Divine Forgiveness Research Articles

Forgiveness and flourishing

Abstract This article reviews work that my colleagues and I have conducted over the past 20 years examining connections of forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness with flourishing. I also highlight our work investigating psychoeducational approaches to forgiveness education. Definitions of forgiveness of others, self-forgiveness, divine forgiveness, and flourishing are offered at the outset. Then I turn to considering conceptual models of the forgiveness and flourishing connection. I review both the stress-and-coping models of forgiveness of others and self-forgiveness, and suggest that these models offer a lens on how and why forgiveness might be connected to flourishing. Examples of research testing different aspects of these models are then offered with an eye toward understanding both the direct and mediating/moderating influence of forgiveness and self-forgiveness on flourishing. Forgiveness education is discussed next. Here I review leading methods of forgiveness education (i. e., REACH Forgiveness and Forgive for Good) and review both the steps of each model and provide examples of the efficacy trials that have been done to demonstrate that forgiveness is a teachable skill when appropriate methods are used. I conclude by summarizing what I have learned about forgiveness and suggest some areas of science and society in need of future forgiveness work.

Divine Forgiveness and Well-being Among Emerging Adults in the USA.

Systematic research on divine forgiveness is notably absent from the literature on forgiveness. Two studies therefore explored the relationship between divine forgiveness and well-being, and what might account for any association found. Study 1 (N = 574) documented an inverse relationship between divine forgiveness and anxiety and showed that this relationship was mediated by attitude toward God. Study 2 (N = 430) replicated and extended the findings of the first study using a different measure of anxiety and documented a positive relationship between divine forgiveness and satisfaction with life. It also showed that both positive and negative evaluations of one's relationship with God mediated these relationships. These results emphasize the need for systematic research on divine forgiveness, and several directions for future research are outlined.

Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah by Sebastian Selvén

Reviewed by: Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah by Sebastian Selvén Rhoda Schuler Liturgy and Biblical Interpretation: The Sanctus and the Qedushah. By Sebastian Selvén. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press, 2021. 233 pp. As the title indicates, this book explores how "liturgy influences the way we read biblical texts" (124). As a dissertation revised for publication, it is densely written and argued, heavily annotated, and includes original languages (Hebrew, Latin, and Swedish), all of which are translated into English. As a scholarly work, the intended audience is liturgical and biblical scholars, especially the latter. The introduction makes a case for liturgical texts as performative. Rather than explaining doctrines of divine forgiveness on Yom Kippur or transubstantiation at Sunday Mass, the author asserts that "liturgical language does not describe these moments, it instantiates them" (9, emphasis in original). The liturgical texts (Jewish Qedushah and Christian Sanctus) both use Isaiah 6:1–5. Chapter 1 argues that biblical interpreters distinguish the seraphim of Isaiah 6 from all other uses of the word in the Hebrew Bible, where [End Page 244] the word "always refers to a snake" and "are dangerous to humans" (30), because they have been influenced by liturgical texts and worship practices, especially the Qedushah deYotzer which uses images from Isaiah 6 and Ezekiel 1–3. Biblical interpreters have also been influenced by Jewish and Christian curiosity about heavenly beings from the Second Temple period and beyond. The author extends his argument by offering material evidence that early and medieval art in churches shaped the Christian imagination of a hierarchy of heavenly beings. In chapter 2 the author turns to "The Function of Isaiah 6:3" and asks: "Is Isaiah 6:3 a hymn, a warning, or a statement of doctrine? Does it instill fear, awe, or adoration?" He challenges the traditional interpretation that the verse is a heavenly liturgy (86). To make his case, he analyzes a nineteenth-century introit from a Swedish liturgy which "concatenates" Isaiah 6:3 with Psalm 11:4 and Isaiah 57:13. Written by Swedish church historian Emanuel Linderholm, Selvén argues that this widely used liturgical text introduced Rudolph Otto's concept of holiness into popular church life and that this notion of holiness dominated biblical scholarship through much of the twentieth century. Chapter 3 addresses "the tension between the idea of divine omnipresence and localized presence" (87). The author notes: "we will find . . . God's presence being mystified [Jewish], affirmed [Lutheran], and denied [Anglican], all in the context of standing before God in worship" (88). His analysis of the Jewish Qedushah leads him to conclude that the presence of God must be understood in a mysterious sense (95). Through analysis of Luther's Formula Missae and Swedish Church Order of 1571 (much of which was retained through the mid-twentieth century), Selvén argues that the liturgy reflected a theology of Christ's sacramental presence. In contrast, the 1552 Book of Common Prayer reflects a Reformed "theology of absence." He sees parallels between the Reformed theology of divine absence and the Lutheran accent on divine presence in historical-critical biblical scholarship (117). Selvén is to be commended for his depth of knowledge in not only biblical scholarship but also in Jewish and Christian ritual and [End Page 245] liturgy. Still, I offer these two cautions. First, his perspective is that of continental Europe and its post-Reformation divisions within Christianity. Thus, his thesis does not apply to American biblical scholars from non-liturgical Christian denominations who have no experience of worship with a Sanctus. Second, his thesis that biblical scholars are influenced by liturgical or ritual practices seems to assume that these scholars are practicing adherents of the Jewish or Christian tradition, an assumption one cannot make in the twenty-first century. Nevertheless, I agree with his conclusion: "Like other forms of reception, liturgy is not scales that need to fall from our eyes, rather, it is a lens that brings certain features into focus, while blurring others" (127). Rhoda Schuler Concordia University St. Paul, Minnesota Copyright © 2022 Johns Hopkins University Press and Lutheran Quarterly, Inc.

