-
Forgive and Forget—Is It Possible?Awake!—1998 | August 8
-
-
Forgive and Forget—Is It Possible?
MORE than half a century has passed since the end of World War II, in 1945. That global war was by far the most savage and costly war in all human history.
World War II lasted six years and took the lives of about 50 million people, including civilians. Countless others were maimed physically, mentally, and emotionally. For many who experienced those calamitous war years, the painful memories of atrocities committed and of loved ones lost have still not healed.
There are the memories of the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis in the Holocaust, with its millions of innocent victims slaughtered. In both Europe and Asia, many atrocities were committed by invading armies, which murdered, raped, pillaged, and terrorized civilians. Then, too, many people were victimized by air raids that brought devastation, injury, and death to countless numbers of innocent men, women, and children. Hard experiences were also endured by millions of combatants on various global battlefields.
Mental and Emotional Wounds
Many of the mental and emotional wounds suffered as a result of the terrible events that took place during World War II remain indelibly in the minds of large numbers of people who lived at that time and who are still alive today. They would like to erase all those awful, bitter memories. But they are not able to do so. For some, the images of such horrors return to torment them like a recurring nightmare.
Others, however, do not want to forget, either because they want revenge or because they wish to honor the memory of the fallen. In addition, there is widespread feeling that past atrocities should be kept alive in the collective memory of the human family in the hope that such atrocities will never be repeated.
A few years ago, during 1994-95, the atmosphere that surrounded the commemorations of the 50th anniversaries of D day (the Allied landings in Normandy in June 1944) and of the end of the European phase of the second world war (in May 1945) demonstrated that for many eyewitnesses of those events, to forgive and forget is very difficult. Often, any gesture of reconciliation between former enemies is precluded. Thus, British veterans refused to invite German representatives to commemorations of the Allied landings in Normandy.
Regarding the atrocities committed by the Nazis in World War II and the difficulty of forgiving and forgetting, writer Vladimir Jankélévitch expressed himself this way: “In the presence of such a revolting crime, the natural impulse . . . is to be outraged and to fight passionately against forgetting and to pursue the criminals—as the judges of the allied Nuremberg Tribunal had promised—to the ends of the earth.” The same writer continued: “We would gladly say, reversing the terms of the prayer that Jesus addressed to God in the Gospel according to Saint Luke: Lord, do not forgive them, for they know what they are doing.”—Compare Luke 23:34.
Sad to say, from 1945 on, right up to the present time, innumerable other atrocities—in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, to mention just a few—have continued to stain the earth with blood. These atrocities have left millions of dead, as well as huge numbers of surviving widows and orphans, shattered lives, and horrendous memories, in their wake.
Without a doubt, this 20th century has been a time of unprecedented cruelty. It is just as Bible prophecy accurately foretold long ago about this era—men have proved to be “fierce” and “without love of goodness.”—2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation 6:4-8.
What Should We Do?
Confronted with such barbarity, people react differently. But what about us? Should we remember? Or should we forget? Does remembering mean harboring bitter, deep-seated ill will toward one’s former enemies, refusing to forgive? On the other hand, does forgiving mean that one can forget in the sense of totally wiping out bad memories?
What does the Creator of mankind, Jehovah God, think of the terrible crimes that have been committed in our time and in times past? Will he forgive the perpetrators? And is it not too late for God to compensate the victims killed in atrocities? Is there any solid hope that there will ever be an end to atrocities, since they have been happening for thousands of years? Just how will Almighty God eventually rectify these complicated matters?
-
-
Should We Remember the Past?Awake!—1998 | August 8
-
-
Should We Remember the Past?
“CAN the Jews forget the Holocaust?” This question was raised by Virgil Elizondo, president of the Mexican American Cultural Center in San Antonio, Texas. It reminds us that the atrocities seen in this century can leave an indelible imprint on the collective memory. The genocide of the Armenians (1915-23) and the mass killings of Cambodians (1975-79) must also be included among the atrocities of the 20th century. Even so, the list is by no means complete.
In an attempt to foster reconciliation between victims and their tormentors, religious and political leaders have on occasion invited people to forget atrocities suffered. This happened, for example, in Athens, Greece, in 403 B.C.E. The city had just witnessed the end of the oppressive dictatorship of the Thirty Tyrants, an oligarchy that had eliminated, even physically, almost all its adversaries. The new governors sought to reestablish civil harmony by decreeing an amnesty (from a Greek word meaning “oblivion” or “forgetfulness”) for supporters of the previous tyranny.
Forgetting by Decree?
It can be relatively easy to try to cancel by decree the memory of atrocities perpetrated on the innocent. Rulers can decide to do this for political expediency, as happened in ancient Greece and in various European countries at the end of World War II. In Italy, for example, in 1946 a decree declared an amnesty to over 200,000 citizens “guilty of participating, in more or less relevant ways, in the misdeeds of the Fascist regime,” said the newspaper La Repubblica.
