Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Rawbone and I'm your RE teacher today.

In today's lesson we'll be looking at Christian attitudes to forgiveness.

In today's lesson, you will be able to explain different views about forgiveness, including Christian perspectives.

Keywords that we'll be using today are forgiveness, reconciliation, and restorative justice.

Forgiveness means to grant pardon for a wrongdoing, to give up resentment and the desire to seek revenge against the wrongdoer.

Reconciliation is making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups or sides after disagreements.

And restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing through dialogue and understanding.

Today's lesson will take two parts.

We'll be looking at forgiveness and at Christian responses to forgiveness.

So let's get started on forgiveness.

The term forgiveness comes from Old English.

For meaning completely, and giefan meaning give.

So it's come to mean to grant pardon for a wrongdoing, to give up resentment, and the desire to seek revenge against a wrongdoer.

It's a belief that can affect all behaviours.

It can result in refusing to seek revenge, choosing reconciliation over punishment, speaking with compassion, supporting restorative justice, and responding to wrongdoing with understanding rather than hatred.

So it's giving up that idea of resentment or revenge completely.

Let's check your understanding.

What is forgiveness? Take a moment to jot down your answer.

Pause the video and come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said, "Granting pardon for a wrongdoing, giving up resentment and the desire to seek revenge against a wrongdoer." So, well done if you've got something along those lines.

Andeep, Sofia, Lucas and Aisha are discussing whether they think we should always forgive.

Andeep says, "I think we should always forgive, no matter what someone has done." Sofia says, "Forgiveness is important, but people still need to face consequences." Lucas says, "I try to forgive, but some things are just too serious to move past." Aisha says, "Some people don't deserve forgiveness, especially if they keep hurting others." A YouGov of survey in 2021 asked British people whether they will be able to forgive someone who killed someone close to them in an accident.

We had 18% who said yes, 39 said no, and 42 didn't know.

So what might influence people's views on whether they think they could forgive? Take a moment, pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

Here's a picture of Eva Kor.

She was a Holocaust survivor who chose to forgive the Nazis, including Josef Mengele, who experimented on her and her twin sister at Auschwitz.

She made this choice to let go of hatred and regain control of her life.

Her decision was controversial, but she explained that forgiveness is not about excusing evil, but it's about freeing oneself from pain.

And she later became an advocate for healing and education.

Is this statement true or false? Eva Kor's decision to forgive the Nazis was widely accepted.

Pause the video, think about your answer, and also think about why it is true or false.

Come back when you are ready to check.

Well done if you put false.

But why is it false? Well, her decision was controversial because some people thought she was appearing to excuse terrible crimes.

The term restorative justice comes from Latin.

Restorative comes from re meaning again, and storare which means to make strong or renew.

Justice comes from iustus, right or fair.

So it's come to mean an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing through dialogue and understanding.

It's a belief that can affect all behaviours.

It can result in bringing victims and offenders together, encouraging apology and accountability, avoiding purely punitive responses, that means purely punishing, focusing on healing rather than revenge, and involving the wider community in making things rights.

Laura is talking to Frank, who works for the Probation Service as a restorative justice practitioner.

Laura says, "Do you really think talking about a crime makes a difference?" Frank responds, "Yes, I think it can.

I worked with a teenage boy who broke into a family's house.

We held a meeting where the victims told him how it had affected them.

Facing them and hearing the harm cause made a difference.

He wrote a full letter of apology and he agreed to do voluntary work to make amends." Laura asked, "Is restorative justice about forgiving the offender?" Frank says, "Well, it can be, and in this case the victims chose to forgive.

Hearing the boys speak honestly and seeing his effort to make things right help them move on.

Restorative justice does not require forgiveness, but it can help make it possible." So why might restorative justice make forgiveness possible? Have a think, pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Restorative justice can take a variety of forms. It could be a face-to-face meeting, where people talk about the impact of what happened.

It could be through indirect communication, so maybe a facilitator passes messages between the victim and the offender.

