![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thetruthseeker.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/forgiveness.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Jewish world is outraged<\/span><\/a> this morning with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who apparently said he believes the crimes of the Holocaust can be\u00a0forgiven, but not forgotten.<\/h5>\nThe far-right leader\u00a0made the comments on Thursday night at a meeting\u00a0with evangelical pastors in Rio de Janeiro.<\/h5>\n\u201cWe can forgive, but we cannot forget. That quote is mine. Those that forget their past are sentenced not to have a future,\u201d Bolsonaro said, adding that actions are needed for the Holocaust not to be repeated.<\/h5>\nBolsonaro is probably not the most forgiving person<\/span><\/a> around. He freely spews\u00a0misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, and\u00a0racist<\/strong><\/a><\/span>\u00a0statements. However, he is a devout Christian and forgiveness is central to\u00a0Christianity of all denominations.\u00a0 Forgiveness is not an \u2018option\u2019 as far as Christianity is concerned, it is actually a must. Forgiveness in Christianity is a manifestation of submission to Christ. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15).<\/h5>\nI guess that those who subscribe\u00a0to the\u00a0Old Testament\u2019s \u2018eye for an eye\u2019 paradigm see forgiveness as an existential threat or a sign of weakness. Otherwise it is hard to grasp the\u00a0hostile reaction\u00a0to Bolsonaro\u2019s statement.<\/h5>\nBut Israelis have been forgiving the Germans for more than a while.\u00a0Back in 1953 Israel\u00a0signed a reparation agreement with the West German Government. According to the Agreement, West Germany was to \u201ccompensate\u201d Israel \u201cfor losses in Jewish livelihood and property resulting from Nazi persecution.\u201d The\u00a0legendary Israeli diplomat\u00a0Abba Eban coined the precious adage \u2018there is no business like Shoa business\u2019 in the light\u00a0of the Israeli-German\u00a0reparation agreement. Israel was happy to transform\u00a0Germany\u2019s\u00a0guilt into hard\u00a0cash, yet some\u00a0may argue that forgiveness wasn\u2019t part of the deal.\u00a0As a matter of fact, more\u00a0than seven decades after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Brazilian president is singled out \u00a0by Jewish and Israeli outlets for stating the true meaning of Christian ethics; forgive but don\u2019t forget.\u00a0Be merciful, however\u00a0learn not to repeat your past sins.<\/h5>\nIt is also important to mention that from time to time Israelis and Jewish leaders\u00a0explore forgiveness\u00a0when\u00a0there are clear\u00a0political or material gains. Back in 2015 we learned\u00a0from Israeli\u00a0PM Benjamin Netanyahu that it was the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haji Amin al-Husseini, who\u00a0gave Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews. Needless to mention that Netanyahu\u2019s claim was\u00a0ludicrous and harshly criticised, but\u00a0it practically confirmed that\u00a0within certain political\u00a0circumstances even Hitler could be vindicated as long as a Palestinian is\u00a0there to take\u00a0his place as the \u2018ultimate evil.\u2019<\/h5>\nBut Netanyahu was neither the first nor the last\u00a0Israeli to forgive\u00a0Hitler and the Germans. Back in 2014 we learned about\u00a0Olim L\u2019Berlin<\/em>\u00a0(Ascending to Berlin), a movement of\u00a0young Israelis returning\u00a0to the German capital because it was cheaper, cleaner and simply nicer. We would like the believe that\u00a0Olim LeBerlin<\/em>\u00a0enthusiasts must have finally forgiven the Germans and even learned to love their new neighbours as much as they love themselves.<\/h5>\nI am obviously not\u00a0a\u00a0supporter of the Brazilian president. However, I think that for us who dwell within the borders of the English-speaking empire, forgiveness and Christian values may as well be our last hope.\u00a0 I would have liked to think that president Trump and his dedicated Evangelist vice president Mike Pence\u00a0take Jesus\u2019s teachings into account\u00a0when they consider whether to pardon Julian Assange for telling the truth. They should explore Christian mercifulness and reject the barbarian Old Testament vengeance that has made it into the true ugly face of America\u2019s new century.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can forgive, but we cannot forget. That quote is mine. Those that forget their past are sentenced not to have a future,\u201d Bolsonaro said, adding that actions are needed for the Holocaust not to be repeated.