Louder Fenn Comments
Louder Fenn comments on my forgiveness post. I would have emailed him directly, but I can't find an email for him. Anyone out there who wants to mention to him I've responded will have my gratitude.
Much of the anger at Law -- which, granted, has probably reached un-Christian degrees of vitriol -- comes from the sense that he can't seem to acknowledge his terrible mistakes. Has he genuinely and forthrightly repented of them? Perhaps he has; I have not been following every quote. But it seems to me that without repentance there can be no forgiveness.
Repentance is required to accept God's forgiveness. The forgiveness is always there for the taking. That's my main point: we must forgive, even when it isn't sought. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished (forgiveness and punishment having gotten some weird equivalencey in our non-judgmental world--subject for a future blog), just that we must grant it.
Forgiveness should not be simply handed out. On the contrary, that is the only way to do it. That's what the extended Lewis post is about.
To be honest, I wonder if it's even my place to forgive him. He has not wronged me, except in the roundabout sense that he has wronged Christ, and Law and I are members of Christ's body. Even then, it seems it is Christ who would do the forgiving. Yes?
Um, well, no. Christ would indeed do His forgiving, but it certainly is our place to forgive him for what he has done to us. The victims of the pedophiles and ephebophiles have their own forgiving to do. But the corporeal Church has been wronged by the Cardinal's poor leadership and mismanagement.
Even if you don't agree with the last part, most of the vitriol comes from people who feel personally wronged by Law. Whether you or I feel wronged doesn't alter the fact that if they believe they have been wronged, they must forgive him.
(I hope the tone here is what I am aiming for: responsive, but not obnoxious.)
Louder Fenn comments on my forgiveness post. I would have emailed him directly, but I can't find an email for him. Anyone out there who wants to mention to him I've responded will have my gratitude.
Much of the anger at Law -- which, granted, has probably reached un-Christian degrees of vitriol -- comes from the sense that he can't seem to acknowledge his terrible mistakes. Has he genuinely and forthrightly repented of them? Perhaps he has; I have not been following every quote. But it seems to me that without repentance there can be no forgiveness.
Repentance is required to accept God's forgiveness. The forgiveness is always there for the taking. That's my main point: we must forgive, even when it isn't sought. That doesn't mean he shouldn't be punished (forgiveness and punishment having gotten some weird equivalencey in our non-judgmental world--subject for a future blog), just that we must grant it.
Forgiveness should not be simply handed out. On the contrary, that is the only way to do it. That's what the extended Lewis post is about.
To be honest, I wonder if it's even my place to forgive him. He has not wronged me, except in the roundabout sense that he has wronged Christ, and Law and I are members of Christ's body. Even then, it seems it is Christ who would do the forgiving. Yes?
Um, well, no. Christ would indeed do His forgiving, but it certainly is our place to forgive him for what he has done to us. The victims of the pedophiles and ephebophiles have their own forgiving to do. But the corporeal Church has been wronged by the Cardinal's poor leadership and mismanagement.
Even if you don't agree with the last part, most of the vitriol comes from people who feel personally wronged by Law. Whether you or I feel wronged doesn't alter the fact that if they believe they have been wronged, they must forgive him.
(I hope the tone here is what I am aiming for: responsive, but not obnoxious.)
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