Basic Dimensions of Religiousness and Dispositional Forgiveness: The Mediating Role of Religiously Motivated Forgiveness

Forgiveness could be regarded as one of the most important moral imperatives across various religions. Although numerous studies have confirmed the hypothesis that religious people tend to be more forgiving, there is still an open question as to which dimensions of religiosity are responsible for this tendency and whether religious people equally tend to forgive others, but also themselves, and feel being forgiven by God. The present study investigated the associations between religiosity and dispositional forgiveness using the basic dimensions of religiousness model (including cognitive, emotional, moral, and social dimensions of religiosity) and multifaceted measurement of forgiveness (self-forgiveness, forgiveness of others, divine forgiveness, and religiously motivated forgiveness). The study involved 427 individuals who identified themselves as religious (71% women). The results showed weak positive correlations between dimensions of religiousness and dispositional selfforgiveness, moderate associations with dispositional forgiveness of others and religiously motivated forgiveness, and strong associations with dispositional divine forgiveness. Structural equation modeling demonstrated that when controlled for covariations between dimensions of religiousness and dimensions of forgiveness, the behaving (morality) dimension of forgiveness predicted dispositional forgiveness of others and divine forgiveness. Religiously motivated forgiveness mediated between the believing (meaning) and behaving dimensions of religiousness, and dispositional forgiveness.

Perceptions of Divine Forgiveness, Religious Comfort, and Depression in Psychiatric Inpatients: A Mixed Methods Study.

Understanding how forgiveness relates to mental health outcomes may improve clinical care. This study assessed 248 adult psychiatric inpatients, testing associations of forgiveness, religious comfort (RC), religious strain (RS), and changes in depressive symptomatology from admission to discharge. Experiencing divine forgiveness and self-forgiveness was both directly associated with RC and inversely associated with RS. Using structural equation modeling, the path from divine forgiveness to depression through RC was significant, β = - .106, SE = .046, z = - 2.290, p = .022, bootstrapped 95% CI = - .196 to - .015. Qualitative findings illustrated patients' changed perspectives on divine forgiveness during hospitalization.

Kant and Religion Roundtable

AbstractThis article provides a summary and some replies to points offered in the Kantian Review Roundtable discussion of my recent book Kant and Religion. The main themes are as follows: Kant’s project in the Religion; religious thinking as symbolic; the rational interpretation of revelation and of religious symbols; Kant’s moral argument for religious faith; the ‘psychological’-moral argument; Kant’s thesis that human nature contains a radical propensity to evil; evil and human sociability; evil and freedom; divine forgiveness and the sinner’s self-acceptance; Kant’s Religion as a subject of philosophical controversy.

