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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 6:04 pm
If you say you forgive someone but then think less of them and more of yourself, you haven't truly forgiven them. The whole point of forgiveness is humility and compassion. I believe God knows what is in a person's heart and whether they are genuine in their forgiveness.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 6:17 pm
(This post was last modified: December 11, 2015 at 6:18 pm by The Grand Nudger.)
Why would it matter if he knew who was "true in their hearts"? There are only two people who that matters to, why are you even horning your god into such a personal and private moment between two people having nothing to do with him? Christ, busybody gods breed busybody believers.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:02 pm
Forgiveness for a crime of that magnitude would be out of the question for me. I'd go out of my way to ensure that the remainder of his life was marked by as much pain and suffering as possible, and that his eventual death would be as traumatic and gruesome as the state would permit. Even though I'm certainly capable of forgiveness, I won't even entertain the notion of it, if someone fucks with me or anyone I care about past a certain point.
And that point is way ahead of rape and murder.
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:06 pm
(December 11, 2015 at 6:17 pm)Rhythm Wrote: Why would it matter if he knew who was "true in their hearts"? There are only two people who that matters to, why are you even horning your god into such a personal and private moment between two people having nothing to do with him? Christ, busybody gods breed busybody believers.
Dr Fuzzy brought Christianity into the discussion, so my post was to him.
"Of course, everyone will claim they respect someone who tries to speak the truth, but in reality, this is a rare quality. Most respect those who speak truths they agree with, and their respect for the speaking only extends as far as their realm of personal agreement. It is less common, almost to the point of becoming a saintly virtue, that someone truly respects and loves the truth seeker, even when their conclusions differ wildly."
-walsh
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:09 pm
Personally I think forgiveness is a wonderful thing.
But it doesn't mean you have to allow toxic people to stay in your life. I've learned this the hard way.
You don't have to tolerate someone, no matter how much you forgive them or how much they apologize. In fact, not even if they change - if you don't want to risk them going back to being as horrific as they have been in the past you don't have to.
I'm not talking about exclusively criminals here, I'm talking about jerks and assholes and other toxic people.
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:17 pm
For me to label someone as 'my enemy', they would have to have done something so egregious that forgiveness can't be part of the picture. I can forgive the person who deliberately short-changed me at the fruit market. I can't forgive the people who planted the bomb that killed twelve of my countrymen and cost me one of my eyes. I hope these people are still alive and suffering every day. I wish them long, miserable lives, and for them to die alone, unmourned and unloved.
I do not forget, I do not forgive.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:25 pm
The ability to forgive is often a therapeutic way for the offended to deal with the psych trauma. In most cases the offender couldn't give a rats ass if their forgiven. All they want is to not have been caught and or punished.
With forgiveness the offended has a way to not have to live with the ordeal. The anger, sadness, guilt, whatever.......... for the rest of their lives. They get a chance to move on. I don't think it's a case of feeling superior. I think it's an acceptable part of the grief process.
I don't have an anger problem, I have an idiot problem.
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:30 pm
(December 11, 2015 at 7:06 pm)Catholic_Lady Wrote: Dr Fuzzy brought Christianity into the discussion, so my post was to him.
Dr. Fuzzy is a her.
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:30 pm
A big reason that he taught forgiving your enemies is because he thought the world was going to end within the next decade or so. That's also why he told his followers to give away everything they owned and don't worry about the future. I wonder if he'd be saying that if he was aware that we'd still be around for thousands of years afterward.
I suppose it's good to forgive someone who genuinely repents and works to make up for their bad deeds, and even if they don't you don't want your anger to burn you up inside. There's an old saying that anger is like a hot coal that you hold in your hand, planning to throw it at someone.
Forgive, but don't forget. You don't want to go as faar as some things Jesus wanted people to do, but you don't want to let it go too far the other way either.
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RE: Loving and forgiving your enemies
December 11, 2015 at 7:30 pm
But I don't want to have to 'not live with the ordeal'. I want to keep alive the anger and hatred that, if these people are ever found out, will compel me to be first in line to skin them alive with a rusty file.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
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