What is forgiveness?
By thefactsmith
@thefactsmith (29)
United States
October 12, 2011 10:35am CST
To forgive is to take the penalty of the offense off of the offender and to place it on yourself as if it were you that committed the offense. For example, If someone were to apologize to me for totaling my car in a car accident, I could sue them for the total amount needed to repair my vehicle, or I could forgive them and pay the amount as though I had totaled my own car.
Forgiveness is the transfer of guilt from the offender to the offended. Did you know this?
2 responses
@machivado (528)
• Indonesia
12 Oct 11
When we forgive someone, we may have to ask to ourselves, "Do we forgive other people to show them that they need forgiveness?"
There is a price to pay whenever someone do us wrong. To forgive, indeed, is to take up that price upon yourself regardless of what the other person feels or thinks. It is not necessary to know what the other person thinks or feels in order to forgive.
That's the meaning of true forgiveness to me.
@thefactsmith (29)
• United States
12 Oct 11
We do not forgive to show that forgiveness is needed. Some sort of "observed law" is required for there for an offense to be tried. For instance, can you be given a speeding ticket if there is no such laws restricting the speed that you are allowed to drive? No, because that would be unjust. There must first be an observed law.
I agree that it is not necessary to know what the other person thinks or feels in order to forgive. However, It is important to establish repentance. Should a wife forgive her husband time and again for beating her? If she does not have confidence that her husband will change his behavior, it is foolish to continue offering her face as an atonement for his offense.
Would you agree?
@machivado (528)
• Indonesia
12 Oct 11
In secular view I agree, but in Christian view I don't. Well, from what I had been thought and what I had learned, we, as Christians, forgive others because Jesus has forgiven us, not because we expect repentance from those who have wronged us. Therefore, to forgive someone in Christians view can't really be put in psychology class LoL.
@thefactsmith (29)
• United States
12 Oct 11
There is nothing that I can say to you that is going to give you the answer that you want to hear. You write very well. :)
@eljayo (1105)
• Philippines
13 Oct 11
Hi! I think forgiveness is similar to having humility. It is pardoning a person for what he/she has done even without you asking for him. Setting aside the bad things that happened is true forgiveness but let us remember that every bad thing we do has a consequence that we have to face so even if we are forgiven we still have to experience the consequence of our actions.
