[WillowTheWhisp]

Originally Posted by katex

No, Willow forgiving is sanctimonious ..

It may seem so, and maybe it feels like that when you first try to do it, in which case you kind of still haven't done it because the thought is going something like "I shall be all magnanimous and noble and forgive you, you lying thieving slimy piece of ......." which although you may have said the words means you still aren't feeling the feeling. Like the Native American thing about walking the walk and talking the talk. When you don't forgive somebody it sort of gnaws away at you and makes you feel grouchy, grumpy and lousy. It doesn't actually affect the other person at all. When you are genuinely able to forgive, that doesn't affect them either but boy it doesn't half affect you and feels like a weight being lifted if you are able to let go of the bad feelings. Do you really want to hurt yourself or the person who has hurt you? The answer is probably the latter but when you don't forgive then you're actually doing the former. I don't mean you personally Katex, I've done it myself which is why I know how it feels.

Originally Posted by Flash

Interesting point you make- is God vengeful then? And why do only certain wrongdoers meet a sticky end? Have others done some sort of deal to avoid retribution?

Sticky ends are debateable. We see ends from a mortal perspective - there's more to it than that. Vengeful? No, but certainly just. That's where the Atonement comes into play to counterbalance justice with mercy. It's we humans who tend to do vengeful.

Originally Posted by mickmc

Methinks it's now't to do with God !!

Science explains it all !!

Isaac Newton covered it exactly - tis a basic law of the Universe

"To every action , there is an equal and opposite reaction"

Yes, I agree with you there. A lot of what people see as God's vengeance or divine retribution, or even God not caring what happens to people is actually just a case of 'consequences'. It's one of those things I have to explain to my kids a lot when they think I am being mean. Somebody didn't wash up so there are no clean cups unless somebody else washes them up. But the person who should have washed up has gone swanning off with her mates - so is whoever remains being punished by having to wash up or is it a consequence of her sister's actions?

I don't half sound like I've got my Sunday School teacher head on this morning