Is forgiveness right when violence occures?

1. 60

   nightwork4posted 12 years ago

   Is forgiveness right when violence occures?
   
   if someone murders another person, should they ever be forgiven ?

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2. 0

   Fay Paxtonposted 12 years ago

   Forgiveness is always right.  Forgiving doesn't mean you caress someone and take them back into the fold.  It means you accept that man has flaws and that sometimes those flaws are harmful.  Holding a grudge doesn't harm anyone but the one who is holding it.

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3. 59

   Kaniel Loughranposted 12 years ago

   That is an incredibly complex moral dilemma. There are two sides to the matter. On one hand you should know the circumstances and on the other, the person. Mental instability plays a factor. If the killer could not possibly be aware of his actions, can you really hold him accountable? If they show no remorse then I say fair game in holding a grudge. But if you are into any sort of enlightened thinking, you would consider the notion that by holding a grudge and not forgiving them, you must also carry the burden equally. If the killer is sentenced to jail and you think about it every day, you are living a perpetual life of self-imprisonment yourself. Forgive them and forget about them. They will rot in jail and you will be free to move on to better your life. It is nearly impossible when losing a loved one, but it is something viable in the end.

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   reeltaulkposted 12 years ago

   Just because you have not forgiven someone doesn't mean that you are holding a grudge.  How does one come to such a conclusion!?!?!?!  People choose to forgive for whatever their reasons are as they are never the same

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5. 61

   mariale2003posted 12 years ago

   You should forgive to clean yourself to give you a chance to move foward for good...everybody want to live happy and one of the secrets of the happiness is forgive, is hard, uneasy but happend and we you are walking in that field you'll see how different your life will be.  thank you

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6. 60

   NorthEast Timberposted 12 years ago

   I kind of think the whole forgiveness thing is a little too PC.  I do not beleive in revenge and I beleive you have to give yourself permission to get over it, but to forgive someone who purposely hurt and killed someone else?  I think they are the ones who should ask for forgiveness.  Arent' we just telling them "Oh hey it's ok I know you've had a tough life and killing someone is ok when you've been through what you have. "  I think not.  What's wrong with making them take responsibility for their actions?  My ability to move on does not rest upon my forgiveness of someone who murders.   
   
   Or why not just let all the murderers and rapists and child molesters out of prison, I mean if you forgive them it must be because they are victims too, and wouldn't that be condoning violence?   Couldn't they say it was cruel to forgive them and then still keep them incarcerated.
   
   I've had tough times too, but I don't commit crimes or take someone's life.  We need to be responsible for ourselve and make others do the same.  Forgiveness for violence makes them the victim.  I can get that same satisfaction by helping someone who hasn't murdered.  And that is more satisfying because you just may keep them from doing that.  Where if you waste precious time on the past you miss your chance to maybe save someones future.

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7. 59

   Felixedet2000posted 12 years ago

   It is very right, the Bible admonishes us to forgive one another, and forgiveness is only in view when wrong doing or violence is in view too.

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8. 81

   Wesman Todd Shawposted 12 years ago

   Hey, an eye for an eye makes the whole world half blind at the least.

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9. 0

   vinsanityposted 12 years ago

   It depends on how severe the violence was. If I were to murder someone then I really don't think i should be forgiven. I have no right in deciding who lives and who dies.

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10. 61

    Pollyannalanaposted 12 years ago

    The scripture says forgive as many times as you are asked, 20 x 20 even, if no one asks...past that I think is God's business and not mine to forgive. If we don't confess we can't be forgiven. God can't if they or we don't confess (His law) so are we greater than God to decide? I think God's word is quite simple. It means what it says, we just have to know what that is.

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    1morningposted 12 years ago

    Fortunately forgiving and forgetting are two different things.  You can forgive someone and still hold them accountable for their choices.  Forgiving is for yourself.  Holding on to the pain and anger poisons your life and keeps you from being able to grow and move on.  My son was murdered in 2007.  Without the ability to forgive his killers I would never be able to find joy again, I would be stuck in the pain.  I know that my son would not want that for me.  I can forgive them because it is healthy and good for me.  I'm pretty certain that whether I forgive them or not is meaningless to them.

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