Forgive, forgiving, forgiven: Matthew 6:12 and Luke 11:4

Does the petition for forgiveness in the Lord’s prayer indicate that believers forgive in the same manner that God forgives? Does it suggest that God will forgive the petitioner to the same extent that the petitioner has forgiven offenders? Does it make divine forgiveness contingent somehow on the petitioner’s prior forgiveness of others? Does it imply its inverse, namely that God will not forgive if the petitioner has not forgiven? Does the Bible teach conditional forgiveness? The answers to these questions depend, naturally, on the precise definition of “forgive/forgiveness” employed in the Model Prayer, an issue that requires an examination of related texts in Matthew and Luke. In the course of this examination, the question concerning what the prayer seeks to have forgiven, whether “debts” or “trespasses” (or both), also merits attention.

The hypostatic union – the foundation of the theandry of the Church

God being love, He decided from ages the incarnation of Christ for the salvation of the whole mankind, which was subject to sin and death. In the Person of Christ, through the act of incarnation, performed at ”the fulness of time” (Galatians IV,4), the divine and the human nature are harmoniously completed, the latter becoming entirely obedient to the Father. If Christ had not been incarnated and if He had not lifted our own nature towards complete obedience to the Father, humanity would have never been able to obtain divine forgiveness and would not have known how to exist in the love of the Holy Trinity.

Healing our Brokenness: A pastoral care approach

Pastors, priests and ministers of congregations and all people of faith, are called to communicate the faithfulness and care of the Creator to the adherents of the faith. This needs to be carried out in the contexts in which communities live and through the ways people experience challenges in life and seek healing. This research paper sought to acknowledge the healing of our brokenness using a pastoral care approach as the lenses through which to explore the issues. The paper revealed some themes such as a definition of what pastoral care includes, what the researcher thinks about pastoral care and the methodology that the researcher has used. Furthermore, this paper sought to give an impact of the pastoral care in the lives of church members who are experiencing a sense of brokenness. Community pastoral care is required to integrate the revelation of the Kingdom of God and His grace and blessings, as well as the prospect of a solid association with Him when it comes to being whole. Such a linkage will serve to transform the life of the people in a community under duress. For healing to take its course, forgiveness has to be effected and then a reconciliation can then be the enhancer of healing. Grounds therefore need to open for people to speak openly with no biases being the stumbling blocks for them in revealing their feelings and frustrations. The predominant theological understanding of interpersonal forgiveness, as it is portrayed in Christian Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus, is that interpersonal and divine forgiveness are inextricably related. Theologically, one cannot consider the forgiveness of another person outside the context of God’s forgiveness. Brokenness is part of our lives because we are born into sin. This paper also reveals to a limited extent the impacts of the spiritual discipline of prayer, pastoral care in a process of healing, preaching as counseling tool for healing, and healing of total depravity.

No type of forgiveness is an island: divine forgiveness, self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness

ABSTRACT Different types of forgiveness tend to be studied independently of each other. This study therefore investigated the interplay among divine forgiveness, self-forgiveness, and interpersonal forgiveness. Using two samples of 348 and 449 participants, we examined the relations among the three types of forgiveness and showed that they were positively correlated with each other. Divine forgiveness did not act as a third variable accounting for the relationship between self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness. However, divine forgiveness was shown to play a moderating role in the relationship between the two earthly types of forgiveness. Specifically, controlling for religiosity and impression management, divine forgiveness moderated their relationship in that self-forgiveness and interpersonal forgiveness were more highly related to each other as levels of perceived divine forgiveness increased. The unique features of divine forgiveness that might account for its moderating role in the self-interpersonal forgiveness association are identified and avenues for further research are outlined.

Through Him and With Him? A Longitudinal Study of How God-Mediated Control Beliefs Shape the Relationship between Divine Forgiveness and Physical Health in Later Life.

