Christianity in practice

blahblahbla

Christianity teaches that we should forgive people who wrong us , but were never taught how to forgive, which isn’t always easy.
In order to really forgive someone, as opposed to saying you forgive them but still hold anger towards them, you have to deal with the anger.

How do you forgive someone who does something against you?
How do you deal with anger?

soterpisc

Mickey Harte the GAA football manager is a good example of forgiveness in the face of his Daughters murder.

Holding resentment hate for years just eats a person up, wastes your energy. It takes so much more effort to hate than to forgive.

We are all on the road to God and only Love can survive in his presence. He is the ultimate judge.

PDN

blahblahbla wrote: »

Christianity teaches that we should forgive people who wrong us , but were never taught how to forgive, which isn’t always easy.
In order to really forgive someone, as opposed to saying you forgive them but still hold anger towards them, you have to deal with the anger.

How do you forgive someone who does something against you?
How do you deal with anger?

I find a good start is to pray for the person concerned.

Also, I reflect on my own sins, and consider that God has forgiven me. When I remember that, by grace, I have received a forgiveness that I did not deserve, then it becomes much harder to withhold forgiveness from others.

blahblahbla

PDN wrote: »

I find a good start is to pray for the person concerned.

Also, I reflect on my own sins, and consider that God has forgiven me. When I remember that, by grace, I have received a forgiveness that I did not deserve, then it becomes much harder to withhold forgiveness from others.

Thats the thing Im thinking about.
As a christian I want to forgive but wanting to forgive and actually forgiving to me are differnt, maybe Im wrong about this.
As long as your still angry about something someone did, have you forgiven them?

gimmebroadband

There is no hurt too great that can't be forgiven in time!

I can certainly say that I have forgiven those who hurt me as a child, if God can forgive them, so can I. Jesus also told us to pray for those who persecute us - I sincerly hope you can find peace!

PDN

blahblahbla wrote: »

Thats the thing Im thinking about.
As a christian I want to forgive but wanting to forgive and actually forgiving to me are differnt, maybe Im wrong about this.
As long as your still angry about something someone did, have you forgiven them?

Forgiveness, I think, is more a process than a one off act. Maybe that's what Jesus meant when he told Peter we have to forgive our enemies seven times seventy times.

This doesn't mean your enemy sins against you that many times. They might only have sinned against you once. But you need to keep forgiving until it sticks.

georgieporgy

blahblahbla wrote: »

Thats the thing Im thinking about.
As a christian I want to forgive but wanting to forgive and actually forgiving to me are differnt, maybe Im wrong about this.
As long as your still angry about something someone did, have you forgiven them?

When someone accidentally steps on your toe you would find it easy to forgive them ( seeing as they didn't mean it). Your toe would still remain painful however. It's the same with forgiving a deliberate offence. Even though you may have forgiven and let go, the sting of the wound may not dissipate quite so fast.
I think the trick is not to take offence at anything in the first place....

This link has some helpful stuff.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080104122807.htm

Onesimus

blahblahbla wrote: »

Christianity teaches that we should forgive people who wrong us , but were never taught how to forgive, which isn’t always easy.
In order to really forgive someone, as opposed to saying you forgive them but still hold anger towards them, you have to deal with the anger.

How do you forgive someone who does something against you?
How do you deal with anger?

We can not learn how to forgive. We pray for the grace to be able to do so.

kjw47

blahblahbla wrote: »

Christianity teaches that we should forgive people who wrong us , but were never taught how to forgive, which isn’t always easy.
In order to really forgive someone, as opposed to saying you forgive them but still hold anger towards them, you have to deal with the anger.

How do you forgive someone who does something against you?
How do you deal with anger?

In a sense to forgive is to forget-- not that you wouldnt learn from the situation that occurred but lingering thoughts are what raises anger--putting those thoughts out of ones head and thinking of something else is what is the answer to both. Same persay when a lustful or envious thought pops up--the quicker one puts it out of their thinking the easier it is to deal with.

Fanny Cradock

kjw47 wrote: »

In a sense to forgive is to forget

I wonder if this is correct? Surely forgiveness doesn't preclude punishment.

blahblahbla

Im not sure if just ignoring your anger, at the situation or with the person, is the same as forgiving. If you don’t deal with the anger it may just surface in a different form.
I like that article georgieporgy posted, it’s the kind of thing I was looking for.
I feel disappointed with been raised as a Christian and hearing how I should forgive transgression but was never told how to go about this.
Im curious as to why this is the way, with many different views on the faith over the last 2000 years Im surprised techniques like the post above arent thought to us at a young age.

Fanny Cradock

Perhaps the words and examples of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Gandhi and Dietrich Bonhoeffer would serve as inspiration.

gimmebroadband

.....or the words of Jesus Himself. "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do". Lk 23:34

The Quadratic Equation

Fanny Cradock wrote: »

Dietrich Bonhoeffer would serve as inspiration.

Intresting man Fanny, thanks for posting the link, I particulary like the way he understood the importance of Ecumenism.