It could be community reparation.

So the offender does voluntary work in the community.

Or it could be a letter of apology.

The offender writes to the victim to show understanding and to take responsibility.

A YouGov 2018 survey asked British people whether if they were attacked by a stranger and left with bruises but not seriously injured, they would prefer restorative justice or pressing charges.

So we can see from the chart, 20% preferred restorative justice, 61% would press charges and 19% didn't know.

So what factors might make someone more or less prepared to agree to restorative justice? Pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

Let's check your understanding.

Give one example of restorative justice.

Take a moment, pause the video, come back when you're ready to check your answer.

So you could have said any one of the following.

A face-to-face meeting between the victim and the offender, a letter of apology, indirect communication through a facilitator, or community reparation through voluntary work.

Well done if you chose one of those from that list.

There are positives and negatives of forgiveness for both the forgiver and forgiven.

For the forgiver, they may experience emotional healing.

And for the forgiven, they may experience relief from guilt, but on the negatives they may be taken advantage of if they've forgiven, and they may avoid accountability if they've been forgiven, so not take responsibility for their actions.

Faye is debating the statement, Forgiveness causes more harm than good with Zoe.

Faye says, "I think forgiveness can cause more harm than good.

It can allow people to avoid facing the seriousness of harm done, and let offenders escape justice.

Also, forgiveness is unrealistic in violent or repeated harmful situations, where it could put victims at further risk." So what arguments does Faye present? Pause the video, turn and talk to someone if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

So you might have noticed that Faye presents the arguments, forgiveness can let offenders avoid accountability, and forgiveness may be unrealistic and unsafe.

Zoe is responding to Faye's arguments.

Zoe says, "Forgiveness can be very difficult to grant, but if someone does, it can help people heal emotionally.

Holding on to anger and resentment can cause more lasting damage to a person's wellbeing." So what arguments does Zoe present? Pause the video, turn and talk again to someone nearby, or you can talk to me, come back when you're ready to move on.

So you might have noticed that Zoe presents the arguments, forgiveness helps people heal emotionally, and holding onto anger and resentment causes lasting damage.

Which statement is an argument to support forgiveness? A, forgiveness helps people heal emotionally.

B, holding onto anger and resentment causes more damage.

C, forgiveness allows offenders to avoid accountability.

Or D, forgiveness can be unrealistic or unsafe in some situations.

Take a moment, pause the video, come back when you are ready to check your answer.

So well done if you put B, holding onto anger and resentment causes more damage.

For part one of our task for forgiveness, Jacob has been asked to chair a debate on forgiveness.

He's made a start, use the points below to finish.

He says, "Forgiveness is something people talk about a lot, but not everyone agrees on what it involves or whether it is always the right thing to do." So I'd like you to develop his introduction to the debate by including what forgiveness means and where the word comes from, and an example of how restorative justice might support forgiveness.

So take a moment, pause the video, think carefully about how you're going to develop his point and introduce that debate.

When you've written up your answer, come back and see what you could have said.

You could have said, "Forgiveness is something people talk about a lot, but not everyone agrees on what it involves or whether it is always the right thing to do.

The word comes from Old English, combining for, completely, and giefan, to give.

It now means letting go of blame or resentment towards someone who has caused harm.

Forgiveness is supported through restorative justice.

For example, a victim and offender might meet in a safe structured setting.

The offender could listen to the impact of their actions, offer a letter of apology, and agree to do voluntary work.

This process might help the victim able to forgive." So well done if you manage to talk about the origins of that word forgiveness, and if you manage to make the link with restorative justice.

Part two of our task, I'd like you to complete the table below to set out the positives and negatives of forgiveness.

So pause the video, take your time, and come back when you are ready to see what you could have put down.

You could have said, for positives, forgiveness helps the person to heal emotionally, it can restore damaged relationships, and it supports peace and moving forward.

But for the negatives, it may cause emotional harm, if trust is broken after forgiving, the offender may avoid proper accountability, or it could lead to the person doing the forgiving being taken advantage of.

