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Is it possible to truely forgive someone and press charges at the same time?

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Is it possible to forgive someone and and still press charges against someone?

When first thinking about it the instinctive answer is no, but then thinking about it on a larger scale if someone were to intrude into your house and attack a member of your family seriously injure them or even kill them, then they run away and the police catch them. Afterwords you say, "I forgive you for what you have done", and then have the police throw them into prison. Is that true forgiveness?

It is harder to say now, but deep down my heart still feels inclined to say no, it wouldn't be true forgiveness if I were still to press charges even in the case of murder.

What do you think?
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Now the next question is how fast should you forgive someone?
If a robber breaks into your house should you forgive them while they are still in your house and if you do this would it be considered pressing charges to shoot them even if they have a gun pointed at your head?
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
What I think is ridiculous is when a robber breaks into your house and you say, "Don't worry about it, here I am giving this to you." The robber then runs away and you call the cops get him arrested and then you throw him in jail for taking all the stuff that you "gave" to him.
 

WyattDerp

Active Member
One thing is really crucial for forgiveness, IMHO: regret. You cannot forgive someone who doesn't ask you for forgiveness, or at least wishes you forgave them. But yes, when someone is truly sorry (and it's not just "I'm afraid of the consequences so let's fake regret"), you either forgive them or you don't, but "kinda sorta" forgiving is *not* forgiving IMHO.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
One thing is really crucial for forgiveness, IMHO: regret. You cannot forgive someone who doesn't ask you for forgiveness, or at least wishes you forgave them. But yes, when someone is truly sorry (and it's not just "I'm afraid of the consequences so let's fake regret"), you either forgive them or you don't, but "kinda sorta" forgiving is *not* forgiving IMHO.

So you are saying I can't forgive someone unless they ask me to forgive them?
So if someone shoots my friend and then kills them self it is impossible for me to forgive them?
 

WyattDerp

Active Member
Oh I dunno actually. I was going to say forgiveness is an action involving two people, and that if the other party doesn't know or care about your forgiveness, it's really just you doing hygiene on your own soul, it has nothing to do with them. But neither does holding a grudge, and even if you are face to face with a person, are you really interacting with that person, or with the image you have in your mind of them? Sorry, I confused myself now, nevermind :/
 

BSM1

What? Me worry?
Don't confuse forgiving with forgetting. If you reach under a log and a snake bites you, you have to forgive the snake; but you don't have to reach under the log again.
 

ChristineES

Tiggerism
Premium Member
Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean you want that person to get off scot-free from the justice system for one good reason: 1. The person may commit the crime again to someone else.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Just because you forgive someone doesn't mean you want that person to get off scot-free from the justice system for one good reason: 1. The person may commit the crime again to someone else.

Forgive others as I would have God forgive me...

Humm... Do I want God to forgive me immediately and not press charges against me, or do I want God to throw me into prison let me pay the price of my crimes and then forgive me afterwords?

Granted I know that the matter of pressing charges is not always in my hands. If someone steals from me yes it would be in my hands, but if they kill a member of my family the government will press charges against them whether I want them to or not. The question is where is my heart?
 

The Sum of Awe

Brought to you by the moment that spacetime began.
Is it possible to forgive someone and and still press charges against someone?

When first thinking about it the instinctive answer is no, but then thinking about it on a larger scale if someone were to intrude into your house and attack a member of your family seriously injure them or even kill them, then they run away and the police catch them. Afterwords you say, "I forgive you for what you have done", and then have the police throw them into prison. Is that true forgiveness?

It is harder to say now, but deep down my heart still feels inclined to say no, it wouldn't be true forgiveness if I were still to press charges even in the case of murder.

What do you think?

Doubt it. Unless it's something they broke that was expensive but wasn't really anything special for me
 

dave6

Member
of course if that person is a danger to you still or a danger to others. just because you are forgiven does not mean justice and consequence will not find there way to you.
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
of course if that person is a danger to you still or a danger to others. just because you are forgiven does not mean justice and consequence will not find there way to you.

Yes, but it will be by the hands of God and not by the hands of men, unless as before mentioned in the case of murder and government pressing charges whether or not the victim or the victim's family is for or against it. But even then God will have his hand in it.

I remember when I was little there was a time when I bit my little brother and for doing so my Mom acting as the government was carrying me away to bite on bar of soap and while doing so my brother pled, "No Mom don't give him the soap." My brother was very well justified in seeing me face my consequences and be given the soap treatment but he decided not to press charges. After that I did not have to bite the soap.
Now there is a difference between teaching my daughter a lesson (don't bite or hit) in comparison to teaching my brother (or a criminal) a lesson.
Yes I need to let the government know, just as my brother did when he let my Mom know, afterwords you have a choice as to whether or not you want to press charges, and the government also has a choice. For example even though my brother said don't give him the soap, my Mom could of given me the soap anyway. My brother wouldn't of pressed charges and whatever happened after that it would have been in the governments hands.

