Of course forgiveness doesn't mean you have to love your husband's killer. It would be simplistic to say that. The reason forgiveness is praised (yet not enough in my opinion), is partly because we live in a society which deals with it's problems all too often with punishment. Too often, the answer is the death penalty, and that, to many of us is wrong. Forgiveness is an ideal, and not an easy one to practice, but it's the reason I, and many others oppose the death penalty.
But these are not the prevailing or even popular assumptions. Instead, we exalt those who can forgive and regard those who cannot as guilty of a kind of moral weakness. We demand that those who have been brought low reach highest.
Also, forgiveness is necessary if we wish to overcome the violence we experience regularly, be it on the streets of Belfast, London or elsewhere.
I have never judged someone because they find it hard to forgive. Who am I to judge? However, if someone calls for punishment, I must oppose that with a call for forgiveness. Many may think forgiveness means being easy on criminals. Punishment, however, is a false solution, which only brings more violence.
The push today is towards harsher and harsher punishment. I seriously question the efficacy of this, though. Japan has a harsher prison system than any other G8 country with the possible exception of Russia. (Japan still refuses to sign onto the treaty of the rights of prisoners.) However, recidivism is higher in Japan than in the U.S., suggesting that harsher punishments may not have the effect many hope they do.
RépondreSupprimerI didn't know that (about recidivism in Jp vs US). Shocking.
RépondreSupprimer