Week 2- Journal 3

Jodi Finchum

Professor McLaughlin

Week 2- Journal 3

June 28, 2010

            One person cannot define the question of forgiveness, unless you are in that situation at that point in time, to be the forgiver. It’s a matter of what you speculate you would do in that situation. Since I can’t decide fully, I would say that I would hope I would be able to forgive anyone, over time, with a lot of hard work directed towards it. As human beings, we are given compassion and love to use on others. Also as human being, were are given the ability to sin, whatever that sin may be. Relating to religion, in Matthew 6:39-42, Jesus says “ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also, And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” Basing my life and morals on the bible, I’m taught to live my life like Jesus lived his, as the kindest, loving person that you can be. But, I also, know that forgiveness is one of the hardest acts that one can do for another person and themselves. Moshe Bejski characterizes an example of this hardship when he describes his sick cousin losing his faith. On page 115 he says, “I don’t believe in God anymore.” Bejski said that until the day he died, he never regained his faith. Of course this is disheartening for Christians to hear, but it is simply the reality that all people are not capable of forgiveness, and it’s also the reality that some acts may not be forgivable, for even the strongest Christians.

            I can recite scriptures and read verses of the bible all day long where Jesus tells us that we are to love our neighbors and to love our enemies even more. Or scriptures about unconditional forgiveness, and how you cannot judge others, that is only for God to do. In the reality of today, we know that we have human beings that are going to do bad things. We have also had people doing bad things, and we will always have people doing bad things in the world. Are all acts forgivable? Maybe not. Should we try to give forgiveness to our best ability? I still stand by my choice to try to forgive as fully as Jesus would have wanted me to.