However, the decisions of governments or public institutions are one thing. The sentiments of the individual members of a community are quite another. It is not possible by decree to compel individual citizens—perhaps the defenseless victims of brutal conflicts, massacres, or other barbarities—to forget past sufferings.
More than a hundred million people have died in the wars of this century alone, many after unspeakable suffering. If we were to add all those who have been killed in peacetime massacres, the atrocities would be innumerable. Many people go to great lengths to ensure that none of these are forgotten.
Those Who Would Like to Cancel the Memory
Those who urge victims of atrocities or their descendants to forgive and forget often assert that remembering the past is only a source of division, especially if decades have passed. They say that forgetting unites, whereas remembering cannot turn back the pages of history, however tragic the sufferings were.
But in trying to make people forget, some have gone to the point of denying the reality of the most horrendous crimes committed against humanity. Supported by self-styled revisionist historians, some claim, for example, that there never was a Holocaust.a They have even organized tours to former extermination camps, such as Auschwitz or Treblinka, and have told the visitors that gas chambers never existed at those places—and this in the face of numerous eyewitnesses and mountains of evidence and documentation.
How is it that such false revisionist ideas meet with success in certain circles? Because some choose to forget their own responsibility and that of their own people. Why? Because of nationalism, their own ideology, or anti-Semitic or other such sentiments. Once atrocities are forgotten, revisionists reason, responsibility vanishes. But many people vigorously resist these irresponsible revisionists, called by one French historian “assassins of the memory.”
They Do Not Forget
It is obviously very difficult for survivors to forget loved ones lost in war or in atrocities. However, most of those who want to remember massacres and genocides do so because they hope that the lessons drawn from their own suffering and the suffering of their loved ones will be useful in avoiding any repetition of such brutality.
The German government has thus decided to commemorate the anniversary of the discovery of horrors perpetrated by the Nazis in the Auschwitz concentration camp. The intent, according to the president of Germany, is that “remembering will serve as a warning to future generations.”
Similarly, on the 50th anniversary of the end of World War II, Pope John Paul II asserted: “As the years go by, the memories of the War must not grow dim; rather, they ought to become a stern lesson for our generation and for generations yet to come.” Nevertheless, it has to be said that the Catholic Church is not always consistent in remembering the atrocities and the victims of those years.
In order that new generations may also draw lessons and warnings from the genocides of this and other centuries, a number of museums—such as the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., and the Beit Hashoah Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles—have been established. For the same reason, emotionally moving documentaries and other films on this subject have been produced. All of this is an attempt to prevent humanity from losing its memory of people suffering at the hands of other people.
Why Remember?
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” wrote the Spanish-American philosopher George Santayana. Sadly, it seems that over the course of millenniums, mankind quickly forgets its own past, thus condemning itself to commit the same bitter errors over and over.
The long and atrocious sequence of mass killings by man highlights that human domination of other humans has been a total failure. Why has this been so? Because humans have constantly repeated the same basic error—they have rejected God and his laws. (Genesis 3:1-6; Ecclesiastes 8:9) And today, just as prophesied in the Bible, a “twisted generation” is doing the same and is reaping the consequences.—Philippians 2:15; Psalm 92:7; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 13.
Since we have involved the Creator, Jehovah, in our discussion, what is his point of view? What does he forget, and what does he remember? Can the painful legacy of the atrocities perpetrated by man be overcome? Will “the badness of wicked ones come to an end”?—Psalm 7:9.
-
-
Atrocities—What Is God’s Solution?Awake!—1998 | August 8
-
-
Atrocities—What Is God’s Solution?
HOW can atrocities be prevented? What is the solution? When we study history, it becomes obvious that human solutions have failed. In fact, there is a great element of contradiction, if not outright hypocrisy, in the way human leaders have approached the subject.
Consider, for example, the year 1995. It marked the 50th anniversary of the end of the Nazi Holocaust, of World War II, and of the explosion of the atom bomb. That year, commemorative ceremonies attended by world leaders were held in many parts of the world. Why? To transmit a sense of revulsion for these atrocities so that they may never be repeated. Yet, some observers noted an unhealthy dose of contradiction in such ceremonies.
Hypocrisy
In these highly publicized ceremonies, all religious and governmental representatives wanted to be viewed as benefactors or at least to avoid being viewed as evildoers. Yet, nations that condemned past atrocities have built arsenals of weapons, budgeting huge sums of money for that purpose. At the same time, they have not solved such vital problems as poverty, moral degradation, and pollution, often saying that they do not have enough funds.
Worldly religion seeks to write history that camouflages her prolonged silence on the atrocities of dictatorships and hushes up her conniving with them. These religions did not do anything to stop people of the same religion from slaughtering one another. For instance, in World War II, Catholic killed Catholic and Protestant killed Protestant because they were of different nationalities and on opposing sides. Both sides claimed to be Christian but practiced what was totally contrary to Jesus’ teachings. (Matthew 26:52; John 13:34, 35; 1 John 3:10-12; 4:20, 21) Other religions have done the same. Today, in various parts of the world, atrocities are still committed by members of these religions.
