Forgiveness and reconciliation

• Forgiveness


  A process that victims go through where they let go of the offence and the negative ideas of revenge, to move on and let the criminal move on too. It does not mean the victim condones, accepts, excuses or forgets the crime.
• Reconciliation


  Bringing people together to be friendly again
• Christ reconciled us to God: 'The fact that we needed reconciliation means that our relationship with God was broken. Since God is holy, we were the ones to blame. Our sin alienated us from Him.'
• Romans 5:10: 'For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!'
• Reconciliation to God


  Involves the exercise of His grace and the forgiveness of our sin. The result is that our relationship has changed from enmity to friendship.
• John 15:15: 'I no longer call you servants … Instead, I have called you friends'
• Forgiveness in Christianity


  • It was something that Jesus emphasised and taught on a lot. Christians are expected to forgive others, regardless of what they have done. (turn the other cheek). There is also a belief that God will forgive them if they forgive others, this belief comes from the Lord's prayer.
• Forgiveness in Christianity


  Doesn't mean pretending the offence didn't happen, but rather a letting go of the desire for revenge. Christians believe that un-forgiveness can lead to bitterness and resentment, doing more emotional harm to the person who has been hurt. Forgiveness allows a victim to be free of the hurt and have closure on the issue.
• Forgiveness in Islam


  • Forgiveness from God – only God can truly forgive and God will only forgive those who are truly sorry and intend to follow the faith fully in the future. (God is compassionate and merciful in nature)
  • Forgiveness from humans – this is a good way to establish goodness over evil, rather than allowing evil to grow. Humans should forgive those who ask for forgiveness, and then once that has happened the wrongdoer should seek forgiveness from God. If the person unknowingly repeats what they did wrong, then they should be forgiven again, because there is no limit to God's forgiveness.
• In Islam, forgiveness serves no part in the punishment process. The process of punishing someone reinforces the way humans should behave in order to please God.
• Forgiveness in Hinduism


  • Forgiving the other for the wrong done to you
  • Seeking forgiveness for the harm you have caused another
• Hymn to forgiveness from The Mahabharata: 'Forgiveness is virtue; forgiveness is sacrifice, forgiveness is the Vedas, forgiveness is the Shruti [revealed scripture]. He that knoweth this is capable of forgiving everything~ Forgiveness is Brahma [God]; forgiveness is truth;, forgiveness is stored ascetic merit; forgiveness protecteth the ascetic merit of the future; forgiveness is asceticism; forgiveness is holiness; and by forgiveness is it that the universe is held together.'
• Mishneh Torah, Teshuvah 2:10: '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.'
• In Judaism, if a person asks forgiveness for the wrong, he has done and tries to rectify it, then the person who has been wronged is required to grant forgiveness.
• The Jews observe the Day of Atonement on Yom Kippur, before which they ask forgiveness from people they have wronged during the year. On the day of Yom Kippur, they ask forgiveness from God for the sins they have committed.
• The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant


  1. Servant owed king a lot of money, king forgave debt

  2. Servant owed friend small amount, refused to forgive

  3. King threw servant in jail for not forgiving
• Matthew 18:21-22: 'Then Peter came and said to him, "Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? As many as seven times?" Jesus said to him, "Not seven times, but, I tell you, seventy-seven times."'
• The parable of the unmerciful servant aims to teach that forgiveness is not a one-time action. If someone asks for forgiveness over and again, then it is the duty of an individual to forgive them.
• Many Christians would argue that forgiveness is not a replacement for punishment. They would say that it is possible to both forgive someone who has committed murder and to believe that justice is done by them being sentenced to a long period of imprisonment. However, the intention of the imprisonment should be to reform the murderer so they will not re-offend when released.
• Luke 23:34: 'Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.'
• For Jews, wrong doers have to show remorse, and ask for forgiveness from their victims before they can expect to be forgiven by their victims and God. Christians don't believe this is a necessary part of forgiveness although it can make it easier for the victim to forgive.