I feel like this has a major application to us in our earthly government as well as in our heavenly government. I believe in leaving the judgement of who gets punished and who does not in God's hands, for he is the perfect judge. We are justified if we choose to press charges (though this claim is not biblical as far as I am aware), but I believe that by pressing charges I am denying greater blessings that God has in store for me if I choose to leave the charges to God.
 

Gjallarhorn

N'yog-Sothep
To forgive someone, while still pressing charges on them, is to not forgive but accept. To forgive is to say "what you have done I have pardoned", not "yeah, you did that".
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
I disagree completely.

It is your responsibility to society to press charges.

While you may forgive him or her that soesnt mean you want to risk more people taking the damage. One can very well press charges without malice.

Furthhermore, It is against at oerson wellness to keep doing wrong, so s/he has to learn, not doing anything would be like saying there is nothing wrong with what s/he did.

There might be specific circumstances where not pressing charges is not irresponsible of is ghe best for everyone, but prsssing charges doesnt go against forgiving, and many times it is a plain moral reponsibility and obligatioto do so.
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
To forgive someone, while still pressing charges on them, is to not forgive but accept. To forgive is to say "what you have done I have pardoned", not "yeah, you did that".

I forgive you for killing my daughter. I inoformed the police about youbecause you cant think it is okay to go about killing people nor can I in good conscience allow a killer on the lose.
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
If you dont see other peoe being endangered by yourot pressing charges then you may not have the moral responsibility to do so, but even then you should weight whether or not you think the person will learn about the gravity of the situation or not if you dont press charges.

Jesus said you MUST judge others (after you have judged yourself) . If you did wrong and were in an habit of doing wrong, would you like others to do what it takes so you were set up in the right path?

I know I would.
 

Gjallarhorn

N'yog-Sothep
I forgive you for killing my daughter. I inoformed the police about youbecause you cant think it is okay to go about killing people nor can I in good conscience allow a killer on the lose.

So, you're fine with what he did to your daughter, but not fine with him doing it to others.

How do you press charges on something which you have no reason to press charges on?
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
So, you're fine with what he did to your daughter, but not fine with him doing it to others.

How do you press charges on something which you have no reason to press charges on?

Its not about being fine. Hatred is damaging in and on itself

Forgivenes sis really for the best of s/he who forgives.

That doesnt mean you think what s/he did was wrong, it means that EVENTHOUGH you know it is wrong, you choose to forgive him, and remember the event without spite towards him, or at least with the conscious attempt to minimize spite towards him
 

Flat Earth Kyle

Well-Known Member
Its not about being fine. Hatred is damaging in and on itself

Forgivenes sis really for the best of s/he who forgives.

That doesnt mean you think what s/he did was wrong, it means that EVENTHOUGH you know it is wrong, you choose to forgive him, and remember the event without spite towards him, or at least with the conscious attempt to minimize spite towards him

So is it your responsibility to try and enforce a lesson on them by pressing charges, or would it be better left to God.

I suppose this thread has 2 sides to it, the religious side and the philosophical side of it.

From a New Testament Standpoint the "eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth" pressing charges type of justice has been done away with. No where did Christ ever teach anything about self defense by violent means and no where did he ever encourage someone to throw a criminal in prison. Instead, he encourages if a man sue thee for they coat, give him thy cloak also, and if a man smites you to turn the other cheek.
 

Me Myself

Back to my username
So is it your responsibility to try and enforce a lesson on them by pressing charges, or would it be better left to God.

I suppose this thread has 2 sides to it, the religious side and the philosophical side of it.

From a New Testament Standpoint the "eye for an eye a tooth for a tooth" pressing charges type of justice has been done away with. No where did Christ ever teach anything about self defense by violent means and no where did he ever encourage someone to throw a criminal in prison. Instead, he encourages if a man sue thee for they coat, give him thy cloak also, and if a man smites you to turn the other cheek.

God will do what he will do. My actions in no way hinder gods actions.

It is not responsible for me to let a robber roam free around the world when I can stop it.

Jesus told us that we must judge :

You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

One MUST remove the speck from the borthers eyes. One must try to have ones eyes as clean as posible (judge oneself often) so that one can do a better job when one judges others, this is a service. Judging others is a service when done well.
 
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