What forgiveness is

If there is an afterlife, then they obviously can.

There is an element of that, yes, but I believe it may be a mistake to see it as being all just for the benefit of the forgiver.

That sounds like some new age hokey-pokey feel-good crap.

No one actually really believes that or it would be reflected in how government deals with these situations.

 

I think forgiveness is more of an act self interest that prevents one from dwelling on having been wronged and aids one in trying to understand the perspective of whomever wronged them.
I also think justice can be done with forgiveness. While it would be admirable for the rape victim to try to understand what caused their rapist to do it instead of hate them and ultimately to realize they are just another (perhaps more severely) flawed human, it would still tend to be wise to lock the rapist away.

 

You people are totally ignoring the role of government here. You're acting like religion/morality is completely separate from government.

I'll put it to you this way: Imagine you are the Emperor and you alone are responsible for making the decisions about dispensing justice.
In that situation, what would it mean if you forgave someone?

And you are ignoring the whole point. My thesis in this thread is that forgiveness involves that individual not getting the justice they deserve.

 

I guess I don't see that two are linked. Govt should be interested in preserving order, which should have nothing to do with forgiveness or vengeance.

 

I think that's just an excuse. Government dispensing justice is not really "all just about order".
You can see this in courtrooms. There's clearly an animus about "justice" and retribution.
There is very much an inherent emotional element.

 

There certainly is.

But there shouldn't be. The last thing I want from govt is moral judgements. Courts are made up of humans, so of course the more heinous crimes are going to illicit emotional response even from those who are supposed to be impartial. But the less of it, the better.

 

What if Jesus would not forgive, but Maria would? Would he then avoid afterlife punishment?

 

Forgiving does not mean that the person who did something wrong will not face the consequence of what he did. I agree that forgiveness is for the forgiver.

 

On earth the law of reaping and sowing most often applies. Forgiveness has little to do with that. Forgiveness is for the forgiver. The Law of Grace is another thing.

 

If there is an afterlife then the decision is up to heavenly authorities. At least in my opinion.
What I said about forgiveness isn’t new age crap, it’s a way to move on and not let the actions of others ruin your life.

You said not to mention justice here on earth.. it’s obvious people need to pay for crimes for other people’s safety.
So then what does government have to do with forgiveness?

 

Agreed - forgiveness is a benefit to the forgiver far more than the forgiven. Carrying around resentment or hatred for another and their actions is unhealthy. Forget about 'the divine' - we should all do ourselves a great favor and forgive those who have wronged us.

And forgiving someone does and should not absolve them of the consequences for their actions. That is up to the law to decide.

 

That’s why the justice system needs so many checks and balances, to make sure the punishment fits the crime. Even then it fails a lot

 

https://answersingenesis.org/answers/biblical-authority-devotional/do-i-have-to-forgive-others/