Sacrifice, Forgiveness and Pedagogy

Abstract

To this point arguments in this text have been based largely on philosophical and psychological grounds. Chapter Two offered primarily psychological views of kindness and empathy development, and Chapter Three outlined views of psychologists such as Prager and Erikson along with educators and philosophers such as Carla Rinaldi to support the arguments made with respect to intimacy and bonding. While those disciplines remain of consequence, sacrifice and forgiveness have special relevance to religion. The term sacrifice is derived from the Latin word sacrificium that means ‘to make sacred’. The religious connotations from which the modernday word is derived are interesting given the continued emphasis present notions of sacrifice receive in religious discourse, particularly (but obviously not limited to) Christian religious discourse. Current notions of the meaning of the word sacrifice tend to include ideas of giving up something, going without something, or making some kind of special effort that is ultimately to the detriment of self but to the advantage of others (Gelven, 1988). According to Noller (1996) sacrifice is an essential element in a definition of true love, sitting alongside caring, respect, and loyalty. The most obvious example of sacrifice in religion is the Christian notion of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. The idea that engaging in such behaviour is noble, worthwhile, righteous, and even holy has come down to those of us in the western world through the centuries as a result of the Judeo-Christian tradition, and those who have grown in the western tradition are impacted by it whether an individual considers him or herself Christian or not. It is a part of the shared western cultural heritage.