by cofty 111 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
So when a christian says "I forgive you" it has nothing at all to do with actions towards the murderer but simply a decision to suppress feelings of anger?
Isn't that a cop out?
What if the court said to the relatives that they had complete jurisdiction in what happens to the criminal. What would forgiveness mean then?
I think they mean to forgive him in an emotional sense and not a physical/social/judiciary sense. Or that the forgiveness is of the "spirit relm" where they toss all their cares and concerns, you know, up to the sky with God so they don't actually have to think about shit.
If someone hits my car and apologizes but the damages are high, I might forgive them for their mistake at that moment once we have talked things out but I would still expect them or their insurance to pay for my car. Does this mean I haven't forgiven their action? hmm
To forgive can mean to stop feeling angry OR it can mean to cancel a debt. It's not always both meanings simultaneously.
I find all of this very muddle-headed. Has christian forgiveness really become nothing more than common-sense advice not to be eaten up with bitterness? Who needs a religion to tell you that? That is nothing more than self-help.
My hypothetical question is a serious one.
What if the law asked the victim's relatives to decide the punishment?
What would forgiveness mean then?
They're in shock.
Gentledawn - Yes of course. But months down the line people will still be talking about how it's christian to forgive the murderer.
I want to investigate what that means. I think it's empty words.
If the law allowed for victims or families of victims to decide punishment you would likely see just as many versions of justice as there are definitions of forgiveness.
So you agree that, beyond self-help - it is meaningless rhetoric?
If there is forgiveness there can be no justice.
