Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisbon
I know this is likely to be considered escapism but...
Are we really asked to forgive wolves? Are we commanded to forgive all murderers, thieves, popes? The first church I was in after marriage had a pastor who was gay. His son was very angry at the revelation. I knew he was effeminate but never once thought him to be gay. Is his son to go to his father and say my sister I want to let you know that we still love you as our father so be at peace. By the way that isn't what happened.
But isn't that what happened with PL? It would appear GG, EM, MC all apologized for offending PL. Here I almost agree. PL was never in the church there so how could he be put out... Weird!
Didn't The Lord tell Peter that if his brother came to asking forgiveness 490 times he was to forgive. This forgiveness thing is not so simple.
I know I have trouble praying the BBs. I still pray for friends in the LC I used to be with but I am far to small, little, whatever to pray for the whole world.
Lisbon
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Actually, forgiveness does not let them off the hook. It actually releases the one doing the forgiving from the residuals of anger and even hatred that can fester. Forgiveness is, among other things, the willingness to give the right to punish back to God.
And forgiveness, despite Lee's stories about forgetting, is not forgetting. It is to release the anger and the hurt. But it does not mean that you have to just let them do it all over again. Someone who has continually hurt you should be forgiven. But you do not have the obligation to let them near enough to you to do it again. It is a tricky thing. And not simple. We often talk about it like it is simple. But to forgive yet put barriers between us may be just exactly what is required.