10 Beliefs about Forgiveness & Reconciliation

FORGIVENESS & RECONCILIATION

In a previous post (20 February), I reported the results from two studies, which examined some nuances about forgiveness and reconciliation. This weekend, I follow up on that post with an additional set of 5 beliefs.

As you study the questions, I hope you find the variations a useful starting point for considering the topic of forgiveness and reconciliation in more depth.

As before, I will list the belief statement so you can think about your own opinion. Then I will post the response of the sample at the bottom of this blog post.

BELIEFS 6 THROUGH 10

I will use the numbers 6-10 as a reminder that this is Part 2 of 2 Parts. Please see the February 20 post for Part 1.

6. It is easier to forgive a friend or family member than a stranger for the same offense.

7. People need to admit what they have done and change before you forgive them.

8. If someone lost their job or position of leadership because of wrongdoing, then forgiveness means

they must be restored to their former position.

9. People must forgive others in order to obtain God’s forgiveness.

10. If you forgive someone it means you start trusting them again.

Here are the findings from the two samples.

The numbers and text at the left refer to the questions above. Ignore the numbers on the slide, which were from the presentation. A link below takes you to the presentation.

6. Forgiving a friend

7. Admitting to wrong doing

8. Forgiving and restoring

9. Forgiving others and God's forgiveness

10. Forgiving and trusting

Publication site: https://evangel.academia.edu/GeoffSutton

Connections

Website www.suttong.com

twitter @GeoffWSutton

Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/PsychologyReligion

Related Posts

FOUR STEPS TO RECONCILIATION

PSYCHOLOGY OF FORGIVENESS

FORGIVENESS AND CHRISTIAN COUNSELING

FORGIVE? YES. RECONCILE? MAYBE.

HOW FORGIVENESS PROMOTES HOPE

Reference

Allman, J. Sutton & G. W., (2009, April). Forgiveness, reconciliation, and spirituality: empirical findings regarding conceptual differences. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, International Conference, Orlando, FL.

You will find details about the sample and other questions in our presentation.

Link to the research presentation.

Comments

9 Beliefs of Christian Counselors

Updated 26 Feb 2018 What Christian Counselors Believe, Value, and Practice Part I: Beliefs I once asked a conservative evangelical Christian Chaplain how he handled counseling when he was pretty sure a dying patient was not a Christian and, according to his tradition, would soon spend eternity in hell. He sincerely said he would have to think about that question. A female health care provider told me she switched jobs so she could work with children rather than seniors, because she believed that, unlike the elderly, children would go to heaven if they died. In this case, her Christian beliefs appeared to have a cause -effect influence on her career. Counselors normally focus on the needs of clients and help clients find solutions in a supportive setting. Theoretically, rapport ought to be enhanced when counselors and clients share common values and beliefs. Why ask what Christian Counselors Believe? The primary reason ...

EASTER: VARIATIONS IN BELIEF

Differences in Religious & Spiritual Beliefs Relevant to the Easter Story By Geoffrey W. Sutton, Ph.D. at suttong.com Like most Christians, my wife and I attend an Easter Service. And, a s usual, the media rise to the Spring occasion with Bible stories, comments from various religious leaders and a few atheists—just to keep things balanced. Other religions are on the back burner until Monday. So many statements of beliefs come from the Easter events. For now, here’s a sample of some core beliefs from various sources. God: 51% believe in God as in the Bible Statista (May, 2023) reported US belief "in God as described in holy scriptures" at 51%. Another 22% reported a belief in a higher power or spirit. Pew researchers from 2021 find 58% believe in God as described in the Bible and another 32% believe in a God or Higher Power. Belief in God is obviously a core belief. U.S. belief has declined to 58% having no doubt God exists and another 17% have do...

Doom and Gloom and Bad Actors

Sculpture at Terazin 2024 “Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It.” George Santayana ***** A great quantity of information in the form of text, photographs, statues, films, drawings, and paintings portray and honour the lives of those who were victims of the Nazi’s murderous plan. The concentration camps do concentrate one’s focus on a particular era of terror. The evidence from the past 80 years suggests Santayana was right and wrong. In a sense, his statement was too general to be contradicted. For example, the specific conditions that generated and maintained the Nazi system of mass murder are unlikely to be replicated; however, some timeless characteristics of human nature persist. ***** I’m a psychologist and not a historian yet, I come away from recent visits to several Nazi terror sites with some impressions. 1. Religion supports dictators. Horrible leaders often have an amiable relationship with the larger religious groups who fail to dissuade th...

Geoff W. Sutton Blog

Search This Blog