So well done if you manage to get any of those points or things similar to them.

Let's move on to the second part of our lesson, Christian responses to forgiveness.

Forgiveness is central to Christianity.

All human sin and fall short of God's standards.

Jesus was sent to restore the broken relationship between humanity and God.

Jesus' death on the cross is a sacrifice to pay for human sin.

Through Jesus' death and resurrection, believers are offered forgiveness and a restored relationship with God, reconciliation.

Forgiveness means repentance, faith, and a willingness to forgive others.

The Lord's Prayer teaches, "Forgive us our debts as we have also forgiven our debtors." Matthew 6:12.

Christian attitudes to forgiveness are informed by different sources of authority including, the Bible, church teachings, the example of other Christians, Christian ethical theories such as Natural Law and situation ethics, their conscience and ability to reason.

They may interpret the sources differently or emphasise one more than another.

The Bible is a source of wisdom and authority for Christians on forgiveness.

"For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:14-15.

So forgiveness is a condition for receiving God's forgiveness.

Christians are taught that if they want to be forgiven by God, they must also forgive others.

Matthew 18:21-22, "Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, 'Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?' Jesus answered.

'I tell you, not seven times, but 77 times.

'" In Jewish tradition, forgiving someone three times was seen as generous.

Peter suggests going further by forgiving seven times, but Jesus responds with a much higher number to show that forgiveness should not be limited or counted.

The number 77 is symbolic, meaning forgiveness should be unlimited.

So which of the following statements best expresses Christian teachings on forgiveness? Justice is more important than mercy, which is A.

B, forgiveness is a personal choice but not a duty.

C, Christians must forgive others if they want to be forgiven by God.

Or D, religious ritual should take priority over forgiveness and reconciliation.

Take a moment.

Pause a video if you need to, jot down your answer, and then come back when you are ready to check.

So well done if you put C, Christians must forgive others if they want to be forgiven by God.

Forgiveness is a central belief for all Christian denominations.

The Catholic Church teaches that forgiveness is essential for salvation.

It emphasises the sacrament of reconciliation where sins are confessed to a priest and absolution, the formal declaration by a priest that a person's sins have been forgiven is given.

The Catechism teaches that we must forgive others if we want to be forgiven by God.

The Church of England sees forgiveness as central to Christian life.

It is included in public services through shared prayers of confession, followed by absolution by the priest.

This practise reminds worshipers that forgiveness is available to all who truly repent.

Being forgiven by God should lead Christians to you forgive others.

Methodists do not have absolution declared by a minister, but confession and assurance of pardon are part of regular worship.

The emphasis is on heartfelt repentance and direct access to God's mercy through prayer.

Forgiveness is expected to lead to change as being forgiven by God should result in a renewed life and restored relationships.

So which Church tradition does not include absolution by a minister as part of its services? Is it A, the Methodist Church.

B, the Church of England.

Or C, the Roman Catholic Church.

Pause if you need to, jot down your answer, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

So well done if you put the Methodist Church.

Frank is a Methodist Christian who works in restorative justice for the Probation Service, and he uses Situation Ethics to guide how he lives out his beliefs.

He says, "In my role, I make decisions based on what the most loving outcome would be.

I supported a face-to-face meeting between a victim and an offender who had already been sentenced, because the victim wanted answers and the offender wanted to apologise.

I believe the most loving thing is to support healing and change." So what does Frank say which shows he's using Situation Ethics? Take a moment.

Pause the video.

You can turn and talk to someone nearby or you can talk to me, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

So you might have noticed that Frank supported a meeting between a victim and an offender because he believed it would lead to the most loving outcome.

Let's check your understanding.

Give one way in which restorative justice might support the most loving outcome.

Pause the video.

Have a think about one way in which it might support the most loving outcome.

Jot it down.

Come back when you're ready to check your answer.

You could have said any one of the following.

It allows the offender to apologise, which helps the victim feel heard and respected.

