Replies

He forgave them and beseeched God to do likewise, following the example of his Lord, who on the cross prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34).

This appears at first to be a paradox (Overt malice? Of course they know what they are doing.) but truly, if they knew what they were doing, they wouldn't do that.

Examples:

Balak causing Balaam to bless Israel three times instead of curse (well if he hadn't have hired him in the first place...)

Pharaoh providing Moses with all the wisdom of the Egyptians (well if Pharaoh hadn't have put out a death decree which set Moses in the palace...)

Haman causing a kingdom-wide clean out of all the Jew-haters, he and his sons included (well if he hadn't have had been playing Wile E. Coyote...)

Power and money-hungry religious taskmasters causing the truth to spread far and wide (if they hadn't have killed and buried it, it wouldn't have germinated...)

Political theater: not really a metaphor.

Concerning the Obamas and the Clintons... why not forgive these poor dumb vile creatures. Because if they knew what they were *really* doing, they wouldn't do that. :)