Posted on 04/26/2020 7:38:07 AM PDT by L.A.Justice
My betrayer’s life ended many, many moons ago and never repented.
In fact, the betrayer took great pride of their action.
THAT, is why forgiveness is most difficult.
Then please find a way to not let it color you and ask God for help on carrying your burden.
I’m sorry you have had such a difficult situation for so long.
“I would support death penalty for somebody who committed such a crime.”
Positively, even for the criminally insane.
Forgiveness is not for the benefit of the transgressor. It is for the benefit of the person who forgives. It frees them from harmful emotions that eat away at them when they don’t forgive. It does not remove grief or pain of loss or betrayal.
Forgiveness is distinct from justice and does not remove the responsibility to atone for the act from the transgressor.
The person can be let go from living in your head with forgiveness! Who would want the actions of a vile person living on in their head?
As a Christian I support Drew in forgiveness. It does not mean that wouldn’t support a death penalty for a murderer. It galls me that the Dem governors are letting murderers out to do it again.
Don’t mistake personal forgiveness for justice. There is a big difference and needs to be understood. Drew Carey forgave the man so he could move on with his life in some fashion. Not exonerating the man for the crime.
There’s no almost death penalty, very little justice in our courts, and they want to disarm us so we can have this happen more often. What’s to forgive?
There’s something wrong here...
In this case, Carey can only forgive the murderer for the pain and suffering the murderer caused Carey. Carey cannot "forgive" the murderer for the murder because it did not happen to him. Only the victim herself or, of course, God can forgive the murderer for his crime.
But simply "forgiving" is not enough (although can clearly help the "forgiver"). The "process of forgiveness" also requires that the offender must admit what they did and must acknowledge the harm it has done to others and they must ask for forgiveness. Of course, the offender must then repent and be held accountable even if forgiven.
Then Jesus, the Creator of you and me......is a coward. I don’t think that is going to ring true when you are before him.
Some are Satan’s children, yes. But Genesis makes it clear that all humans bare the image of God, and there is a dignity in that.
“Many, many moons ago someone very close betrayed me...and to this day I simply cannot forgive”
I know the feeling. Sometimes a reacquaintance whether planned or not, or something that happens, can make it not bother you anymore.
For me, it not bothering me anymore is the important thing. After getting to that point you can contemplate forgiveness.
Thanks for your comments....but see my post #41
Forgiving someone of something like that, and seeing that this person never kills again are two different topics.
I’ve become convinced there are some people who need killing. People who should not be born.
However, when you invest the State with the power to kill, it makes the argument for a fundamental right to life hollow.
I don’t think abortion should be legal, period. I do believe in an INDIVIDUAL right to self-defense. There is justifiable homicide. There is also righteous war.
It’s a complex question, I guess.
I would say we are in agreement. My earlier posts were based on the fact that the sinner had not asked for forgiveness at all. Carey’s remark reminded me of the Jewish woman who forgave Dr. Mengele for what he did to her and her family at Auschwitz. Needless to say, this created some anger on the part of other survivors as Mengele had never asked for such.
Corrie Ten Boom did as well, who both were in Auschwitz but hre sister did not survive the atrocities there.
I know that I would not be capable of that type of forgiveness without a heavy dose of the Lord guiding that.
+1
5.56mm
Indeed. I’m thinking more along the lines of how 1 person can forgive a murderer on “behalf” of many others.
There was a time I simply would not forgive an individual...but I had family members pushing hard that I do even if that individual didn’t ask for it. Eventually I squared it off with the Lord, and before the Lord I forgave the individual but only because Jesus asked that I do. It was an act of obedience to the Lord....and sufficient.
I cannot Imagine any one person has the say to forgive a murder on behalf of others....it is not there place, and in fact steals those individuals right to come to the place of their own for that.
Only Jesus can call out to God for forgiveness of people as a group as he did at the cross.
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