Forgiveness
I've just been asked to write a piece for the Sunday Times News Review; following the story this week of Rev. Julie Nicholson who has not left the priesthood but who no longer wishes to work as a vicar in her parish because she feels she cannot forgive her daughter's killer: her daughter was killed on July 7th last year in the Edgware Rd bomb .
I have been thinking about forgiveness a great deal since I wrote my story( 'Rachel's Story') in the Sunday Times in November last year. There was a huge response and people have asked me to write more on it. So when I have finished work today, I will.
UPDATE: It is going in next week: Profumo's death has caused a re-drawing of the issue. This gives me time to do another interview and add it in, so I am pleased.
I have been thinking about forgiveness a great deal since I wrote my story( 'Rachel's Story') in the Sunday Times in November last year. There was a huge response and people have asked me to write more on it. So when I have finished work today, I will.
UPDATE: It is going in next week: Profumo's death has caused a re-drawing of the issue. This gives me time to do another interview and add it in, so I am pleased.
posted by Rachel at 1:02 pm
I read your story in the Sunday Times last year and thought that it was a terrific piece of writing. I will certainly be looking out for your next piece.
The good Rev. is suffering as a result of the modernising of the cult of forgivness. Christian forgiveness in required only in the case of contrition by the other party. Instant blanket forgivness as a requirement is a very very modern concept (~30 years).
The Anon
Einstein hair, love it xx
Actually, Anon, that is not true at all.
Christians see God's forgiveness as unconditional - that is the grace of God, following the crucifixion and ressurrection of Christ. Christians seek to forgive otghers because God has forgiven them, that is the 'Good News' of the gospel.
I'm not a Christian by the way. But my father is a vicar, and I come from a family of theologians, I studied theology myself.
It's very interesting, I loved studying it. But I don't practise any faith.
Thank you everyone, just did article. Bit knocked out, need to go to bed
Rachel,
Neither do I.
The universal, instant forgiveness thing is a relatively recent invention. It also needs to be split into the forgiveness in your heart (i.e. don't hate) vs actual forgivness for the sinner - are they going to Hell?....
In fact quite a bit of the non-English Anglican church doesn't insist on it.
The whole point of the Truth-And-Reconsiliation thing in S. Africa (pretty much invented by Tutu), is that true forgivness can only really come after admission of the sin. This, of course, dates back to the Catholic concepts of confession. And the whole repent-and-get-into-heaven deal.
The Anon
Anon,
I 've put a useful link up-blog which covers the Vhristian theology of forgiveness over the last 1000 years. Be interested to see what you think
Rachel, this is so wonderful. I will hope to access it online somehow.
~Deb