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I am not going to fight over the word “forgiveness.” From the best I can make out, you seem to be implying that forgiveness implies that I affirm some kind of repentance/faith on the persons part, and pronounce that since God has declared them not guilty in eternity, I must do so too. While I will disagree, in that this is a HIGHLY selective use of the word, and that it is much broader in its demands on us than that, we could shoot the same rabbit by pointing to the gospel demands that we love those who hate us, that we do good to those who hurt us, that we turn the cheek to those who slap us. I see this as the beauty of the gospel, and the fragrance of Christ in this precious story of a woman who is determined to emulate her savior rather than descend into a panegyric of hatred for those who have murdered her husband. That is clearly closer to the spirit of the Lord than the shriveled, dessicated, sick and twisted professions of hatred for those who killed him. Can’t you agree to that?

panegyric Wow. I had to look that one up.

That is clearly closer to the spirit of the Lord than the shriveled, dessicated, sick and twisted professions of hatred for those who killed him. Can’t you agree to that?

While I'll agree that hatred is usually extremely destructive, I can't in good conscience agree with this concept of blanket forgiveness for people who haven't asked for it, don't seem to want it, and haven't said they won't do it again. Where's the Godliness in that?

These thugs murdered a man because he was a Christian. Then they seem to be extrememly prideful about doing it. You want me to forgive that? Sorry, not gonna happen.

you seem to be implying that forgiveness implies that I affirm some kind of repentance/faith on the persons part

That's not my position, that's the position espoused in Luke. Don't argue with me, take it up with Luke.

I can understand this poor woman not wanting to be consumed by hatred. But to say that she 'forgives' them isn't based on Scripture. It would have been better for her to say that she loved them anyway and that she would pray for them to see the light, repent, and ask for forgiveness from her and from God.

That would be Scripturally based.

And just for the record I don't hate the thugs who murdered this poor man. I just want them dead.