It focuses on healing and change, not just punishment.

It gives both sides a chance to rebuild trust to move forward.

Or it reflects Christian love by offering a second chance and supporting reconciliation.

Well done if you manage to jot down one of those points for your answer.

Caritas is the international network of Catholic charities, and several branches support work related to forgiveness and reconciliation.

Caritas worked with Catholic chaplaincies and local organisations to support people leaving prison.

Some Caritas-linked projects promote restorative justice, which brings together offenders and victims to encourage reconciliation.

Caritas provides emotional and practical support to victims of crime or violence.

Gerald is a Catholic prison chaplain and he makes use of Caritas to support his work.

Gerald says, "I've worked with Caritas in prison to run rehabilitation sessions that help prisoners reflect on forgiveness, responsibility and making a fresh start.

I've also referred individuals to Caritas for help with housing and employment after release, and we've worked together to support family reconciliation where possible.

I've seen real change in people through this shared work." So what does Gerald's work with Caritas show about the Christian understanding of forgiveness.

Pause the video.

Turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me.

Reread what Gerald has said and see if you can see how his work with Caritas reflects his Christian beliefs about forgiveness.

Come back when you're ready to move on.

So you might have noticed that Gerald's experience shows that Christian forgiveness is lived out through action by supporting prisoners and helping them start again.

Let's check your understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Caritas supports Christian beliefs about forgiveness by helping offenders take responsibility and rebuild their lives.

Have a think about the statement and also have a think about why it's true or false.

Pause the video.

Come back when you are ready to see what you could have said.

Well done if you put that it's true.

And why is it true? It is true because Caritas supports Christian beliefs about forgiveness by helping offenders after they're released from prison.

Well done if you got that right.

Christianity teaches that forgiveness is important, but that doesn't mean it's always easy for Christians to put into practise.

Christians may understand and show forgiveness in different ways, and that depends on their faith or and their personal experiences.

The stories of Gee Walker and Julie Nicholson show how Christian approaches can look very different in real life.

Let's think about Gee Walker's story.

In July 2005, Anthony Walker, an 18-year-old Black student with a bright future, was walking through a park in Liverpool with his girlfriend and his cousin.

Two white men ambushed them in a racist attack.

Anthony was murdered with an ice axe in an act of violence that shocked the nation.

His mother, Gee Walker, was heartbroken, a committed Methodist Christian, she spoke publicly about the importance of forgiveness and rather than given to hatred she said she chose to forgive the people who killed her son.

Her Christian beliefs taught her that love must be stronger than hate, and that forgiveness does not mean letting someone off, but choosing not to be destroyed by anger.

Gee describes how forgiveness gave her a sense of release.

She felt that carrying hate would only cause more pain and stop her from being able to live freely.

By forgiving she said, she felt as if a weight had been lifted.

It was not easy, but it was necessary for her own peace and for the future of her family.

In the years that followed, she founded the Anthony Walker Foundation, which works to promote racial justice and non-violence.

And now, let's think about Julie Nicholson's story.

Just one day before Anthony Walker's murder, suicide bombers attacked London's transport system on the 7th of July 2005.

52 people were killed, including 24-year-old Jenny Nicholson, who was on the Edgware Road tube.

Her mother, Julie Nicholson, was an Anglican priest.

Julie found herself unable to forgive the man who had taken her daughter's life.

She said she could not stand in church and preach about forgiveness when she did not feel able to offer it herself.

Rather than pretend, she made the difficult decision to step down from her role as a priest.

Julie did not lose her faith, but she needed time and space to grieve honestly.

For her, healing meant telling the truth about how she felt even when that truth did not match what was expected.

Her response shows that forgiveness is not always immediate or even possible, especially when the harm is so deep and justice feels incomplete.

Izzy is studying Christianity and she's been asked to respond to the statement, Forgiveness is essential for justice and healing.

To get help with this, she speaks to a family friend, Fergus, who's an Anglican Christian.

Izzy plans to use the stories of Gee Walker and Julie Nicholson in her answer.