Objectives: While there has been a recent surge in research on forgiveness and health, much less is known about the relationship between divine forgiveness and health. Methods: Using longitudinal data from the 2001-2004 Religion, Aging, and Health Survey from the United States, the current study assesses how changes in beliefs in God-mediated control, a perceived collaborative relationship with a divine power, affect the association between divine forgiveness and physical health among Christian older adults. Results: Older adults with consistently high beliefs in God-mediated control over the study period received stronger health benefits of divine forgiveness. Forgiveness by God also had a stronger relationship with health compared to forgiveness of self and others. Discussion: The findings underscore the importance of subjective beliefs about God. Future research directions are proposed to advance the study of religion and health in later life by conceiving of a more salient role for divine forgiveness.

Adolescent Gender and Age Differences in Religiously and Spiritually Motivated Types of Forgiveness and the Relationship to Depressive Symptoms.

We examined three religiously/spiritually motivated forgiveness types, forgiveness of self, others, and divine forgiveness, and their association with depressive symptoms, across adolescent gender and age groups. Twelve- to 18-year-old patients arriving for primary care completed a 3-item Forgiveness measure and the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Girls reported a higher tendency to forgive others compared to boys, and self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness tended to decline with age in both genders. We found no significant associations between forgiveness and depression among boys. Among girls, higher self-forgiveness was associated with fewer depressive symptoms. Forgiveness of others was associated with less depression only among 17-18-year-old girls. Divine forgiveness showed no association with depression in either gender. Forgiveness of self and others appears to be protective factors for depression among adolescent girls.

Shame as Obstacle or Opportunity? Pastoral Theologies of Shame

ABSTRACT Within the contemporary theological world, pastoral theology is unique in offering a considerable variety of theological reflections on the phenomenon of shame. Pastoral theologians have called for the development of a theology that can be as liberating for those who suffer from shame as the theology of divine forgiveness has been for those who suffer from guilt. But their theological recommendations point in two directions: Is shame an obstacle to be removed, or (also) an opportunity to be embraced? This article offers a systematic overview of this growing area of research.

Spiritually Motivated Self-Forgiveness and Divine Forgiveness, and Subsequent Health and Well-Being Among Middle-Aged Female Nurses: An Outcome-Wide Longitudinal Approach.

Background: Interest in the relationship between forgiveness and health is steadily growing across disciplines within the research community. While there are multiple forms of forgiveness, past research has focused principally on studying forgiveness of others, whereas longitudinal evidence on the associations between other forms of forgiveness and health remains scarce.Methods: Using longitudinal data from the Nurses’ Health Study II (from the 2008 Trauma Exposure and Post-traumatic Stress Supplementary Survey to 2015 questionnaire wave), this study employed an outcome-wide analytic approach to prospectively examine the association between two forms of religiously or spiritually motivated forgiveness, namely, self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness, and a wide array of subsequent psychosocial well-being, mental health, health behavior, and physical health outcomes among middle-aged female nurses (N = 54,703 for self-forgiveness; N = 51,661 for divine forgiveness). All models controlled for sociodemographic factors, prior religious service attendance, and prior values of all outcome variables wherever data were available. Bonferroni correction was used to account for multiple testing.Results: Self-forgiveness was strongly associated with greater psychosocial well-being (e.g., for top vs. bottom level of self-forgiveness, β = 0.23, 95% CI: 0.20, 0.25 for positive affect) and lower psychological distress (e.g., β = −0.21, 95% CI: −0.23, −0.18 for depressive symptoms). To a lesser extent, divine forgiveness was also associated with higher levels of psychological well-being and lower psychological distress. For both forgiveness types, there was little evidence of association with physical health or health behavior outcomes, though possible marginal evidence for an association of self-forgiveness with increased mortality.Discussion: This study provides novel evidence that religiously or spiritually motivated self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness are both positively related to several indicators of psychosocial well-being and inversely associated with psychological distress outcomes, whereas the associations with physical health and health behaviors are less clear. Further longitudinal investigation of the dynamics between these types of forgiveness and health and well-being is warranted.

Differing views on forgiveness: how do graduate-level theology students in South Korea perceive divine and human forgiveness?

