Forgiveness

Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and/or ceasing to demand punishment or restitution. The Oxford English Dictionary defines forgiveness as 'to grant free pardon and to give up all claim on account of an offense or debt'. The concept and benefits of forgiveness have been explored in religious thought, the social sciences and medicine. Forgiveness may be considered simply in terms of the person who forgives including forgiving themselves, in terms of the person forgiven and/or in terms of the relationship between the forgiver and the person forgiven. In some contexts, forgiveness may be granted without any expectation of restorative justice, and without any response on the part of the offender (for example, one may forgive a person who is incommunicado or dead). In practical terms, it may be necessary for the offender to offer some form of acknowledgment, apology, and/or restitution, or even just ask for forgiveness, in order for the wronged person to believe himself able to forgive.

Dr. Robert Enright from the University of Wisconsin–Madison founded the International Forgiveness Institute and is considered the initiator of forgiveness studies. He developed a 20-Step Process Model of Forgiveness. Recent work has focused on what kind of person is more likely to be forgiving. A longitudinal study showed that people who were generally more neurotic, angry and hostile in life were less likely to forgive another person even after a long time had passed. Specifically, these people were more likely to still avoid their transgressor and want to enact revenge upon them four and a half years after the transgression.

Studies show that people who forgive are happier and healthier than those who hold resentments. The first study to look at how forgiveness improves physical health discovered that when people think about forgiving an offender it leads to improved functioning in their cardiovascular and nervous systems. Another study at the University of Wisconsin found the more forgiving people were, the less they suffered from a wide range of illnesses. The less forgiving people reported a greater number of health problems.

Dr. Fred Luskin co-founded the Stanford University Forgiveness Project for research and training around practical forgiveness. He asserts that most grievances emerge when (1) personal offense and (2) blaming others for our feelings solidifies into (3) a "grievance story" which intrudes on quality of life. The Stanford research shows that forgiveness can be learned, largely by recognizing and abandoning "unenforceable rules" and sharing the depth of one's pain with a few trusted people. In three separate studies, including one with Catholics and Protestants from Northern Ireland whose family members were murdered in the political violence, he found that people who are taught how to forgive become less angry, feel less hurt, are more optimistic, become more forgiving in a variety of situations, and become more compassionate and self-confident. His studies show a reduction in experience of stress, physical manifestations of stress, and an increase in vitality.

One study has shown that the positive benefit of forgiveness is similar whether it was based upon religious or secular counseling as opposed to a control group that received no forgiveness counseling.

Forgiveness after people lie has been linked to activation of the right ventromedial prefrontal cortex.

Religious/Spiritual views

Bahá'í Faith

In the Bahá'í Writings, this explanation is given of how to be forgiving towards others:

"Love the creatures for the sake of God and not for themselves. You will never become angry or impatient if you love them for the sake of God. Humanity is not perfect. There are imperfections in every human being, and you will always become unhappy if you look toward the people themselves. But if you look toward God, you will love them and be kind to them, for the world of God is the world of perfection and complete mercy. Therefore, do not look at the shortcomings of anybody; see with the sight of forgiveness."
— `Abdu'l-Bahá, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 92

Buddhism

In Buddhism, forgiveness is seen as a practice to prevent harmful thoughts from causing havoc on one’s mental well-being. Buddhism recognizes that feelings of hatred and ill-will leave a lasting effect on our mind karma. Instead, Buddhism encourages the cultivation of thoughts that leave a wholesome effect. "In contemplating the law of karma, we realize that it is not a matter of seeking revenge but of practicing mettā and forgiveness, for the victimizer is, truly, the most unfortunate of all. When resentments have already arisen, the Buddhist view is to calmly proceed to release them by going back to their roots. Buddhism centers on release from delusion and suffering through meditation and receiving insight into the nature of reality. Buddhism questions the reality of the passions that make forgiveness necessary as well as the reality of the objects of those passions. "If we haven’t forgiven, we keep creating an identity around our pain, and that is what is reborn. That is what suffers."

Buddhism places much emphasis on the concepts of Mettā (loving kindness), karuna (compassion), mudita (sympathetic joy), and upekkhā (equanimity), as a means to avoiding resentments in the first place. These reflections are used to understand the context of suffering in the world, both our own and the suffering of others.