<\/h5>\nBolsonaro is probably not the most forgiving person<\/span><\/a> around. He freely spews\u00a0misogynistic, anti-LGBTQ<\/strong><\/a><\/span>, and\u00a0racist<\/strong><\/a><\/span>\u00a0statements. However, he is a devout Christian and forgiveness is central to\u00a0Christianity of all denominations.\u00a0 Forgiveness is not an \u2018option\u2019 as far as Christianity is concerned, it is actually a must. Forgiveness in Christianity is a manifestation of submission to Christ. “For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15).<\/h5>\nI guess that those who subscribe\u00a0to the\u00a0Old Testament\u2019s \u2018eye for an eye\u2019 paradigm see forgiveness as an existential threat or a sign of weakness. Otherwise it is hard to grasp the\u00a0hostile reaction\u00a0to Bolsonaro\u2019s statement.<\/h5>\nBut Israelis have been forgiving the Germans for more than a while.\u00a0Back in 1953 Israel\u00a0signed a reparation agreement with the West German Government. According to the Agreement, West Germany was to \u201ccompensate\u201d Israel \u201cfor losses in Jewish livelihood and property resulting from Nazi persecution.\u201d The\u00a0legendary Israeli diplomat\u00a0Abba Eban coined the precious adage \u2018there is no business like Shoa business\u2019 in the light\u00a0of the Israeli-German\u00a0reparation agreement. Israel was happy to transform\u00a0Germany\u2019s\u00a0guilt into hard\u00a0cash, yet some\u00a0may argue that forgiveness wasn\u2019t part of the deal.\u00a0As a matter of fact, more\u00a0than seven decades after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Brazilian president is singled out \u00a0by Jewish and Israeli outlets for stating the true meaning of Christian ethics; forgive but don\u2019t forget.\u00a0Be merciful, however\u00a0learn not to repeat your past sins.<\/h5>\nIt is also important to mention that from time to time Israelis and Jewish leaders\u00a0explore forgiveness\u00a0when\u00a0there are clear\u00a0political or material gains. Back in 2015 we learned\u00a0from Israeli\u00a0PM Benjamin Netanyahu that it was the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haji Amin al-Husseini, who\u00a0gave Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews. Needless to mention that Netanyahu\u2019s claim was\u00a0ludicrous and harshly criticised, but\u00a0it practically confirmed that\u00a0within certain political\u00a0circumstances even Hitler could be vindicated as long as a Palestinian is\u00a0there to take\u00a0his place as the \u2018ultimate evil.\u2019<\/h5>\nBut Netanyahu was neither the first nor the last\u00a0Israeli to forgive\u00a0Hitler and the Germans. Back in 2014 we learned about\u00a0Olim L\u2019Berlin<\/em>\u00a0(Ascending to Berlin), a movement of\u00a0young Israelis returning\u00a0to the German capital because it was cheaper, cleaner and simply nicer. We would like the believe that\u00a0Olim LeBerlin<\/em>\u00a0enthusiasts must have finally forgiven the Germans and even learned to love their new neighbours as much as they love themselves.<\/h5>\nI am obviously not\u00a0a\u00a0supporter of the Brazilian president. However, I think that for us who dwell within the borders of the English-speaking empire, forgiveness and Christian values may as well be our last hope.\u00a0 I would have liked to think that president Trump and his dedicated Evangelist vice president Mike Pence\u00a0take Jesus\u2019s teachings into account\u00a0when they consider whether to pardon Julian Assange for telling the truth. They should explore Christian mercifulness and reject the barbarian Old Testament vengeance that has made it into the true ugly face of America\u2019s new century.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
I guess that those who subscribe\u00a0to the\u00a0Old Testament\u2019s \u2018eye for an eye\u2019 paradigm see forgiveness as an existential threat or a sign of weakness. Otherwise it is hard to grasp the\u00a0hostile reaction\u00a0to Bolsonaro\u2019s statement.<\/h5>\nBut Israelis have been forgiving the Germans for more than a while.\u00a0Back in 1953 Israel\u00a0signed a reparation agreement with the West German Government. According to the Agreement, West Germany was to \u201ccompensate\u201d Israel \u201cfor losses in Jewish livelihood and property resulting from Nazi persecution.\u201d The\u00a0legendary Israeli diplomat\u00a0Abba Eban coined the precious adage \u2018there is no business like Shoa business\u2019 in the light\u00a0of the Israeli-German\u00a0reparation agreement. Israel was happy to transform\u00a0Germany\u2019s\u00a0guilt into hard\u00a0cash, yet some\u00a0may argue that forgiveness wasn\u2019t part of the deal.