You are an imprisoned prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do? This question is presented to the reader on the front cover of the book “The Sunflower” written by Simon Wiesenthal, who was a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp during the 1940s. When Simon was asked for forgiveness from Karl, the SS soldier, Simon did not forgive him and kept his silence due to the pain he felt from suffering, war, and turmoil. In this reflection, I will support my answer of having forgiven Karl, with valid points, references, and religious beliefs.
It is part of human nature to feel morally obliged to forgive as opposed to remaining silent in almost all situations. This is because forgiveness improves …show more content…
He believes that by forgetting atrocities, they have a greater chance of reoccuring in the future. He relates how Simon felt towards Karl to the way the Buddhists felt towards the Chinese for the destruction of their culture. The same goes for Christianity, and anyone who criticizes it today. It simply is not Christ-like to despise others for past actions if they feel true remorse. The next responder in support of forgiving Karl, is Catholic Priest Edward Flannery. He believes that Simon was uncertain that he had made the right decision to not forgive Karl, and points out that due to this uncertainty, Simon visited Karl’s mother as a way to cope with his feelings of guilt for letting the man die without forgiveness. Dith Pran, a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide reflects of his stance of forgiveness by claiming that Karl was not committing his terrible actions out of pure spite towards the Jewish people, rather he was doing so out of order, and influence of the Hitler Youth and Nazi party he had become part of. I agree with Dith Pran’s belief on forgiving the soldiers, but there are times when one cannot forgive the atrocious and evil leaders who bring about such terrible killings. One person in particular who would not have chosen to forgive Karl is Jewish Rabbi, Arthur Waskow. He believes that since Karl cannot repair the damage he has caused the Jewish People, he cannot repair his damaged relationship with God, and for this, he therefore would choose not to forgive Karl. I agree that Karl cannot undo his actions and turn back the clock, I do disagree with Rabbi Arthur, however, that Karl can not repair his relationship with God. I believe that anyone has the ability to repair their relationship with God through the sacrament of
It is part of human nature to feel morally obliged to forgive as opposed to remaining silent in almost all situations. This is because forgiveness improves …show more content…
He believes that by forgetting atrocities, they have a greater chance of reoccuring in the future. He relates how Simon felt towards Karl to the way the Buddhists felt towards the Chinese for the destruction of their culture. The same goes for Christianity, and anyone who criticizes it today. It simply is not Christ-like to despise others for past actions if they feel true remorse. The next responder in support of forgiving Karl, is Catholic Priest Edward Flannery. He believes that Simon was uncertain that he had made the right decision to not forgive Karl, and points out that due to this uncertainty, Simon visited Karl’s mother as a way to cope with his feelings of guilt for letting the man die without forgiveness. Dith Pran, a survivor of the Cambodian Genocide reflects of his stance of forgiveness by claiming that Karl was not committing his terrible actions out of pure spite towards the Jewish people, rather he was doing so out of order, and influence of the Hitler Youth and Nazi party he had become part of. I agree with Dith Pran’s belief on forgiving the soldiers, but there are times when one cannot forgive the atrocious and evil leaders who bring about such terrible killings. One person in particular who would not have chosen to forgive Karl is Jewish Rabbi, Arthur Waskow. He believes that since Karl cannot repair the damage he has caused the Jewish People, he cannot repair his damaged relationship with God, and for this, he therefore would choose not to forgive Karl. I agree that Karl cannot undo his actions and turn back the clock, I do disagree with Rabbi Arthur, however, that Karl can not repair his relationship with God. I believe that anyone has the ability to repair their relationship with God through the sacrament of