ABSTRACT How do graduate-level theology students in Korea perceive human and divine forgiveness? Are there certain aspects of forgiveness that they see as more different than other aspects because of their theological and cultural assumptions of human and divine forgiveness? Theology students from two Protestant divinity programs in South Korea showed higher endorsements for abandoning a desire for revenge, developing goodwill toward the offender, and restoring relationships in the context of divine forgiveness than human forgiveness. They did not differ on their level of endorsement for reconciliation as a necessary component of divine and human forgiveness. We discuss our findings within the context of South Korea and provide implications for clinical practice, limitations, and directions for future research.

Divine forgiveness protects against psychological distress following a natural disaster attributed to God

ABSTRACT It is common to attribute natural disasters to ‘acts of God’ yet the implications of doing so for victims of such disasters is relatively underexplored. Relevant data on the association between attributing a natural disaster to God and psychological well-being are contradictory and cross-sectional. A longitudinal study (N = 269) was therefore conducted to examine whether attributing Hurricane Michael to God predicted later psychological distress over and above pre-hurricane levels of distress. Controlling for religiosity and hurricane impact, the relation between God attribution and distress was found to depend on perceptions of divine forgiveness. Relatively higher levels of divine forgiveness buffered the relation between later psychological distress and seeing God as playing a role in causing the hurricane. The significance of this finding is discussed and its heuristic value for both spiritually oriented disaster psychology and research on forgiveness is emphasized.

Divine forgiveness may improve mental health

Divine forgiveness may improve mental health

Divine, interpersonal and self-forgiveness: Independently related to depressive symptoms?

ABSTRACT Interpersonal forgiveness, self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness have all been related to depressive symptoms. But does each type of forgiveness account for unique variance in depression? Two studies examine this question. Study 1 (n = 574) showed that each form of forgiveness was related to concurrent depressive symptoms independently of the other two. The magnitude of the association was highest for self-forgiveness, followed by interpersonal forgiveness and then divine forgiveness. Study 2 (n = 446) provides a conceptual replication and extension of Study 1. Although all three types of forgiveness again accounted for unique variance in concurrent depressive symptoms, only interpersonal and self-forgiveness predicted depressive symptoms 10 weeks later. To help understand these findings the features of each type of forgiveness are re-examined. Several limitations of the studies and paths for future research are outlined.

Divine Forgiveness and Human Support for State-Sanctioned Punishment

Laurin et al. 2012b found that beliefs in powerful Gods (both in general and when made salient) reduce people's endorsement of state-sanctioned punishment. Here we investigate whether the specific manner in which a powerful God responds to moral infractions (via forgiveness or punishment) influences people's endorsement of state-sanctioned punishment. Across four studies, we explored whether endorsement of state-sanctioned punishment is increased a) when participants are primed with the notion of a forgiving (cf. punitive) God (Studies 1 & 2) and b) when beliefs in a forgiving God are made salient (Studies 3a & 3b). A forgiving God might lead people to view punishment as their responsibility rather than one to be outsourced to God. Our results revealed no evidence for effects of forgiving God primes or salient forgiving God beliefs on endorsement of state-sanctioned punishment. However we did find that both forgiving and punishing God beliefs, when salient, were significant predictors of endorsement of state-sanctioned punishment in response to a victim-directed transgression. We discuss the implications of these findings for extant theories of religious prosociality. In particular, we suggest that existing accounts of human prosociality and cooperation have underestimated the role of divine forgiveness in favour of a focus on divine punishment.

Self-forgiveness and well-being: Does divine forgiveness matter?

ABSTRACTA reliable association exists between self-forgiveness and well-being. But self-forgiveness and its correlates will not be fully understood without considering forgiveness by God or divine forgiveness, especially in light of the fact that the majority of the population identifies as religious. This study therefore examined the role of divine forgiveness in understanding the association between self-forgiveness and well-being using data collected from 435 young adults. Because well-being is not the absence of distress, this study examined whether self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness relate to psychological well-being and distress in the same way. Self-forgiveness and divine forgiveness were independently related to psychological well-being and distress even with religiosity statistically controlled. Divine forgiveness also moderated the relationship between self-forgiveness and psychological distress in that perceived forgiveness by God was associated with fewer depressive symptoms at lower but not higher levels of self-forgiveness. The implications for future research are outlined.