: “He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’ — in those who harbor such thoughts hatred will never cease.” : “He abused me, he struck me, he overcame me, he robbed me’ — in those who do not harbor such thoughts hatred will cease.” : (Dhammapada 1.3-4; trans. Radhakrishnan)

Christianity

– “The Return of the Prodigal Son]]

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of the importance of Christians forgiving or showing mercy towards others. The Parable of the Prodigal Son and the Parable of the unforgiving servant are perhaps the best known instances of such teaching and practice of forgiveness.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus repeatedly spoke of forgiveness, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Matthew 5:7 (NIV) “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” Matthew 5:23-24 (NIV) “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 (NIV) “But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also.” Luke 6:27-29 (NIV) “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:36 (NIV) “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 (NIV)

Elsewhere, it is said, "Then Peter came and said to Him, 'Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?' Jesus said to him, 'I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.'" Matthew 18:21-22 (NAS)

Jesus asked for God's forgiveness of those who crucified him. "And Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'" Luke 23: 34 (ESV) (Note: Some religions, such as the LDS church interpret this to be spoken toward the soldiers who nailed him to the cross, who truly did not know who Jesus was.)

In his time, Jesus created controversy among the Pharisees, when he told people their sins were forgiven. "The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, 'Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?'" Luke 5:21 (NIV) See Atonement in Christianity and Repentance and Biblical law in Christianity.

The Christian statement on forgiveness is best demonstrated in the Gospel message itself, namely that God the Father, chose to forgive mankind not for their own merit, but by unmerited favor. Unlike other religions, a Christian's forgiveness is given because of Christ's sacrifice, and can not be deserved by any works done by the believer. Out of the basis of this forgiveness, believers are motivated to forgive all debts without recompense because of their debt Christ forgave at His own expense.

Hinduism

The concept of performing atonement from one's wrongdoing (Prayaschitta — Sanskrit: Penance), and asking for forgiveness is very much a part of the practice of Hinduism. Prayashitta is related to the law of Karma. Karma is a sum of all that an individual has done, is currently doing and will do. The effects of those deeds and these deeds actively create present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain in others.

Addressing Dhritarashtra, Vidura said: "There is one only defect in forgiving persons, and not another; that defect is that people take a forgiving person to be weak. That defect, however, should not be taken into consideration, for forgiveness is a great power. Forgiveness is a virtue of the weak, and an ornament of the strong. Forgiveness subdues (all) in this world; what is there that forgiveness cannot achieve? What can a wicked person do unto him who carries the sabre of forgiveness in his hand? Fire falling on the grassless ground is extinguished of itself. And unforgiving individual defiles himself with many enormities. Righteousness is the one highest good; and forgiveness is the one supreme peace; knowledge is one supreme contentment; and benevolence, one sole happiness." (From the Mahabharata, Udyoga Parva Section XXXIII, Translated by Sri Kisari Mohan Ganguli).

An even more authoritative statement about forgiveness is espoused by Krishna, who is considered to be an incarnation (avatar) of Vishnu by Hindus. Krishna said in the Gita that forgiveness is one of the characteristics of one born for a divine state. It is noteworthy that he distinguishes those good traits from those he considered to be demoniac, such as pride, self-conceit and anger (Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 16, verse 3).

Village priests may open their temple ceremonies with the following beloved invocation:

O Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations: Thou art everywhere, but I worship you here; Thou art without form, but I worship you in these forms; Thou needest no praise, yet I offer you these prayers and salutations, Lord, forgive three sins that are due to my human limitations.

Islam

Islam teaches that God (Allah in Arabic) is 'The Most Forgiving', and is the original source of all forgiveness. Forgiveness often requires the repentance of those being forgiven. Depending on the type of wrong committed, forgiveness can come either directly from Allah, or from one's fellow man who received the wrong. In the case of divine forgiveness, the asking for divine forgiveness via repentance is important. In the case of human forgiveness, it is important to both forgive, and to be forgiven.

: God does not forgive idol worship (if maintained until death), and He forgives lesser offenses for whomever He wills. Anyone who idolizes any idol beside God has strayed far astray. (Qur'an 4:116)

But if he returns to God and pleads sincerely for forgiveness and abandons worshiping other than the one and only God, He will be forgiven.

The Qur'an never allows for violent behavior on the part of Muslim believers, except in the cases of defending one's religion, one's life, or one's property. Outside of this, the Qur'an makes no allowances for violent behavior. From time to time certain Muslims have interpreted such Qur'anic allowances for "defensive violence" to include what other Muslims have viewed more as unwarranted and overly aggressive violence. This interpretative debate about when to forgive and when to aggressively attack or defend continues to this day within the Muslim community.

The Qur'an makes it clear that, whenever possible, it is better to forgive another than to attack another. The Qur'an describes the believers (Muslims) as those who, avoid gross sins and vice, and when angered they forgive. (Qur'an 42:37) and says that Although the just requital for an injustice is an equivalent retribution, those who pardon and maintain righteousness are rewarded by GOD. He does not love the unjust. (Qur'an 42:40).

