Does forgiveness mean allowing someone to hurt or harm you repeatedly?

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   Peacefullposted 10 years ago

   Does forgiveness mean allowing someone to hurt or harm you repeatedly?
   
   The bible says turn the other cheek. It also says we have to forgive in order for our Father in Heaven to forgive us. How do you end a cycle of mistreatment without it being considered unforgiveness?

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2. 58

   Snøwmanposted 10 years ago

   Jesus said love your enemies, but he never said you shouldn't have enemies. You can forgive someone and still not trust them.

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3. 60

   definitionsposted 10 years ago

   That's not forgiveness, that is omitting to take action!

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4. 0

   sheilamyersposted 10 years ago

   I believe you can forgive people every time they wrong you, but it doesn't mean you have to keep putting yourself in the situation to be constantly harmed by that person. Take domestic abuse as an example. A woman can forgive her abuser for what he's done and not keep telling a lot of other people about how mean he was and so on. That's forgiveness. But she doesn't have to stay in the relationship in order to demonstrate that forgiveness. In a situation like this it's time to say I forgive you but you'll never get another chance to do it again.

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      Faithful Daughterposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree with you Sheila. Forgiveness does not mean one has to stay in an abusive situation.

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   pattyflorenposted 10 years ago

   You can forgive, but you shouldn't let someone continuously mistreat you.

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   temptor94posted 10 years ago

   Forgiving means to not seek revenge. It doesn't mean tolerating abuse. If someone continuously hurts or harms us, that person should be exposed for what he/she is, and we should completely disassociate themselves from such a person. Have absolutely no interaction and nothing else to do with that person.

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      sheilamyersposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I think you summed it up perfectly in the first two sentences.

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   AshleyTamarraposted 10 years ago

   I believe forgiveness is a sign of closure. Forgive and move on. Forgiveness should never be taken as weakness and a window of opportunity for someone to hurt/harm you again. Whatever they did to initially require your forgiveness should be enough for you to leave them be.

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