Is Real Forgiveness Actually Possible?

[45Doll 5,877]

Even after a tragic shooting like the one in Dallas by the off duty officer who mistakenly shot a man in his own apartment?

If this country is going to avoid the unthinkable, we're going to need a lot more forgiveness when it's really justified and required.

If it is possible, this is what it looks like:

 

 

[Scorpio64 5,153]

It is possible, and sometimes is best, because carrying resent all one's life is a burden that can keep a person from moving on in a good direction.

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

Yeah, I was very impressed with this young man. 

OTOH, not to be a cynic, or to be disagreeable with your main point (which is a valid one), but I can't help but think that he's also WELL AWARE that this woman did not maliciously or purposefully gun down his brother!

One could argue that her situational awareness was simply terrible (exhausted or not). One could even say her behavior was reckless... but MURDER? Murder - as I understand the law - requires premeditation. I saw NOTHING that made me think she had any plan to kill this guy. Frankly, I don't think murder should even have been allowed to stand as a charge.

So, yes, I do wonder if this young man would be able to forgive her if she had actually murdered his brother (as opposed to what I think this really is --- manslaughter). Yeah, yeah, I know... I'm no lawyer! And the man killed would still be gone from this world either way... and the brother's loss is equally real... but I still think it's far more difficult to forgive when someone cruelly plans to take your loved one's life as opposed to a tragic accident even if it was careless or reckless.

[45Doll 5,877]

Yes Emma, forgiving a mistake is a different scale than forgiving an intentional murder. And yes she should not have been charged with murder. There's a whole story about how that happened. I listened to the entire 911 call, and that woman was obviously distraught over what happened.

The brother impressed me the most by not jumping on the racist bandwagon that was being pumped up incessantly in Dallas, holding to his faith and principles, and seeing the tragedy for what it was. You heard him say "I haven't said this in front of my family." That's because some of them were also drum beaters.

When people are so blinded by their prejudices that they can't see the difference between a tragic mistake and an intentional murder, they lose me.

[Scorpio64 5,153]

I think the judge giving her a bible was significant too.  If the judge is a practicing christian, then she knows Jesus can forgive any sin and this book is the way to him.  I'm not trying to make converts here, I just happen to know a lot about religions.  In a way, the judge was saying that she wants the killer to get some of that olde tyme religion so that her sin will be forgiven.