Two Hail Marys and a Picture Of The Day

Confession is an idea that fascinates me. It's so alien to me, as a confused Protestant/closet charismatic/trying follower of Jesus, that it has a certain aura about it.

In a recent conversation at a wedding, my rather outspoken and controversial friend Barney suggested that asking God for forgiveness every time we do something wrong is unbiblical. There's no precedent for it in the New Testament, but there is an understanding that the sacrifice of Jesus covers all sins - we are already forgiven, end of.

1 John claims that if we confess our sins, God will forgive us. It makes no mention of asking for forgiveness in order to be forgiven. And does 'God will forgive us' appertain to what will happen in that moment? What will happen at the end of time? What is happening outside of time now?

I don't rightly know the answers, and feel free to argue it out down below. However, I do know two things: I am a sinner, and I am forgiven. Somehow, those things work out, and God must take the credit.

Death and Videos

I think this blog is either dead or dying. I've been incredibly busy with job applications and Easter and other inane things. I think I might create a new blog, one that isn't this one. Probably with a different focus (there's a focus, you say?) and different name. Any suggestions will be gratefully appreciated.

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Apparently, Osama Bin Laden is dead. As to be expected, we Christians have responded with a variety of responses, from cheering in the street through to getting on our high horses and quoting the Bible at people. I fell, unfortunately, into the latter. More because I look stupid on big horses, not because I think the Bible doesn't have anything to say in this situation.

I don't think killing people is ideal. No matter how horrific the crimes, no-one should die for them. My 10,000 words on forgiveness in my final year helped me to understand that retribution is not a) helpful, or b) Jesus' way. I'm glad that a man renowned for plotting evil can no longer plot evil, but that self same object could also be reached by putting him in prison.

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I don't have anything else to say, so here's a link to a video that I created for my best friend's wedding. I had fun. I hope you enjoy it, too.

Forgiveness And Random Acts of Kindness

I'm not sure whether it's because it's Good Friday, but the BBC decided to run with a great article about forgiveness today. It comes after the brother of a murdered schoolgirl in London has said he is willing to forgive: click.

I contemplated apologising for writing about forgiveness again, but as we can't seem to get enough of the stuff to go around the world, I think another mention or two doesn't go amiss.

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A friend posted a status yesterday about a random act of kindness, where a complete stranger paid the bus fare that she didn't have. The story cheered me, but I got to thinking - isn't it odd that we celebrate these events? In a normal/better/perfect world [delete as your worldview allows] wouldn't being human be defined by these acts? It wouldn't be out of the ordinary, but normal.

Jesus, teach us how to be human.

Forgiveness

A long time ago, in a very different place, this blog was born. It was mostly created out of necessity, but it was also to share with you my insights about forgiveness, and what God thinks about it. It's sort of morphed into a smorgasbord of less important things since then, but I came across this wonderful story in the Guardian, via The Week, and thought it was worth sharing.

In essence, Joanna Nodding was a rape victim who chose to forgive her attacker. There doesn't seem to be any religious or spiritual inclination, just the understanding that forgiveness sets us free. She met her attacker through the restorative justice programme - an excellent initiative that says that prison and condemnation is not the only or the best way to bring justice. She says

"As the meeting was finishing I was asked if there was anything else I wanted to say, and I gave him what I’ve later come to think of as ‘a gift’. I said to him “What I am about to say to you a lot of people would find hard to understand, but I forgive you for what you did to me. Hatred just eats you up and I want you to go on and have a successful life. If you haven’t already forgiven yourself, then I hope in the future you will.” I didn’t say it to excuse what he did, or to minimize it, but because I wanted myself to be free of that burden of grievance, and as importantly for me, I hoped Darren could learn, move on, and forgive himself."

Read more here and here.

That second link is to a wonderful website called theforgivenessproject.com. It has no political or religious affiliation, it is 'merely' a collection of people who see forgiveness as important. Important enough to share with the world.