To receive forgiveness from God there are three requirements:

# Recognizing the offense itself and its admission before God. # Making a commitment not to repeat the offense. # Asking for forgiveness from God.

If the offense was committed against another human being, or against society, a fourth condition is added:

# Recognizing the offense before those against whom offense was committed and before God. # Committing oneself not to repeat the offense. # Doing whatever needs to be done to rectify the offense (within reason) and asking pardon of the offended party. # Asking God for forgiveness.

There are no particular words to say for asking forgiveness. However, Muslims are taught many phrases and words to keep repeating daily asking God's forgiveness. For example:

* Astaghfiru-Allah, "I ask forgiveness from Allah"

Subhanaka-Allah humma wa bi hamdika wa ash-hadu al la Ilaha illa Anta astaghfiruka wa atubu ilayk, "Glory be to You, Allah, and with You Praise (thanks) and I bear witness that there is no deity but You, I ask Your forgiveness and I return to You (in obedience)".

Islamic teaching presents the Prophet Muhammad as an example of someone who would forgive others for their ignorance, even those who might have once considered themselves to be his enemies. One example of Muhammad's practice of forgiveness can be found in the Hadith, the body of early Islamic literature about the life of Muhammad. This account is as follows:
The Prophet was the most forgiving person. He was ever ready to forgive his enemies. When he went to Ta’if to preach the message of Allah, its people mistreated him, abused him and hit him with stones. He left the city humiliated and wounded. When he took shelter under a tree, the angel of Allah visited him and told him that Allah sent him to destroy the people of Ta’if because of their sin of maltreating their Prophet. Muhammad prayed to Allah to save the people of Ta'if, because what they did was out of their ignorance.

Jainism

In Jainism, forgiveness is one of the main virtues that needs to be cultivated by the Jains. Kṣamāpanā or supreme forgiveness forms part of one of the ten characteristics of dharma. In the Jain prayer, (pratikramana) Jains repeatedly seek forgiveness from various creatures—even from ekindriyas or single sensed beings like plants and microorganisms that they may have harmed while eating and doing routine activities. Forgiveness is asked by uttering the phrase, Micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ. Micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ is a Prakrit language phrase literally meaning "may all the evil that has been done be fruitless." During samvatsari—the last day of Jain festival paryusana—Jains utter the phrase Micchami Dukkadam after pratikraman. As a matter of ritual, they personally greet their friends and relatives micchāmi dukkaḍaṃ seeking their forgiveness. No private quarrel or dispute may be carried beyond samvatsari, and letters and telephone calls are made to the outstation friends and relatives asking their forgiveness.

Pratikraman also contains the following prayer:

Khāmemi savva-jīve savvë jive khamantu me /

metti me savva-bhūesu, veraṃ mejjha na keṇavi //

(I ask pardon of all creatures, may all creatures pardon me.

May I have friendship with all beings and enmity with none.)

In their daily prayers and samayika, Jains recite Iryavahi sutra seeking forgiveness from all creatures while involved in routine activities:

May you, O Revered One! Voluntarily permit me. I would like to confess my sinful acts committed while walking. I honour your permission. I desire to absolve myself of the sinful acts by confessing them. I seek forgiveness from all those living beings which I may have tortured while walking, coming and going, treading on living organism, seeds, green grass, dew drops, ant hills, moss, live water, live earth, spider web and others. I seek forgiveness from all these living beings, be they — one sensed, two sensed, three sensed, four sensed or five sensed. Which I may have kicked, covered with dust, rubbed with ground, collided with other, turned upside down, tormented, frightened, shifted from one place to another or killed and deprived them of their lives. (By confessing) may I be absolved of all these sins.

Jain texts quote Māhavīra on forgiveness:

By practicing prāyaṣcitta (repentance), a soul gets rid of sins, and commits no transgressions; he who correctly practises prāyaṣcitta gains the road and the reward of the road, he wins the reward of good conduct. By begging forgiveness he obtains happiness of mind; thereby he acquires a kind disposition towards all kinds of living beings; by this kind disposition he obtains purity of character and freedom from fear.
— Māhavīra in Uttarādhyayana Sūtra 29:17–18

Even the code of conduct amongst the monks requires the monks to ask forgiveness for all transgressions:

If among monks or nuns occurs a quarrel or dispute or dissension, the young monk should ask forgiveness of the superior, and the superior of the young monk. They should forgive and ask forgiveness, appease and be appeased, and converse without restraint. For him who is appeased, there will be success (in control); for him who is not appeased, there will be no success; therefore one should appease one's self. 'Why has this been said, Sir? Peace is the essence of monasticism'.
— Kalpa Sutra 8:59

