The Shack: Analysis

Forgiveness is what holds and brings relationships together. If you stay angry for long, your heart stubbornly hardens. But if you choose to forgive, you will be filled with the grace of God. We are all sinners and should never carry a

Forgiveness has a different context depending on where the person is from or what he believes. Religion places a great emphasis on the view of forgiveness.

Forgiveness helps us feel light and helps us get rid of hard feelings that occupy our mind and heart and eat away our peace of mind. Forgiveness is a way to self-fulfillment. People who can readily forgive others are much more responsible and satisfied inside than those who keep grudges against others and develop feelings of enmity. Those who forgive help create positive energy on this planet. In the article “Forgiveness Towards Others” by Charu B shae states “Our grudges will only affect the relationship with the person and not hurt the other person in any way.”

Forgiveness is very important throughout life. If people don't forgive, they are going to be stuck in the past always remembering about the mistake that person did. Forgiving someone can make yourself feel better because you know you forgave that person and there's no negativity between you and that person.

The bible teaches Christians to forgive in order to receive forgiveness. People often retaliate for wrongs suffered by not forgiving. However, researchers are discovering that not forgiveness can lead to health problems.

Archery Club Meeting for any 6, 7, and 8 graders: Archery club will be having a meeting at Shattuck Middle School any student interested in learning how to shoot a bow or to those who already know how. You do not need to have any experience or equipment to join; we have different levels and equipment for all participants. We will discuss when the club will meet in the future and hand out a permission slip to be taken home. The meeting will take place in room C57 (Mr. Meyer's room) at Shattuck Middle School on Thursday November 8, 2012 from 3:30 to 4:15. Please make sure a ride will be here to pick you up. See you then, and stay on target with your grades. If you cannot stay for the

The image of God can be interpreted many ways. Most envision Him as a Father Time figure that sits on a cloud thumbing his long, silver beard. Some view God as an uncompromising demiurge, while others choose to believe He is a loving deity with bountiful grace. While some consider the Holy Trinity one being, others believe it to be three separate entities. William P. Young, in his fictional novel, The Shack, takes a very different approach on his view of God. The author personifies the Holy Trinity in terms that very few have ever considered. In the formative years of William P. Young’s life, significant events occurred that shaped his presentation of God. The images portrayed in his book conflict with the belief of many

Forgiving is vital and is shown frequently throughout the book in the characters relationships. One example where healing is shown is when Kumalo forgives his sister Gertrude. Forgiving is not easy in every situation but it leads to healing. “ His eyes fill with tears, his deep gentleness returns to him. He goes to her and lifts her from the floor of the chair. Inarticulately he strokes her face, his heart filled with pity. -God forgives us, he says. Who am I not to forgive? Let us pray.” (Paton 61). As Kumalo mentions, God always forgives us, every single day and as great as God is there is no reason to we should not forgive. Although it is difficult it will only heal relationships in our life rather than separate them.

Forgiveness is a voluntary process and only time can heal all wounds. Scratch that- time won’t heal all wounds and forgiving someone is totally and completely up to you. When stating that forgiveness is “voluntary,” it simply means that one is forgiving someone at their own free will. The question is “why? why must we forgive someone after doing something so awful?” The answer might be complex. In the book “Picking Cotton” by Jennifer Thompson-Cannino, Ronald Cotton and Erin Torneo, and in the book “Beauty for Ashes” written by Joyce Meyer, forgiveness is portrayed as a big role. Each person goes through their own struggles and eventually has to forgive someone or be forgiven by someone.

Hesburgh explains, “My whole instinct is to forgive. Perhaps that is because I am a Catholic priest. In a sense, I am in the forgiving business… I think of God as the great forgiver of sinful humanity” (169). Prager further explains these religious divides, “It is only meant to explain why to Jews it is so patently obvious that it is morally wrong to forgive a man who has burned families alive, and to Christians it is equally obvious that one ought to” (230). Buddhism also argues for forgiveness as well. Ricard states, “For a Buddhist, forgiveness is always possible and one should always forgive” (235). Lastly, there is an argument that without forgiveness it is difficult to move on to the future. Tutu succinctly states, “Without forgiveness, there is no future.”

We forgive for our own good, not for the people who have hurt us. We should never be held prisoner by the people who hurt us. That is what happens when we choose to not forgive and choose to hold grudges. Being unforgivable soon turns into bitterness. That bitterness will eat at your heart and soul. Being able to forgive does not by any means imply that we are weak. It is actually showing ourselves and others how strong we are. Do not wait to forgive those who have hurt you. If you wait to forgive until you feel the time is right, it will never happen. Simply because there is no “right time.” Remember, forgiving is not easy and never will it be. Yes, it is easy to say “I forgive you.” The hard part of it all is to genuinely mean it. If you become so wrapped up in holding a grudge, all you see it hurt and anger. You are missing what is important. Such as the present and all the joyful happiness that comes along life. The Holocaust was one of the worst things that has ever happened over time. Yet, some people have managed to forgive the horrible crimes that they endured. In The Fault in Our Stars, Hazel at first had a hard time forgiving Peter Van Hoten for being so rude to her and Augustus. He was her favorite author and he completely let her down by being so rude to her. She was very angry but didn’t hold a grudge against him for

Forgiveness is letting go; whether it be letting go of small things or big things, it helps people move on. Each person has their own definition of what forgiveness truly means. Its logical for people to be forgiven because no matter what they do, they're human; humans make mistakes. It can be hard not to forgive, but it's also necessary to put away your differences and reunite with former enemies. It makes sense to ask for forgiveness.

Also, understanding is the key to forgive someone regrets his immoral acts against you. The story of Albert Speer reveals the sorrow and compassion of one of the culprit find himself face to face with a victim. Mr. Albert was supporting the Nazis against Jews during the Holocaust. He acknowledged his responsibility and guilt for the mass crime. With the guilty verdict, he imprisoned for twenty years for his legal inhuman acts. When Simon Wiesenthal met him, Albert considered his eyes to find compassion and humanity inside (The Sunflower 246). Thus, I believe that when victim lets down the revenge, he also removes most of the barriers for a substantial correction. In the meantime, if you forgive, you can stop the stupidity of haters and prove that you are much stronger. Besides the world has a lot of evidence proclaiming that the desire for revenge disappears even after a long time of reciprocal violence, but only the people who forgive are the last standing. Overall, to forgive is to build bridges between victims and culprits for a healthy

offenders without actually sending them, this process was a way of letting go of the pain and

The first time I read the novel “The Shack,” I immediately empathized with the main character. The story is about a little girl who was abducted from a camping site and found murdered. Its main story line follows the emotional roller coaster of her father, Mack. Not to give the entire story away, I will not discuss exactly what Mack experienced. However, losing his daughter filled him with so much pain and anger. Mack could not understand how this could happen, why this would happen to his daughter. Ultimately he struggles with God, wanting to know why God would let his daughter be taken away in such a brutal murder. I have faced struggles and sadness in my life that made me cry out to God asking,