Izzy says, "Fergus, we've been discussing the statement Forgiveness is essential for justice and healing.

After hearing the stories of Julie Nicholson and Gee Walker, how do you respond to that?" Fergus says, "Julie believes that forgiveness is central to Christian teaching, but she's also found out how hard it is to do when you're grieving.

I admire her honesty and stepping away from her role as a priest because she knew she could not forgive." So what does Julie's story reveal about the challenge of living out Christian beliefs? Pause the video.

Turn and talk to someone nearby if there's someone available or you can talk to me, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

We can see that when faced with a difficult situation, it can actually be very hard for Christians to put forgiveness into practise.

Izzy asks, "What did you make of Gee Walker's response to her son's murder?" Fergus responds, "Gee's choice to forgive the man who murdered her son was incredible.

She forgave because she believed as a Christian that that is what Jesus wanted her to do.

But she also spoke about forgiveness as something that helped her let go of hate, almost like lifting a weight.

I respect that deeply, but I don't think everyone can get to that point." So why did Gee forgive her son's murderers? Take a moment, pause the video, have a look at what Fergus has explained.

Turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

So you might have noticed that she did it because she believed it's what Jesus wanted her to do.

Izzy asked, "So would you say forgiveness is essential?" Fergus replies.

"I think forgiveness can help someone to heal, but it should never be forced.

From my own experience, when someone in my family was assaulted, I needed time.

Forgiveness did not come immediately.

Justice should include space for people to grieve, speak honestly, and move at their own pace." So is forgiveness the only path to healing, or can people find peace in different ways? Have a think.

Pause the video.

Turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, discuss the question, and then come back when you are ready to move on.

So what do the stories of Julie Nicholson and Gee Walker reveal about forgiveness? Is it A, that it is always easy enough with faith.

B, that you can only be a Christian if you're prepared to forgive? C, that Christians may respond to forgiveness in different ways.

Or D, that forgiveness removes the need for justice.

Take a moment, pause the video, jot down your answer, and then come back when you're ready to check.

So well done if you said, it shows that Christians may respond to forgiveness in different ways.

Here is an evaluation statement about forgiveness.

Forgiveness is essential for justice and healing.

Discuss this statement showing that you've considered more than one point of view.

You must refer to religion and belief in your answer.

I'd like you to write a paragraph of reasoned arguments in support of this statement from a Christian point of view.

So take your time, pause the video, think back through some of those Christian responses to forgiveness, write your answer and then come back to the lesson when you are ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said, "Many Christians believe that forgiveness is essential for justice and healing because it reflects the example and teachings of Jesus.

In the Bible, Jesus teaches his followers to forgive 70 times seven, Matthew 18:22, showing that forgiveness should have no limit.

Christians also believe that forgiveness is closely linked to salvation, as Jesus' death on the cross is seen as the ultimate act of forgiveness, offering humanity the chance to be reconciled with God.

Forgiving others is therefore seen as part of living the Christian life.

After the murder of her son, Gee Walker chose to forgive the killers, explaining that hatred was a burden she no longer wanted to carry.

Her Christian faith helped her find peace and move towards healing, and her forgiveness became part of a wider pursuit of justice through the Anthony Walker Foundation.

So well done if you manage to explain why Christians think forgiveness is essential.

If you use the Bible to support that and maybe even use the example of Gee Walker.

In today's lesson we have learned that forgiveness involves letting go of anger and the desire for revenge, often making peace and reconciliation possible.

Christianity teaches that forgiveness is essential based on Jesus' teachings and example, and linked to salvation.

Forgiving is not always straightforward and even people of faith like Julie Nicholson may find it difficult after serious harm.

Forgiveness is often shown through actions such as restorative justice or working with organisations such as Caritas.

Views on forgiveness vary, with some seeing it as a path to healing and others warning it can sometimes overlook justice or accountability.

Thank you very much for working with me today on this lesson and for all of the effort that you have put in.