I write about culture and community, faith and family, humor and sometimes heartache. If you agree with what I write, be in touch; if you disagree, just wait for me to be in touch with you. Actually, feel free to read, reflect and respond.
Monday, July 21, 2008
Religion and forgiveness
How is it that religious beliefs and religious people both foster and frustrate forgiveness? That's one of the questions I've been asked to write and speak about.
As Paul said - I do the things I don't want to do and the things I don't want to do, I do.
We want to forgive, but then stew about some wrong that's been committed against us. We want to be loving, but we shut ourselves off from others.
I think where we people of faith get in trouble is when we forget that we are as likely to be unforgiving as we are to be forgiving. We try to hide or cover up our failures to be who we're called to be. It becomes a vicious cycle of hiding our failures, which makes it impossible to get support from the community to over come our failures, and around and around.
At least that's what I think right at this moment. What are you going to say?
1 comment:
Sin, right?
As Paul said - I do the things I don't want to do and the things I don't want to do, I do.
We want to forgive, but then stew about some wrong that's been committed against us. We want to be loving, but we shut ourselves off from others.
I think where we people of faith get in trouble is when we forget that we are as likely to be unforgiving as we are to be forgiving. We try to hide or cover up our failures to be who we're called to be. It becomes a vicious cycle of hiding our failures, which makes it impossible to get support from the community to over come our failures, and around and around.
At least that's what I think right at this moment. What are you going to say?
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