The Christian concept of forgiveness and religious education facing the problem of individualism

Abstract

ABSTRACT The analysis undertaken in this article pertain to the challenge faced by education, which consists of overcoming the negative aspects of contemporary individualism, such as the building of instrumental relationships by people maturing in a culture permeated with it. Consequently, there is limited responsibility taken for the other people co-creating these relationships. The author puts forward the thesis that the Christian concept of forgiveness is an appropriate point of reference for reflection on the nature of interpersonal relationships and the issue of responsibility for other people, even when they are weak and their behaviour is the cause of disappointment and regret. The main part of the analysis was devoted to understanding forgiveness, which is the essence of the Christian attitude and, at the same time, the subject of many controversies. However, from the analysis of excerpts from the Bible, it was concluded that the often-raised doubts about the moral value of forgiveness are a consequence of identifying God’s forgiveness with decisions made by people and an erroneous understanding of the relationship between forgiveness and repentance. The dispelling of these doubts was a premise for the statement that it can become the basis of contemporary social and moral education.