Posted on 09/29/2025 7:50:13 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
When a country runs hot, a single word can cool the air. Not the script cable news expected. In a week when headlines pulsed with anger, a young widow stood before a grieving crowd and chose mercy.
Conservative leader Charlie Kirk was assassinated on Sept. 10 during a Turning Point USA event at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah. Police arrested a 22-year-old, Tyler Robinson, who is accused in the shooting and faces aggravated murder and related charges. The details are grim; the reaction was not.
At Charlie's Memorial, Erika Kirk spoke directly to the darkness with a clarity rooted in faith. “Our Savior said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,’” she told mourners, then added, “That young man … I forgive him.” She also put it plainly: “The answer to hate is not hate… love for our enemies,” and what followed was “revival,” not “revolution.”
Radical in 2025—and refreshingly sane.
Her words didn’t stop at the arena doors. They traveled—unexpectedly—into the heart of someone who had carried a wound for most of his life. I’ll admit, I didn’t see what came next.
From ‘Fox News’:
When Erika Kirk spoke the words on the man who killed her husband — ‘That man … that young man … I forgive him’ — that moment deeply affected me. I have struggled for over 60 years to forgive the man who killed my Dad. I will say those words now as I type: ‘I forgive the man who killed my father.’ Peace be with you all.
The man was Tim Allen. His father was killed by a drunk driver in 1964, when he was just 11—an early loss that complicated his faith for decades.
That a widow’s mercy could help a star, now in his seventies, finally lay down bitterness says more about witness than any speechwriter ever could. Meanwhile, prosecutors intend to seek the death penalty for the accused, according to The Independent—a reminder that forgiveness and accountability can, and should, coexist.
This is the counterculture our grandparents recognized: strength under control, conviction without cruelty, justice pursued without losing our souls. No bureaucracy delivers what forgiveness just did. Does any program heal a fatherless 11-year-old’s bitterness? Exactly.
Many Americans over 50 carry scars—betrayals, losses, old quarrels that calcified into silence. Erika’s choice doesn’t make any of that easy. It simply shows that grace is possible, and when it appears, it changes more than one life at a time.
“Revival, not revolution,” she said. Maybe that starts at the dinner table tonight—with a phone call we’ve postponed, a bitterness we’ve nursed too long. In an age of clenched fists, open hands can still steady a nation—one act of courage, one word of forgiveness, at a time.
SOURCES: Fox News , The Independent
Saw that. Powerful stuff.
Amazing.
I am sorry but I cannot believe in forgiveness.
Example.
In the 1970s a blonde British airline hostess had to stay in a downtown Detroit high rise overnight on a layover. While in her room that night the door was opened and in came six black men who took turns raping her.
After the trial months later, one of them was interviewed in jail by the Detroit Free Press.
The photo had him making a confident, sneering expression. : In the story he said: “People are supposed to be forgiving. She should forgive me and the others. It’s wrong of her that she doesn’t do that.”
Jesus prayed on the cross for God to forgive those who were murdering him in cold blood b3cause “they knew not what they were doing”. Satan was using them to try to thwart Godxs plan for mankind. Little did Satan realize thouhg that God needed Christ to die in order to cover the sins of all who call upon his name (the rrason gets into the whole blood sacrifice, and perfect sinlessness of Christ- thzt is another topic thohgh)
Satan thohght he was defeating God by having Jesus murdered. He was not though, and that is why Jesus prayed the way he did. Even stephen who was stoned to death by an angry crowd prayed for God to forgive them for not knowing what they were doing (yes, they knew they were c9mmitting a crime agaisnt him, but they did not know that his dea5h would,inspire manymof generations to follow God despite the extreme danger of doing so.
This site has a lot of articles discussing problem of evil and why God zllows it- he gets really deep into the issue- just type,in “why god allows evil” into the search if you are interested.
https://christianthinktank.com/
This whole forgiveness business is for the benefit of the person harmed and not the predator. My sister was murdered by her pshychotic husband...a competitive bodybuilder. She didnt have a chance. Kidnapped. Tortured. Shot 3X in the chest. Then he started a fire and blew his brains out. Both burned to dental record identification. I’d still piss on his grave.
Forgiveness is a blessing from Jesus. If we don’t forgive those who have wronged us, anger, bitterness and resentment will eat away at your soul like a cancer - and the culprit won’t feel a thing.
If they knew what they were doing (or saying), they wouldn’t do that.
If a jealous 2 YO intentionally pushed his baby sister down the stairs as soon as he got the chance, he meant to do just that, but he didn’t have any idea what he was doing.
Plenty of chronological adults are nothing more that easily triggered, self-serving 2 year olds. Of course it’s orders of magnitude worse, because “adults” are capable of plotting and causing way more destruction.
Not excusing their behavior, rather acknowledging that their actions are de facto evidence that something is not right in the head.
They don’t have any concept of civility or basic humanity, and have no reason to think it’s an important skillset. It’s rightful to pursue justice in this life.
Eventually, the bill comes due, whether they “got away with it” in this life or not. Evil gets plenty of time on Earth to catch on and then live by the Golden Rule.
Repentance IS Revolutionary.
Heinous crimes against the physical body attract the most attention, but a lot of soul-killing beatdowns go on with seeming impunity, done in the name of “doing God’s work” or “defending the faith”, as if that faith is in God.
Sin-sniffing wolves operate on animal instinct; they don’t know any different. They start out as cute nibbling pups, all cuddly-wuddly. Yet the programming is in there for surrounding the sheep heretics and tearing them to shreds, when that becomes “necessary”.
If the demoralization teams really had any idea at all what they were doing, they definitely wouldn’t be doing that.
Matthew 10:28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
forgiveness is for healing
but the offender still gets consequences
Tim Allen is one of the good guys in Hollywood. Can’t wait until the season premiere of Shifting Gears tomorrow. It will be an adult Home Improvement reunion.
Tim Allen is one of the good guys in Hollywood. Can’t wait until the season premiere of Shifting Gears tomorrow. It will be an adult Home Improvement reunion.
How can I forgive those who sin against me?
https://www.gotquestions.org/forgiveness.html
Erika was interviewed in the days before Charlie’s funeral. She said she would not seek the death penalty because she wants to get into Heaven to see Charlie again. She probably forgave the killer for the same reason.
I still hate some people I haven’t seen in 40 years. For all I know they are dead.
That hate is part of my being and it helps me remember a valuable lesson. I don’t dwell on it everyday, but I do remember.
I respect those who can forgive those who did them wrong.
I am NOT one of those people. My motto is God forgives, I don’t.
Thank you.
Forgiveness is for the forgiver - not for those they forgive...when you forgive a dirty so-and-so, you remove the bile that eats at your own soul and you do nothing for the one you forgive...
Depends. There are different kinds. Christ’s forgiveness was pretty much for those he forgave.
So for example if I forgive your fault I won’t hold it against you. I won’t make you pay or make you feel small.
“Depends. There are different kinds. Christ’s forgiveness was pretty much for those he forgave.”
Exactly - when we forgive someone, it doesn’t absolve them of their sins, but it makes us feel better - but Christ’s forgiveness has an impact on those He forgives...
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