a seasonal request

[cellio]

We are now in the Ten Days of Repentance, the period of time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur when we go into overdrive to try to repair any damaged relationships we have with each other.

If there is anything which I did over the past year which hurt or upset you, please let me know. If you want to discuss it publically, please leave a comment below; if you'd like to discuss it privately, send me email (address is in my profile).

I will do my best to make amends and make right anything which I have done wrong.

I don't promise that I can. But I do promise that I will try.

[The above was largely swiped from goljerp, who got it here. I was already planning to write something similar tonight but I decided to just adapt this, as the original poster invited people to do so.]

Comments

Forgiveness...

[patsmor.livejournal.com]

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<font color="navy"<i>Cellio said that there is a portion of the services which says
"just as we ask you for forgiveness, so do we also forgive those who have wronged us". </i>

Of course, being perverse, if one of us gentiles is a Christian, s/he has said in nearly every service, "And forgive us our [trespasses|debts], as we forgive [those who trespass against us|our debtors]." Which, to me, means that a Christian is required to forgive you, whether or not you try to make amends. Forgiveness is, as best I can tell, one of the central tenets of the Christian belief system; God will forgive all your sins -"wash you white as snow" if you acknowledge his son as lord and Savior. The Christ took all the sins of mankind on himself during the Crucifixion, and if you acknowledge that sacrifice and declare him Lord, you get the prize of forgiveness.

Which takes me to the conundrum: what happens to the guilt/sin of those of us who are not Christian? Are our sins counted twice?

<i>Dagonell said, "There are blood relatives whose very existence I will no longer acknowledge."</i>

I came very close to that with my father, because of issues surrounding his handling of my mother's estate. Eventually, because he simply acted as if I had said nothing at all, and because he died, I have had to look at that anger and fury and give it up to the void, because it does nothing to help me and will never have closure with him. As I have gotten older -- nearly a half century! -- I fear I see too much of the reasons and motivations and pain of other people, which cause them to do really dumb or hateful things. And I'm hoping that, as I think, I've worked out the hurts I've given to others to the point that we can at least understand one another, even if forgiveness isn't possible.

Thank you, C, for this very interesting thought chain.</font>

Re: Forgiveness...

[cellio]

Of course, being perverse, if one of us gentiles is a Christian, s/he has said in nearly every service, "And forgive us our [trespasses|debts], as we forgive [those who trespass against us|our debtors]."

*boggle* Y'know, I never read that as actually granting blanket forgiveness, but I can see how it could. I read it as "just as I have forgiven those...", rathar than "just as I now forgive those...". One acknowledges actions that you say you've taken; the other replaces action. I wonder which meaning was intended. Maybe the grammar of the original language makes it clearer?

I would not be surprised to find that a Christian is required to forgive if asked (and maybe if not). As you say, it's a cornerstone of the faith.

Which takes me to the conundrum: what happens to the guilt/sin of those of us who are not Christian? Are our sins counted twice?

That's part of a larger question. Didn't the church eventually rule that those who've never had access to Christian teaching are ok (not damned)? I think (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) that the current view is that those who actually reject Christianity are damned, except that Jews are ok (as of sometime late in the 20th century) because they have their own covenant with God. (How do they rule on Muslims, who follow Jesus as a prophet but not as a manifestation of God?)

I have had to look at that anger and fury and give it up to the void,

Congratulations. That can be hard to do. I'm so glad that my relations with my family are good!