=== Judaism ===

In Judaism, if a person causes harm, but then sincerely and honestly apologizes to the wronged individual and tries to rectify the wrong, the wronged individual is religiously required to grant forgiveness:

* "It is forbidden to be obdurate and not allow yourself to be appeased. On the contrary, one should be easily pacified and find it difficult to become angry. When asked by an offender for forgiveness, one should forgive with a sincere mind and a willing spirit. . . forgiveness is natural to the seed of Israel." (Mishneh Torah, Teshuvah 2:10)

In Judaism, one must go to those he has harmed in order to be entitled to forgiveness. [One who sincerely apologizes three times for a wrong committed against another has fulfilled his or her obligation to seek forgiveness. (Shulchan Aruch) OC 606:1] This means that, unlike in Christianity, in Judaism a person cannot obtain forgiveness from God for wrongs the person has done to other people. Thus the Tefila Zaka meditation, which is recited just before Yom Kippur, closes with the following:

* "I know that there is no one so righteous that they have not wronged another, financially or physically, through deed or speech. This pains my heart within me, because wrongs between humans and their fellow are not atoned by Yom Kippur, until the wronged one is appeased. Because of this, my heart breaks within me, and my bones tremble; for even the day of death does not atone for such sins. Therefore I prostrate and beg before You, to have mercy on me, and grant me grace, compassion, and mercy in Your eyes and in the eyes of all people. For behold, I forgive with a final and resolved forgiveness anyone who has wronged me, whether in person or property, even if they slandered me, or spread falsehoods against me. So I release anyone who has injured me either in person or in property, or has committed any manner of sin that one may commit against another [except for legally enforceable business obligations, and except for someone who has deliberately harmed me because the one doing harm thinks "I can get away with harming this person because this person will forgive me"]. Except for these two, I fully and finally forgive everyone; may no one be punished because of me. And just as I forgive everyone, so may You grant me grace in the eyes of others, that they too forgive me absolutely." [emphasis added]

Thus the "reward" for forgiving others is not God's forgiveness for wrongs done to others, but rather help in obtaining forgiveness from the other person.

Sir Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, summarized: "it is not that God forgives, while human beings do not. To the contrary, we believe that just as only God can forgive sins against God, so only human beings can forgive sins against human beings."

Jews observe a Day of Atonement Yom Kippur on the day before God makes decisions regarding what will happen during the coming year.

As such, A Course in Miracles teaches that forgiveness is more of an act of internally letting go of resentment for perceived slights or injustices. It is not somehow pardoning what one may still perceive as the inappropriate behavior of another. It is also not somehow condoning what one may still perceive as the inappropriate behavior of another. Rather it is the shifting of one's perception about one who might otherwise be perceived as one's adversary or antagonist, and instead recognizing the true holiness, even within such a one. Thus the perceived slight or injustice cannot help but be recognized as meaningless and insignificant when seen in the light of such a true recognition. Recognition of the native goodness within another is not a denial of the capacity of another to err, but it is the recognition of another's yet even greater capacity, tendency, and even yearning to strive towards goodness.

A Course in Miracles also includes reference to The Holy Spirit, as an Appointed Friend - appointed by God to represent the memory and truth of God's infinite holiness, and thus of our own infinite holiness, given that we are extensions of God who is holy. The Holy Spirit is the part of our mind that is completely unaffected by the belief in the separation from God being real. The Holy Spirit participates in the forgiveness process whether we remember to ask for his assistance or not, and all that is required for the application of forgiveness is what ACIM terms `a little willingness`, a willingness to consider that we may be mistaken in our perception of a situation or person, or in our projections of our own guilt onto those persons. Following from our openness to being mistaken, but not guilty, we open to allow the Holy Spirit to correct our wrong thinking and undo the ego. ACIM refers to the `ego` as representing our idea of being separate from God, which is insane and impossible. Ultimately ACIM explains that every perceived offense or threat or attack seemingly perpetrated by `a separate person` is in fact simply a projection of our own attack upon ourselves, and on God, in our effort to make separation real to us. It is therefore ourselves that we forgive when we forgive another, and indeed there is no `other` for God truly has only One Son, one with him.

