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Lessons in Living: Matthew 5:24 Leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Mark 11:25 And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. Matthew 5:44-45 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. Luke 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." Whether anyone here forgives anyone else for anything is up to them, the words of Jesus speak for themselves. I believe that forgiveness, including our ourselves and others is the foundation of following The Way of Jesus Christ. Difficult? Yes. Needed? Yes. Apologies? Stick 'em where the sun don't shine, I want none. You can grovel before God Almighty if that be the desire, not me. In the end we all stand to get what's coming to us, in this life and the next. If we don't we can be thankful that we're spared the worst of what life can offer. If we receive it we join the ranks of the millions for whom life itself is a burden with no relief until it's over. If we can offer the smallest of grace to others it bodes well for us, that we may receive at the least that and if more? God be praised. To forgive may indeed be divine - in these graceless times it's in short supply so for all those who don't and won't you're right in there in the norm. Not to worry - I forgive you and if you should stand alone one day with no one to speak for you I will. Dare I ask - do the same for me - that had I known as I am known I would have done better.

Then you disobey Jesus.

One thing that comes to mind that hopefully won't produce a sidetrack is that for a large portion of the Christian population Christianity is defined around the belief that Jesus "is" God, as a part or person of God. (read: "trinity"). Muslims will never gather under that recognition. Jews don't accept Jesus as their Messiah or a savior for mankind's sins and certainly don't accept Him as "God" or divine. It's mostly struck me over the last several years that the real definition of Christianity for nearly all the sects of the religion is that Jesus is divine, a person of "the godhead". Accepting Jesus as "the son of God" isn't enough. I'm not suggesting that change in order to come to some kind of resolution, only stating it to illustrate that the differences are many between these three, some basic and fundamental and although there are similarities the differences are stark. I believe that the foundational thoughts put into our "Declaration of Independence" provide a good place to start - it gives the foundational logic and reasoning for why a people can and should exist in harmony while pursuing their own destinies. In it the basis for resisting a hierarchical rule of the individual is clearly stated. It assumes that those declaring independence will collectively govern themselves and that all will be represented. There has to be agreement that this is needed and right. I'm not sure we're ever going to see that concensus though.

Okay. So, if the offender is dead, and cannot apologize, then, forgiveness must not be given. VP, HW, EO, and DDW are all dead. Even if they wanted to request your forgiveness after an apology, they cannot do it, and according to your doctrine, you are not allowed to forgive and therefore you must go on through life in a state of "unforgiveness" (it's called holding a grudge in the common vernacular), and leave your self open to self destructive bitterness. Forgiveness is not just about the one being forgiven. Forgiveness is also about the healing of the one doing the forgiving. Jesus forgave his murderers and yet they still mocked him until the end. "Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds". Hebrews Yes, I prefer to consider him, and follow after him who forgave those who mocked him beat him, spit in his face, tortured him physically, "made sport of him", pounded a crown of thorns on his head (into his head) and then nailed his bloodied near corpse to the cross and further mocked him. And he goes on to say; Forgive them Father for they know not what they do." Well, that's good enough for me. Why not for some of you? As Chatty Kathy used to say around here, "some of you here have spent more time revisiting The Way (and have it still swirling about in your head!) than the time you actually spent in The Way!" Look none of us have endured anything near what our Lord Jesus Christ endured. And he was INNOCENT! We, on the other hand are/were not innocent. We, who gleefully went about snorkeling in the cess pools of sin and iniquity without a trace of guilt for many of us were far from innocent. But Jesus was actually and entirely innocent and he forgave those who hurt hi, who wronged him. Therefore it behooves us even more to follow his example and forgive those who have trespassed against us. Shoot, LCM tried to seduce my wife when he was married and she single. She nailed him with "It Is Written", and he backed off. He's never apologized to her, but she has forgiven him. As have I. I would never trust him again, but I forgive him...