Forgiving Terrorists

[robsia]

[sehoy]

[Genie]

[Steve]

[Steve]

[Allison]

[tangent]

[Karen]

[Ian]

[jo]

Um, very perspicacious :). I can't say that I agree with you though Ian. Yes, young men are brainwashed into thinking that there is a Paradise comprised of endless streams of virgins and goodness knows what else waiting for martyrs but I don't think that that prospect is the main motivating factor behind their martyrdom. These people really do HATE the West, I believe, and really do want to see non muslim countries and ideologies fall. You're right in the extent that you suggest that their stance is the result of brainwashing but you're way off beam if you think that 'anyone' would kill another human being/other human beings just because if they did they'd have access to endless sexual recreation in the next life.

What's With This Style Of Writing Btw? Did You Try To Write Your Post All In Caps?

[sehoy]

[sehoy]

[AllanS]

[Larry W.]

I think those who were responsible for what happened on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York are deserving of the death penalty if they masterminded the attacks (or contributed greatly to them) and are still living. It isn't that you can't forgive them, but there must be an appropriate punishment for the severity of the crime. There shouldn't be any leniency shown to these criminals when one considers the suffering of the victims and their families.

Larry W.

[sehoy]

Allan:

Ohhhhh... you had to bring up the elder brother again, did you? Are you so sure the elder brother is asking for justice outside of love? I'm not so sure, Allan. He's asking that justice be done. The thing is, the crime was not committed against him. It was committed against his father. The father is free to forgive or not, as he sees fit. The father forgives the prodigal son/brother.

The problem with the elder brother is that he does not find this acceptable, because he does not know the whole situation. That's where he went wrong. It does not have to do with a lack of love on his part.

I see this clearly now, because I am in such a situation at the moment. I see now why I identify so much with the elder brother and it is not for lack of love, that I am in this situation.

The elder brother failed to see that justice had been done, because he didn't know it until the father told him so.

Furthermore, the father never comdemns the elder brother, which he would have, if love were lacking.

I think, that at the end of the day, when the elder brother knew that things had been set in order between the father and the prodigal brother, that he went in and joined the celebration. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.

I witnessed a crime committed by someone I love against someone else I love. All these years I have been unable to forgive/let go of the grudge, because it was not my place to forgive, and because, as far as I know, justice has never been done. I have finally figured out, in the course of writing these posts, that I need to ask the victim if justice has been done. Maybe it has, and I just didn't know it. If it has, then I can finally let this go. If justice has not been done, then I will have to go and confront the perpetrator, who behaved exactly like a terrorist on that day.

Can I forgive the terrorist? NO, I can not. The crime was not committed against me [in either situation]. But I can and must ask that justice be done, either here or in the hereafter.

Reconciliation will not come until after justice has been done.

Sorry, but I'm not one of the those people who can just smile and pretend nothing happened.

Thanks for helping me get very clear about that.

sehoy,
the elder sister in this case