Can you forgive someone yet seek justice against them at the same time?

[Cyberman]

I was just wandering. Can you say(and actually do) that you have forgiven someone but then go to the police or other authority and make a complaint against them for something that they have done to you or someone else.

I would say that the only way you can achieve that is if you do it for the reasons of helping them and you. If you do it purely out if revenge then you have not forgiven. Then you are just trying to hurt in return. By helping others, I would say is helping your self, also you might free yourself from some sort of injustice that's ongoing.

Thoughts?

Thanks

I would say it depends on the persons involved. The act of forgiving a transgression, just as with an apology, carries an implicit agreement that it won't happen again. Were I to forgive a person for some act for which they wanted my forgiveness, and then they went off and did it again to me or someone else, then the forgiveness clearly was nothing more than a conscious salve at best, or an attempt to defuse some retaliatory act on my part at worst. In such a case I would indeed take appropriate action including informing the authorities if necessary. I wouldn't do it simply as a means of hurting the other person. Whatever else may be said of me, I don't think I'd be so petty.

I can think of a few people who have caused me serious hurt in recent years, that is serious enough to get the police involved. One of these cases I can never forgive; even if the person concerned crawled on their knees across broken glass, I would still spit in their face. Yet in another case, I have since forgiven the person concerned and we have become fast friends.

Is this the sort of thing you wanted?