A Christian telling an atheist they're going to hell is as scary as a child telling an adult they're not getting any presents from Santa.

You have told me, O God, to believe in hell. But you have forbidden me to think...of any man as damned

Churchgoers feel righteous, responsible, and obedient to God's will. They view anyone unlike themselves as devoid of values, and therefore unworthy of God's love. By denying God to all those who have strayed from the path of righteousness, the devout are unwittingly taking on themselves a role that belongs only to God.

What it taught me was forgiveness. It taught me that when people present themselves in a certain way, there's probably some back story or issue or reason for the way that they are. It's not you. It's them. And a lot of times, its about something that's completely out of their control

Forgiveness is all about taking care of you, not the person you need to forgive. It's about putting your desire to feel good before your desire to be right. It's about taking responsibility for your own happiness instead of pretending it's in somebody else's hands. It's about owning your power by giving all your anger, resentment, and hurt the heave-ho.

How do you forgive the stupid bastard?

We tend to hold on to resentment because we feel like the nitwit who wronged us doesn't deserve foreignness. Meanwhile, the only person being punished by your resentment is you. Forgiveness is about you deserving peace, not necessarily about others deserving your forgiveness. You are allowing nasty those of nasty things to take up precious space in your mind. If you love yourself, you'll end your own torture and let it go. (239)

Bei Vergebung geht es darum, sich um sich selbst zu kümmern — und nicht etwa um denjenigen, dem man vergeben muss. Es geht darum, das Bedürfnis nach Wohlbefinden vor den Wunsch, recht zu haben, zu stellen. Es geht darum, Verantwortung für das eigene Leben zu übernehmen, statt vorzugeben, es liege in der Hand anderer. Es geht darum, die eigene Macht zu nutzen, indem man Wut, Ablehnung und Schmerz den Laufpass gibt.

The moment you decide to forgive and let your negative feelings melt away, you are on the road to freedom.

I have not broken your heart - you have broken it - and in breaking it, you have broken mine ... I forgive what you have done to me. I love my murderer - but yours! How can I?

It is for God to punish wicked people; we should learn to forgive." "No, God won't have the satisfaction that I shall," he returned.

It is for God to punish wicked people; we should learn to forgive.