tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post5328696991219920515..comments2024-02-29T18:12:52.050-05:00Comments on Extra Thoughts: A New Thought on ForgivenessLydia McGrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-15115118210805442932008-01-31T20:33:00.000-05:002008-01-31T20:33:00.000-05:00Yeah, I know. It was an obvious sort of thing. I s...Yeah, I know. It was an obvious sort of thing. I shouldn't have needed more arguments. I think the temptation to think that it isn't obvious comes from the fact that when a friendship is messed up or broken up, forgiveness doesn't actually mean that everything just goes back to where it was before. That's not the way human nature works, on either side. The temptation is to take the sheer fact of feelings of discomfort, distance, and absence of communication as an excuse for saying, "So I guess I really haven't forgiven so-and-so, and I can't make myself feel towards him as I did before, so I can't forgive him, so, oh, well, might as well not bother." And then to think up elaborate excuses like the argument I gave about God and being cleansed from sin, for example. All of which is baloney. It's perfectly possible to forgive someone while still feeling uncomfortable about hanging around with him.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-17313742393952380202008-01-31T03:21:00.000-05:002008-01-31T03:21:00.000-05:00Didn't Christ say, "Love your enemies, and do good...Didn't Christ say, "Love your enemies, and do good to those who persecute you...but only after they've apologized?"William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-11151695522829087892008-01-28T20:34:00.000-05:002008-01-28T20:34:00.000-05:00:-)Not my favorite conclusion to come to, either. ...:-)<BR/><BR/>Not my favorite conclusion to come to, either. Not, I might add, that this has any relevance to what the civil authority should do in defense and retribution for the innocent. This is about personal forgiveness.Lydia McGrewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00423567323116960820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20704380.post-16615995463013258362008-01-27T20:02:00.000-05:002008-01-27T20:02:00.000-05:00Damn. This is unwelcome news.Damn. This is unwelcome news.William Lusehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15928946919078483848noreply@blogger.com