forgivness?

Question

I just seen this in another post and my jaw is still on the floor

"Well, since forgiveness only comes through Christ it is kind of irrelevant whether they believe in it or not. If one hasn't entered into the new covenant with Christ and hasn't been forgiven himself, then how can he forgive others? "

I have forgiven many people in my life , I prefer not to hold on to any negative feelings at all
I have forgiven one person who hurt me greatly and yes it took a lot , but I have managed it and feel good
am I secretly a Christian and dont even know it ... given that only Christians can forgive ?

* rolls eyes *

Answer 1

Christians like to think they have the patent on all Human kindness and compassion. This is why they judge Atheists as non loving cold hearted evil devils, because they honestly think that without God you can not know love.
in contrast to this though check out all the answers to my question " do you judge people by their religion" and see the hypocracy of the Cristians answers " no we don't judge anyone" yeah right unless you don't conform to my religion that is.

Answer 2

Of course it's not only Christians that can forgive; however forgiveness is expected of Christians "as God forgives us". When we seek God's forgiveness is is given unconditionally and God doesn't keep a record of wrongs. This is how Christians OUGHT to forgive others.

But forgiving others doesn't make you a Christian; it is being forgiven by God and following Christ's teaching that does that.

So I'm very sorry Pangel you can't be a Christian and not know it but you can become one if you want :o)

Answer 3

No, praying to God for forgiveness in private is not as good as going to reconciliation and praying to God for forgiveness in the presences of a priest, because only the priest has been given the authority to grant you absolution from your sins, which is what you really want and need. You can't grant absolution to yourself. Call a parish to find their confession times, or drive by and look at the sign out in front of the church.

Answer 4

Pangel... please please don't go there. Your answers have been such a blessing to me, I'd hate to see you 'defect' to the other side!
I too have forgiven. Here's my take on the whole thing: Christians also believe that we are ALL children of God. Jesus, who provided the forgiveness, was the son of God. a Son is a Child. Therefore, there is no difference between Jesus and me, and I have just as much ability to forgive as the next guy. Only I know how to use my powers in a much more meaningful way than the people who believe it has to go through an intermediary.
Just my humble opinion! May All That Is Bless You!

Answer 5

No, you and I know that forgiving people who apologize with sincerity is just good sense, as well as good manners. No reason to hold a grudge once they've apologized. There are those who argue that forgiving even someone who never did apologize is good for you, gives you closure, lets you forget your victim role. I believe forgiving people who do not apologize is not really smart, because it will often seem to condone the wrongful behavior. But you can still try hard to forget how badly you were hurt in order to avoid becoming bitter or paranoid, or otherwise suffering emotional distress by hanging onto your role of victim.

This character with his "it all comes through Christ" should be talking it over with his minister or priest. I am pretty confident that they will tell him that's not the way it is.

Answer 6

Hahaha...
I highly doubt that you could even be a fake Christian. ;-)

Yeah, in Christianity there's the thought that forgiveness can only be experienced through the sacrifice of Christ, since he is the "only source of true love" through his willingness to give up his life for our wretched souls...

Rational thinking people know better than that, as forgiveness is an individual CHOICE one consciously makes, not something one is awarded with for believing in any one thing or the other.

Answer 7

Forgiveness is a human trait and only a human trait like all emotions. The reverence we perceive our deities to have is beyond comprehension. They are what we hold in our hearts to aspire to. To have no hate hence no need for forgiveness. If we state that our Deities are love as many Christians quote as in "God is Love" and "Jesus is love" then they are above reproach and they do not have the "hate" emotion and are thus incapable of it. So how can you learn forgiveness from a Deity if they have no hate or anger and they are considered pure love? Is this not why they invented the Devil and the Demons for? The other side of a supreme being full of love is another full of hate and contempt? Being a Pagan seems to be easier to live with when your deity or deities are not full of human emotions but are supreme in their knowledge and that we perceive them that way. We do not need to pressure our Deity to keep proving their love and do not need others to confirm their existence but to live in harmony in that knowledge.
Blessed be and Peace to all

Answer 8

It is ridiculous that someone thinks that only Christians can forgive... Forgiveness is not always easy no matter the religion, but extremely necessary so that we go to the next level.

Peace!

Answer 9

god bless you hun, why cant there be more people like you in the world, ive forgiven people who have mistreated me and hurt me, and ive also been forgiving for the wrongs ive committed to others. im not a christian but i believe in god as our creator. and to feel love in your life, you cant have hate in your heart. have a lovely day.

Answer 10

Christians think that they hold a monopoly on many thing, forgiveness being only one.
I think that they will get a rude awakening if there is a judgement day!!

Answer 11

Hello,

(ANS) This statement about Christ is in my opinion just religious twaddle and frankly confuses or mixes up religion or religiosity with the actual emotional and psychological process of forgiveness.

**Forgiveness is definitely a real process.

**But real forgiveness is NOT something you can force, it cannot be taught. Forgiveness is an emotional & psychic state that can only be reached through a process of letting go in the deepest sense.

It only comes from a letting go of the anger, rage, the hurt, the desire for any sense of revenge, only through a real letting go of the feelings involved can a person move forwards (otherwise you remain stuck with the feelings and so no forgiveness can take place) this moving forwards, this moving onwards is what we call forgiveness.

**It took me many many years (decades) to finally forgive my father for the way he was as a person & as a parent. I forgave him and in the same moment I forgave myself for all my anger and rage and hate. I am a far more peaceful & contented person as a consequence.

**YES! I can see why forgiveness may seem to verge on the spiritual but it has nothing in my opinion to do with any form of religion.

Ivan

(I am atheist).