Abstract:
The Lord’s Prayer has a prominent place in the lives and liturgies of
Christian faith communities. The petition for forgiveness in the
prayer is accompanied by what seems to be a condition: “Forgive
us our sins as we forgive those who sinned against us”. This
“condition” can be a stumbling block for victims of violence
perpetrated by people “who sinned against” them. The aim of the
article is to provide a liberating perspective on the Lord’s Prayer so
that it can contribute to the healing of women who have been
sexually violated. Firstly, the concept “forgiveness” in the Old and
New Testament is investigated. This leads to an investigation of the
ethics of forgiveness in light of Levinas’ criticism of the Christian
ethics of forgiveness. Narrative insights point to the possibility of
reinterpreting the “us” in “forgive us our sins”. This liberates
“victims” of violence to feel included in God’s grace and
forgiveness, even though they may find it difficult or impossible to
forgive the perpetrator.