Having thought ourselves to have separated from God and having tried to make the separation real, we suffer profound horrific guilt which we have pushed into a part of the mind seemingly separate from our conscious mind - and thus the majority of our guilt is now unconscious. This significant portion of our mind and the force of this repression/denial is responsible for the projection of the illusion of a physical universe, of which we then seem to be just a small part within a body. The ego/illusory/insane portion of the mind is thus responsible for every upsetting scenario experienced in the world. Since ACIM recognizes that we are the cause of the illusion/dream world, nothing within the dream world is responsible for what it appears to do to us, and that indeed the world itself does not exist in reality. This principle of Atonement leads to the recognition that the separation from God has not really happened at all, and that everything we think of as an upset or a real illusion is just another fragment of the idea of being separate from God. Thus the only error to be corrected is the idea of being separate from God, achieved through removal of the blocks to love, rather than efforts to increase our lovingness. We are already pure love, in reality.

ACIM also asserts that God does not forgive because God does not recognize or acknowledge our insane idea of separation as real, and thus sees there is nothing to forgive - that all is forgiven and nothing has happened to upset the peace of God. ACIM also asserts that we are already at home with God in the Heaven of oneness with him, and when we cease all belief to the contrary we will simply remain in the peace of union with God, which is the final goal of forgiveness. Forgiveness is therefore itself an illusion, a tool for the undoing of unconscious guilt wherever it is experienced, and a tool which leads to the removal of all blocks to love. In time we thus must practice true forgiveness in order to undo the insane world we think is real. As mentioned in the book The Disappearance of the Universe by Gary Renard, which focuses on the practical application of the forgiveness concepts in ACIM, the universe quite literally will disappear entirely when everyone, who is part of a One True Self, completes their forgiveness of its unreality.

The goal of Atonement/Forgiveness in ACIM can be summarized by its opening lines which completely describe all truth.. Nothing real can be threatened, nothing unreal exists, herein lies the peace of God.

Popular views of 'forgiveness'

Scientific polls have established that the need to forgive is widely recognized by the general population as an essential element of the healing process, however the exact means of attaining such a forgiveness is not well established. For example, in a large representative sampling of American people on various religious topics in 1988, the Gallup Organization found that 94% said it was important to forgive, but 85% said they needed some outside help to be able to forgive. However, not even regular prayer was found to be effective. The Gallup poll revealed that the only thing that was effective was "meditative prayer".

As a foundation for authoritarian control

Yoga teachers Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad analyse the use of unconditional love and the associated concept of forgiveness as a foundation for authoritarian control. They survey a number of religions worldwide and conclude that the imperative of forgiveness is often used by leaders to perpetrate cycles of ongoing abuse. They state that "to forgive without requiring the other to change is not only self-destructive, but ensures a dysfunctional relationship will remain so by continually rewarding mistreatment."

For instance, one Christian sect, the Anabaptists, take Christian imperatives to forgive particularly seriously, interpret them literally and apply them rigorously inside their closed churches. As such, they are a case where one can assess the effects of applying religious-based forgiveness in all situations, 'no matter what'. Not surprisingly, they have a well-deserved reputation for being gentle people but, inside their communities, rigorously obeying (Christian) religious imperatives to forgive, 'no matter what', has been reported to cause effects similar to what Kramer and Alstad theorize in their abstract analysis. Kramer and Alstad also point out similar dynamics operating in Eastern 'Oneness' religions in their wide-ranging analysis of the religious roots of authoritarian control.

Kramer and Alstad assert that of faith-based ideals of forgiveness, while appearing selfless, contain implicit selfish aspects. They state that "when forgiving contains a moral component, there is moral superiority in the act itself that can allow one to feel virtuous". They ask: "As long as one is judging the other lacking, how much letting go can there be?" They note that "Where the virtue in 'moralistic foregiving' lies is also complicated by the fact that it is often unclear who benefits more from it, the one doing the forgiving or the one being forgiven." Not surprisingly, they note "that for many people, forgiving is an area of confusion intellectually."

Notes

References

Balancing the Scales of Justices with Forgiveness and Repentance, Randall J. Cecrle, 2007, ISBN 1-6026-6041-7

Radical Forgiveness: Making Room for the Miracle, Colin Tipping, 1997, ISBN 0-9704814-1-1

Forgiving and Not Forgiving: Why Sometimes It's Better Not to Forgive, Jeanne Safer, 2000, ISBN 0-380-79471-3

Forgiveness: a Philosophical Exploration (Cambridge University Press, 2007), by Charles Griswold. ISBN 978-0-521-70351-2.

Hein, David. "Regrets Only: A Theology of Remorse." The Anglican 33, no. 4 (October 2004): 5-6.

Hein, David. "Austin Farrer on Justification and Sanctification." The Anglican Digest 49.1 (2007): 51–54.

