Do we have to forgive and forget? Well, we must forgive, but prudence tells us not to forget, and certainly not to put ourselves into a situation where we or our loved ones can be attacked. The homeless man who was given a painting job by Elizabeth Smart’s father in Salt Lake City and who then abducted and brutalized 14-year-old Elizabeth for nine months can be forgiven, but his life sentence without parole has justly removed him from society. Elizabeth has spent the last twenty years as an advocate for missing persons and victims of sexual assault. She said she has forgiven her captors, even though she knows they are not sorry for what they did to her, and they need to remain in prison, where her testimony put them. What if the man were to be released from prison. Should Elizabeth’s father hire him to paint his grandchildren’s house? I think not. The man may be forgiven, but Elizabeth’s father would need to use prudence and not forget what the man could do and offer him a job painting his grandchildren’s house. I am not aware of any part of the bible that says “forget,” but that does not mean we should refuse to forgive. At its basis, the Letter to Philemon is stating that the way of the Christian is very different than the way of the world. The way of the Christian is the way of love and forgiveness. It is the way of Jesus Christ who from the cross, being tortured to death, mustered up the strength to say, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Jesus was the kindest person to ever live. And he said, “Follow me.”
