How can we forgive people like murderers, rapists, and child molesters?
by Greg Mackie Question: How can we accept these people as loving children of God who perpetrate “bad” behaviors without judging the behavior? Short answer: We forgive people who perpetrate such acts by recognizing the Christ in them. From this perspective, we realize that no matter how “bad” their behavior seems to be, it is only a mistake, not a sin — through seeing this, we forgive our own “sins” as well as theirs. This is the Holy Spirit’s judgment of their behavior, and we are to allow His judgment to replace ours. We forgive by using the practices the Course itself offers us for this purpose. Through forgiving the “unforgivable,” we follow Jesus’ own example, and learn the lesson that is at the very heart of his teaching.
