ABSTRACT
Many of us grew up saying the Lord’s Prayer every night before going to sleep, repeating the words, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Christianity is not alone amongst religious faiths in extolling the virtues of forgiveness; it is a recognized moral good shared across cultures and beliefs, albeit with varied meanings. The goodness of forgiveness is so taken for granted that it is hardly ever questioned and, indeed, in our daily interactions we will often find ourselves “forgiving” a hurtful remark made by a friend or equally something injurious we may have done in a thoughtless moment. Forgiveness is defined as an intentional and voluntary act by which a victim lets go of resentment, anger and vengeful feelings toward his offender. In legal terms, forgiveness means absolution from debt or obligation. However, forgiveness goes beyond simply letting an offender “off the hook”, it also entails wishing the offender well. The common assumption is that forgiveness enables us to free ourselves from the anger and resentfulness that bind us to the past and is a necessary process in healing individual and social conflict. As a moral imperative, the concept of forgiveness seems to have shifted to a psychological imperative.