Kramer, J. and Alstad D., The Guru Papers: Masks of Authoritarian Power, 1993, ISBN 1-883319-00-5

Lampert, K.(2005); Traditions of Compassion: From Religious Duty to Social Activism. Palgrave-Macmillan; ISBN 1-4039-8527-8

Fred Luskin, Ph.D. Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness (Harper, 2002)

Schmidt D. (2003); The Prayer of Revenge: Forgiveness in the Face of Injustice; ISBN 0-7814-3942-6

Toxic Parents: Overcoming Their Hurtful Legacy and Reclaiming Your Life, Susan Forward, 1990.

The Railway Man: A POW's Searing Account of War, Brutality, and Foregiveness, Eric Lomax,

External links

Category:Buddhist ethics Category:Christianity and other religions Category:Christian terms Category:Christian theology Category:Core issues in ethics Category:Philosophy of love Category:Positive psychology Category:Religious behaviour and experience Category:Religious ethics Category:Spirituality Category:Theology

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Forgiveness and the Freedom of Letting go

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Published: 2007-06-12
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Author: butterflygris

Forgiveness is the mental, emotional and/or spiritual process of ceasing to feel resentment, indignation or anger against another person for a perceived offense, difference or mistake, or ceasing to demand punishment or restitutionFAIR USE NOTICE This video may contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 USC Section 107, the material on this video is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

Forgiveness

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Author: Kolibre

A video about forgiveness with Mary Karen Read's last words in her journal entry before her death at the Virginia tech shooting.

Wamdue Project - Forgiveness

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Wamdue Project feat. Jonathan Mendelsohn forgiveness, forgiveness; everything is all over... forgiveness; everything is all over... forgiveness... Oh, life: if there was ever any doubt in my mind, it's now. And for the first time I think maybe we weren't meant to be. I didn't think the answer could be answered by anyone o'er than me... think about it, dwell upon it; try to find some clarity. "Didn't I give you enough? What was wrong with me?" Dig it up... try to find all that you can't see. I want to love you; dunno if I can. I want to give you one more chance. Forgiveness: it comes so slow... all is so uncertain, everything is unknown. I want to love you; dunno know if I can. I want to give you one more chance. Forgiveness: it comes so slow... all is so uncertain, everything is unknown. forgiveness, forgiveness; everything is all over... forgiveness; everything is all over... forgiveness... Oh, life: if there was ever any doubt in my mind, it's now. And for the first time I think maybe we weren't meant to be. I didn't think the answer could be answered by anyone o'er than me... think about it, dwell upon it; try to find some clarity. "Didn't I give you enough? What was wrong with me?" Dig it up... try to find all that you can't see. I want to love you; dunno if I can. I want to give you one more chance. Forgiveness: it comes so slow... all is so uncertain, everything is unknown. I want to love you; dunno know if I can. I want to give you one more chance. Forgiveness: it ...

Sarah McLachlan - "Forgiveness" (Acoustic)

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Listen to the acoustic version of Sarah's "Forgiveness" - from the new album Laws Of Illusion

The Gift of Forgiveness

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To read more, visit: humanityhealing.net To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. ~ Lewis B. Smedes Most of us carry around anger, resentment, jealousy, or some other negative emotion directed to others. Unless dealt with, they will eventually start to broadly affect the quality of our lives and those around us. Forgiveness is the act of unchaining yourself from thoughts and feelings that bind you to an offense, imagined or real, committed against you. It is a commitment to a process of growth and change. The first step is to recognize the value of forgiveness and the positive impact it can have in our lives. When we forgive, we release the control and power of the offending person and stop playing the victim. We no longer define our lives by how we have been hurt and instead can define ourselves by how we have grown. Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were. ~ Cherie Carter-Scott Main Website: www.humanityhealing.net Foundation Website www.humanityhealing.org Community Website www.humanityhealing.ning.com ©2009Humanity Healing. Partial Rights Reserved. Music Enya, Pax Deorum Images: Google & Photobucket We Honor the Unknown Artists FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights ...

Forgiveness- Leona Lewis

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Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: CATHyWOMAn2334

lyrics: mmmmm i don't want to spend another day pointing fingers while im placing blame i'm no angel, imperfect myself coz baby i get lonely here now and i don't want to put it all on you i admit i did some painful things it's true and i'm sorry for them, i'm making amends for always thinking i was innocent starting today i'm gonna change don't wanna make the same mistakes coz i can see a new horizon the ice around my heart is melting and the hurt i feel is slowly dying now i'm no longer crying the bridge we burnt is being built again it's leading to a new beginning and it may never be the way it was and that's because i'm talking about forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness i wish we could take back the things we said coz what we said is not always what we meant we lost out heads in the moment and the words we used them like a weapon but no one thinks that we will walk away and we hate being the people we became i wonder bout that we're better than that and i still cherish all the things we had starting today i'm gonna change don't wanna make the same mistakes coz i can see a new horizon the ice around my heart is melting and the hurt i feel is slowly dying now i'm no longer crying the bridge we burnt is being built again it's leading to a new beginning and it may never be the way it was and that's because i'm talking about forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness forgiveness if everybody could forgive and forget (just forget) think of all the times that we could ...

