’re spared the dismal corrosion of bitterness and wounded pride. For both parties, forgiveness means the freedom again to be at peace inside their own skins and to be glad in each others’ presence."
Fredrick Buechner
Inner peace is vital for a spiritual, emotional and of course our physical health
Caliber
Fine then.
I forgive the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society for making me believe I would not still be here. I forgive George Bush for whatever the hell he did (besides being stupid--that one's kinda hard for me).
Oh! and I forgive myself for lying about that first forgiveness thingy.
G'day dinah,
I certainly don't mean to argue the rights and wrongs of 'that war' (although i do have strong opinions); nonetheless, I was interested in this:
No, those children had brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and they HATE US
You see, i guess you may have found this when you were there - you were there, weren't you???
But for Mrs Ozzie and I, we view the country in question (Viet Nam) as our second home and we have close ties there. One thing that we have seen and experienced is the exact opposite of what you report i.e. the lack of hate for us that the local population displays. I find them the most forgiving of nations.
I'm sorry you haven't experienced that.
Cheers,
Ozzie
No, those children had brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers and they HATE US.
Aside from Ozzie's personal experience, I have seen and read of numerous accounts of these fine people and their willing forgiveness of the atrocities of war that was visited on them for decades.
The lady in the picture is a fine example of that - but not the only one.
I hate war. It never makes much sense in the end. Yet all governments wage war. It is an unfortunate fact of life in this world.
Until it ends - if ever - isn't it the wiser course to see the open forgiveness and humble spirit of others who have seen such evil? And imitate it? Instead of forever pointing a finger at governments or the individuals who 'started' or 'maintained' such conflicts? There has never been a conflict in the history of man that was 'fair' to either the individuals inducted to do the fighting, or to the innocents who died or were mutilated on both sides. Has there? Will there ever be?
Still - examples like this one make it possible to heal from such things. Unless we just wish to continually pick at the scab!
Thanx for sharing that Burn.
Jeff
I'm going to go out on a limb here but first I'd like to make clear that it's not my intent to cause offence to anyone.
This woman has done something I am not capable of; I don't see this as my weakness but hers. Forgiveness has its place; we can choose whether or not to forgive an adulterous spouse or fraudulent business partner. We can forgive friends for turning up late for an appointment or forgetting our birthdays. To my mind forgiveness is a special and precious gift we give only to those individuals who we know and care for or for the stranger who unknowingly and unwittingly caused us harm.
There have been cases in the UK press recently where grieving mothers have forgiven their children’s killers and even women who have forgiven their rapists. Why? What factors are at work in society that can produce such a reaction? Undoubtedly the influence of Christianity is a prime force here.
And so it is with the woman in this story. She found faith after reading the Bible and drawing close to Christ and has found it in her heart to forgive the men who did this to her and her people. Good for her. But in a way I feel her humanity has been somewhat diminished rather than enhanced. Refusal to forgive does not mean that one must necessarily stew in hatred and negativity; it just means that you choose not to forgive. Some things simply are unforgivable. Indignation and yes, even anger and hatred, are powerfully human motivators that can slay torpor and complacency, they can spur people to take action against aggressors and violent, evil regimes. There is nothing wrong with hatred in the right place.
Christians say that "to err is human, to forgive Divine". Well excuse me for being human.
Thanks for sharing this "road", but there may be many .
I'm going out on that limb with Nicolaou.
Sure, stories like these may make us feel warm and fuzzy, but what of the perpetrators? Have they recognized the wrongness of their actions and repented? Or, given the opportunity, will they simply do it all over again?
Don't get me wrong. I'm for forgiveness - of those who are truly sorry for their actions. Has an apology been issued for the grievous injustices done to the Vietnamese people as a whole?
So many people believe that being Christian is all about turning the other cheek and letting people roll over you. I disagree with that stance. The 1st and 19th chapters of Revelation show the King of kings and Lord of lords having a sharp sword in HIs possession.
I wonder why that picture is seldom emphasized by the warm and fuzzy camp?
Sylvia
I guess I am in the warm and fuzzy camp today.
Have they recognized the wrongness of their actions and repented?
Is that really important in the process of forgiveness……? I thought that it was the letting go of the anger. The perpetrators may never repent, but to remain angry is only going to effect you to your detriment.
Confession: a friend of mine who looks at this board is going to choke on his biscuit if he reads what I have just written. I don’t forgive nothing. I am the worst grudge holder. Not my best quality….
Sorry for the hypocrisy. But my point is valid, even though I don’t live by it………
I suppose some of the uneasiness I also feel when reading that story comes from the fact that both napalm and the sentence "I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal savior" are well-known products of the same national factory...