In the time of Jesus, the religious leaders were hypocrites. Jesus denounced them, saying: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the graves of the prophets and decorate the memorial tombs of the righteous ones, and you say, ‘If we were in the days of our forefathers, we would not be sharers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you are bearing witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.” (Matthew 23:29-31) Those religious leaders claimed to be godly but were hypocrites who persecuted Jesus and his disciples.
Lessons Taught by the Bible
Lessons can be drawn from secular history, but the Bible is the source of the most beneficial lessons. It does not entrust the task of interpreting history to human judgment or prejudice. The Bible explains history and the future in the light of God’s way of thinking.—Isaiah 55:8, 9.
The Scriptures speak of good and bad events as well as of good and bad people. Often a correct lesson, one in harmony with God’s will, can be drawn from these accounts. After mentioning a number of events in the history of the ancient Israelites, the apostle Paul concluded: “Now these things went on befalling them as examples, and they were written for a warning to us.” (1 Corinthians 10:11) Jesus himself drew a lesson from history when he said to his disciples: “Remember the wife of Lot.”—Luke 17:32.
What God Remembers and What He Forgets
We learn from the Bible that God remembers or forgets individuals on the basis of their actions. Those who sin but manifest repentance God forgives “in a large way.” (Isaiah 55:7) If a wicked one repents and “turns back from his sin and carries on justice and righteousness, . . . none of his sins . . . will be remembered against him.”—Ezekiel 33:14-16.
Paul wrote that “God is not unrighteous so as to forget your work and the love you showed for his name.” (Hebrews 6:10) Thus, Jehovah will reward those he remembers favorably. Faithful Job prayed: “O that in Sheol [the common grave of all mankind] you would conceal me, . . . that you would set a time limit for me and remember me!”—Job 14:13.
Conversely, God will deal with the unrepentant evildoer in harmony with the words He spoke to Moses: “I shall wipe him out of my book.” (Exodus 32:33) Yes, God will forget wicked ones forever.
The Final Judge
God is the final Judge of history. (Genesis 18:25; Isaiah 14:24, 27; 46:9-11; 55:11) According to his superior judgment, he will not forget the numerous atrocities committed against mankind. On the day of his righteous indignation, he will judge all responsible persons and institutions.—Revelation, chapters 18, 19.
Among these will be the whole system of false religion, given in the Scriptures the symbolic name “Babylon the Great.” Of her it is written: “Her sins have massed together clear up to heaven, and God has called her acts of injustice to mind.”—Revelation 18:2, 5.
These religions were supposed to teach their adherents to do the right thing but failed. Thus, God’s Word says of all worldly religion: “In her was found the blood of prophets and of holy ones and of all those who have been slaughtered on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24) Because of failing to instruct their members to love their fellowman and fellow religionist, these religions are charged with bloodguilt.
A New World at Hand!
The day in which evil will be destroyed is finally at hand. (Zephaniah 2:1-3; Matthew 24:3, 7-14) Following that day, the time will come when ‘mourning, outcry, and pain will be no more’ for the happy residents of the earth. (Revelation 21:3-5) Atrocities and massacres will never occur again because rulership of this earth will be taken from humans and will be given to God’s heavenly Kingdom in the hands of the “Prince of Peace,” Jesus Christ.—Isaiah 9:6, 7; Daniel 2:44; Matthew 6:9, 10.
At that time the prophecy at Psalm 46:9 will be completely fulfilled: “[God] is making wars to cease to the extremity of the earth.” That peace will last forever because, as Isaiah 2:4 foretells, “nation will not lift up sword against nation, neither will they learn war anymore.” Psalm 37:11 thus foretells: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” Yes, then it will be said that “the whole earth has come to rest, has become free of disturbance. People have become cheerful with joyful cries.”—Isaiah 14:7.
All of this means that a righteous new world is near. And in that new world, under the rule of God’s heavenly Kingdom, another marvelous event will take place—the resurrection of the dead! God’s Word guarantees: “There is going to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.”—Acts 24:15.
While on earth, Jesus demonstrated this by raising people from the dead. For example, when he resurrected a young girl, the account says: “Immediately the maiden rose and began walking . . . At once [those observing] were beside themselves with great ecstasy.” (Mark 5:42) In the resurrection those killed in atrocities as well as others long dead will be raised from the dead and will be given the opportunity to live forever on a paradise earth. (Luke 23:43) And in time “the former things will not be called to mind, neither will they come up into the heart.”—Isaiah 65:17.
You will act wisely in acquiring an accurate knowledge of God’s Word, the Bible, and doing his will. Then God will remember you with favor when he forever solves the problem of atrocities and restores life to victims. Jesus said: “This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.”—John 17:3.
-