Forgiveness: My Burden Was Made Light

Order: Reorder
Duration: 8:25
Published: 2010-07-28
Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: MormonMessages

Forgiveness and the power of Jesus Christ enable a man to survive losing his wife and several children in a car accident—and allow the offending driver to begin rebuilding his own life. Read President James E. Faust's talk on forgiveness: bit.ly

Forgiveness & Mercy-The Mission

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:23
Published: 2008-06-20
Uploaded: 2010-12-14
Author: richallanmaurer

A powerful example of mercy and forgiveness from The Mission

Peter Katz - Forgiveness (Music Video)

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:04
Published: 2007-08-08
Uploaded: 2010-12-08
Author: peterkatzmusic

The music video for Peter Katz's song 'Forgiveness'. The song was inspired by an interview with Michael Berg, father of Nicholas Berg who was kidnapped and murdered in Iraq by Al-Zarcawi. Michael Berg chose to find forgiveness in his heart instead of carrying on the cycle of hatred and refused to support the killing of Al-Zarcawi despite what he had done to his son. This video is dedicated to his remarkable courage and to his son's life. Composer: Peter Katz Director: Andrew Moniz Producer: Daniel Mazzucco Cinematographer: Roger Singh www.peterkatz.com www.myspace.com/peterkatz

Patty Griffin - Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:03
Published: 2009-10-22
Uploaded: 2010-12-14
Author: wirklichkeitsskizze

Patty Griffin's Song "Forgiveness" (Album "Living with Ghosts", 1996) Lyrics: We are swimming with the snakes At the bottom of the well So silent and peaceful in the darkness where we fell But we are not snakes and whats more We never will be And if we stay swimming here forever we will Never be free I heard them ringing the bells In heaven and hell They got a secret Theyre getting ready to tell Its falling from the sky Calling from the graves Open your eyes, boy, I think we are saved Open your eyes, boy, I think we are saved Lets take a walk on the bridge Right over this mess Dont need to tell me a thing, baby Weve already confessed And I raised my voice to the air And we were blessed Everybody needs a little forgiveness Everybody needs a little forgiveness We are calling for him tonight on this Thin phone line As usual were having ourselves one Hell of a time And the planes keep flying right over our heads No matter how lond we shout Hey, hey, hey ! And we keep waving and waving Our arms in the air But were all tired out I heard somebody say Todays the day A big old hurricaine Is blowing our way Knocking over the buildings Killing all the light Open your eyes, boy, we made it through the night Open your eyes, boy, we made it through the night Lets take a walk on the bridge Right over this mess Dont need to tell me a thing, baby Weve already confessed And I raised my voice to the air And we were blessed Everybody needs a little forgiveness Everybody needs a little ...

Ofra Haza - Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:36
Published: 2007-11-12
Uploaded: 2010-12-16
Author: tomeriko

with Nusrat Ali Fateh Khan from CD "The Prayer Cycle" 1999 of Jonathan Elias (Sony) Offically last recorded Ofra's song... Words from The Bible - Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." "Even when I walk in the valley of Darkness" "May only goodness and kindness pursue me all the days of my life"

Sarah McLachlan - "Forgiveness"

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:51
Published: 2010-06-17
Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: sarahmclachlan

Listen to Sarah's "Forgiveness" from the critically acclaimed new album Laws Of Illusion - Available everywhere!

How amazing is God's Forgiveness? Not very.

Order: Reorder
Duration: 1:42
Published: 2008-08-08
Uploaded: 2010-12-16
Author: NonStampCollector

God established the physical laws of the universe, then some moral laws. And decided that the penalty for disobedience would be death, and that he would not forgive any transgression at all. But he didn't like the outcome. Everybody deserved to die. So rather than just forgiving, like any decent human being could do, he decided that he really wanted someone to die, so he murdered someone who didn't deserve it, which made him happy, so now he can forgive us, and we are meant to thank him for it. Christians like to be amazed at God's power to save us. And to be eternally grateful for saving us. But he's only saving us from himself. Are we meant to be grateful for God just not changing his mind, but insisting instead that he gets a death sentence? He sacrificed himself to himself to save us from himself. We are meant to view it as mercy, when what it really is is stubborn obstinance, and, rather an absolute UNwillingness to forgive. There had to be death. Coz God said so. It is ridiculous and this video is an analogy of this amazingly rigid and bizarre rules-punishment-"mercy" mock-up.

