Group Discussion: Forgiveness or Divine Retribution?
Tuesday 18th May 2021 6pm UK time & Saturday 22nd May 2021 11:30am UK time
Zoom Online
Do you "forgive and forget", or is failing to act in the face of malice a case of “all it takes for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing”?
“I, who have been betrayed, assassinated and cast into a tomb, I have emerged from that tomb by the grace of God and I owe it to God to take my revenge. He has sent me for that purpose. Here I am”
~ Edmond Dantès from The Count of Monte Cristo
Most of us would agree that indulging in vengeance would not be in line with aspiring to live by a set of higher values. We would like to think we’d give the benefit of the doubt, that maybe they made a mistake: “To err is human, to forgive Divine”, and set our intentions to at least walk away if not to forgive and forget
But what about Divine Retribution as in Edmond Dantès' case? What if someone had maliciously and with full knowledge injured you - whether physically or emotionally? Or if they were repeat offenders? What would forgiveness mean to you then and how would you achieve it - would you feel entitled, perhaps compelled, to enforce moral justice so they understand how it feels and hopefully less inclined to do it to someone else? Would walking away be perceived as a weakness in this instance, a lack of courage, or would this be an act of spiritual levity?
Join us for the penultimate session in this series of discussions where we ask is forgiveness at odds with divine retribution? Is it possible to both forgive and seek retribution simultaneously? We’d love to hear your thoughts and views on this issue
There will be a short meditation/exercise to help with forgiveness and letting go of our pain
All welcome