\u00a0As a matter of fact, more\u00a0than seven decades after the liberation of Auschwitz, the Brazilian president is singled out \u00a0by Jewish and Israeli outlets for stating the true meaning of Christian ethics; forgive but don\u2019t forget.\u00a0Be merciful, however\u00a0learn not to repeat your past sins.<\/h5>\nIt is also important to mention that from time to time Israelis and Jewish leaders\u00a0explore forgiveness\u00a0when\u00a0there are clear\u00a0political or material gains. Back in 2015 we learned\u00a0from Israeli\u00a0PM Benjamin Netanyahu that it was the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haji Amin al-Husseini, who\u00a0gave Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews. Needless to mention that Netanyahu\u2019s claim was\u00a0ludicrous and harshly criticised, but\u00a0it practically confirmed that\u00a0within certain political\u00a0circumstances even Hitler could be vindicated as long as a Palestinian is\u00a0there to take\u00a0his place as the \u2018ultimate evil.\u2019<\/h5>\nBut Netanyahu was neither the first nor the last\u00a0Israeli to forgive\u00a0Hitler and the Germans. Back in 2014 we learned about\u00a0Olim L\u2019Berlin<\/em>\u00a0(Ascending to Berlin), a movement of\u00a0young Israelis returning\u00a0to the German capital because it was cheaper, cleaner and simply nicer. We would like the believe that\u00a0Olim LeBerlin<\/em>\u00a0enthusiasts must have finally forgiven the Germans and even learned to love their new neighbours as much as they love themselves.<\/h5>\nI am obviously not\u00a0a\u00a0supporter of the Brazilian president. However, I think that for us who dwell within the borders of the English-speaking empire, forgiveness and Christian values may as well be our last hope.\u00a0 I would have liked to think that president Trump and his dedicated Evangelist vice president Mike Pence\u00a0take Jesus\u2019s teachings into account\u00a0when they consider whether to pardon Julian Assange for telling the truth. They should explore Christian mercifulness and reject the barbarian Old Testament vengeance that has made it into the true ugly face of America\u2019s new century.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
It is also important to mention that from time to time Israelis and Jewish leaders\u00a0explore forgiveness\u00a0when\u00a0there are clear\u00a0political or material gains. Back in 2015 we learned\u00a0from Israeli\u00a0PM Benjamin Netanyahu that it was the Palestinian Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Haji Amin al-Husseini, who\u00a0gave Hitler the idea to exterminate the Jews. Needless to mention that Netanyahu\u2019s claim was\u00a0ludicrous and harshly criticised, but\u00a0it practically confirmed that\u00a0within certain political\u00a0circumstances even Hitler could be vindicated as long as a Palestinian is\u00a0there to take\u00a0his place as the \u2018ultimate evil.\u2019<\/h5>\nBut Netanyahu was neither the first nor the last\u00a0Israeli to forgive\u00a0Hitler and the Germans. Back in 2014 we learned about\u00a0Olim L\u2019Berlin<\/em>\u00a0(Ascending to Berlin), a movement of\u00a0young Israelis returning\u00a0to the German capital because it was cheaper, cleaner and simply nicer. We would like the believe that\u00a0Olim LeBerlin<\/em>\u00a0enthusiasts must have finally forgiven the Germans and even learned to love their new neighbours as much as they love themselves.<\/h5>\nI am obviously not\u00a0a\u00a0supporter of the Brazilian president. However, I think that for us who dwell within the borders of the English-speaking empire, forgiveness and Christian values may as well be our last hope.\u00a0 I would have liked to think that president Trump and his dedicated Evangelist vice president Mike Pence\u00a0take Jesus\u2019s teachings into account\u00a0when they consider whether to pardon Julian Assange for telling the truth. They should explore Christian mercifulness and reject the barbarian Old Testament vengeance that has made it into the true ugly face of America\u2019s new century.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n
I am obviously not\u00a0a\u00a0supporter of the Brazilian president. However, I think that for us who dwell within the borders of the English-speaking empire, forgiveness and Christian values may as well be our last hope.\u00a0 I would have liked to think that president Trump and his dedicated Evangelist vice president Mike Pence\u00a0take Jesus\u2019s teachings into account\u00a0when they consider whether to pardon Julian Assange for telling the truth. They should explore Christian mercifulness and reject the barbarian Old Testament vengeance that has made it into the true ugly face of America\u2019s new century.<\/h5>\n
<\/p>\n