Forgiveness

Posted on February 19, 2008 in Agnosticism Attitudes Ettiquette

It has occurred to me, after much therapy and thought about the suggestions that my psychologist makes, that to forgive we must feel safe. That is why it is easy to forgive the dead (unless we are plagued by a belief in ghosts) — they are no longer around physically.

This puts into a new light the exhortation by people of faith to forgive: “Forgive because you are backed by a greater power than this tormentor of yours. They can only wreak physical harm on you. When it is over, there is still the Life Everlasting.” This makes it easy for those faced with the demons of daily life and who believe. But the problem is “Is this just a lie we tell ourselves?”

Forgiveness is a good thing, but to manifest broadly without religion we need to create new terms for safety.