Tyler Perry Talks Forgiveness with Dr. Phil

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:27
Published: 2009-02-21
Uploaded: 2010-12-14
Author: DrPhilShow

In 1998, as a struggling playwright, Tyler Perry began selling out crowds with his musicals and eventually achieved commercial success in both theater and film. His most famous persona, Madea, returns to the big screen in Tyler Perry's Madea Goes to Jail, in which Dr. Phil has a cameo. The writer-director-actor-producer tells Dr. Phil about his struggles with anger and how forgiveness gave him a new lease on life and in his career. For more, visit drphil.com

THE POWER OF FORGIVENESS - Part 2: Thich Nhat Hanh

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:39
Published: 2008-06-30
Uploaded: 2010-12-07
Author: JourneyFilms

www.journeyfilms.com - This film provides an honest look at the intensity of anger and grief that human nature is heir to. To order a full length DVD of 'The Power of Forgiveness' by award-winning documentary filmmaker Martin Doblmeier visit http

Forgiveness - The Greatest Gift

Order: Reorder
Duration: 6:37
Published: 2008-12-16
Uploaded: 2010-12-16
Author: SethAdamSmith

"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility." -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Forgiveness is the greatest gift that you can give.

Forgiveness, Grace, and God's Death Sentence

Order: Reorder
Duration: 5:30
Published: 2008-07-27
Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: NonStampCollector

There are a few elements of this video that I ought to change, a few word choices, that kind of thing. I get a bit of flack from christians about the finer details of this, and they're probably justified to some extent. The thing is, though, the corrections that they say I ought to have included originally DON'T MAKE THE THEOLOGY ANY MORE SENSIBLE! If I had the time, I'd be more than happy to re-make this movie, with whatever corrections christians would have me include. I could do it as true to christian theology as any christians would like me to (that is, if more than a handful of christians could agree on elements of the theology enough to give me a good consensus). I'd be happy to, because the whole story of vicarious redemption comes out looking just as frigging ridiculous as the 'chocolate/punishing the other siblings until they apologize' scenario. If Jesus died to save us from the wrath of his Father, angry that humanity is less than perfect, then that only shows what a selfish, vengeful, unjust and malevolent being he must be. Thank goodness it's all just a myth.

Yeasayer - Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:18
Published: 2008-04-14
Uploaded: 2010-10-25
Author: brockmasterflex

Yeasayer perform "Forgiveness" live @ Le National, Montreal, QC www.trendwhore.ca

Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 2:49
Published: 2008-11-25
Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: drlaura

Dr. Laura has a unique perspective on forgiveness, believing four things should occur before you can forgive another.

Why We Forgive - Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:43
Published: 2010-02-09
Uploaded: 2010-12-15
Author: SethAdamSmith

Of all the demands of Christianity, none seems so hard as the requirement that we love our enemies, bless those who curse us, and pray for those who despitefully use us. In this moving talk, C. Terry Warner explores why it is essential that we forgive those who offend us. He explains that to refuse to forgive others is to deny the Atonement of Christ and place a limit on His capacity to forgive and heal us. Conceding that it is not easy to forgive some particularly heinous offenses, he explains that Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed. C. Terry Warner is the author of "Bonds That Make Us Free."

Bluetech - Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 7:55
Published: 2009-04-26
Uploaded: 2010-12-14
Author: hayleen3

From the album "Sines and Singularities" (2005).

Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:36
Published: 2007-10-26
Uploaded: 2010-12-12
Author: Kennyvert

This is a music video that I made for film class.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Forgiveness

Order: Reorder
Duration: 3:03
Published: 2008-01-07
Uploaded: 2010-12-04
Author: mcglue

Nobel Peace Prize Winner Desmond Tutu explains how love and forgiveness kept post-apartheid South Africa from tumbling into anarchy.

Some Will Seek Forgiveness, Others Escape

Order: Reorder
Duration: 4:17
Published: 2006-05-03
Uploaded: 2010-12-16
Author: PunksStillPray

Poorly done accompanying video to one of the greatest songs ever. Note: Any comments containing profanity or crude terms, positive or negative, will be removed. If your comment has been removed, feel free to repost it in a cleaner form. Thanks!

Hey, did you know you can save your changes and get a personalized address with your playlist?

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Forgiveness and the Freedom of Letting go