Dealing with Peace through Forgiveness and Reconciliation

Abstract

If forgiveness is necessary for a restoration of relations, enables moral repair and can help overcome the tendency towards bitterness, revenge or resentment, then one might well presume that it is the basis of reconciliation and peaceful existence. And since the concept of forgiveness sits at the heart of the Christian tradition one might also reasonably expect Christians to have a more convincing view about the importance of forgiveness in public and political life and better understand its significance as a foundation for social stability and peace. Yet, the forgiveness debate remains contentious, not least because of the polarisations that arise in relation to two positions where on the one hand forgiveness is seen to occur unconditionally (and so given), and on the other seen to occur conditionally (and so earned). In the first instance forgiveness is a gift and in the second instance it is a price. This basic yet fundamental difference is particularly evident with regard to Protestant perceptions of forgiveness in Northern Ireland, and it is this difference which poses problems not just for shared understanding of what forgiveness might potentially mean, but the possibility of reconciliation itself. However, before we move to the arguments which Protestants adopt in relation to these two perspectives on forgiveness, it seems desirable that we should try to at least grasp some of the fundamental concerns and issues at stake within the forgiveness debate.