Forgivable or Unforgivable, Ignorance or Arrogance

Years ago, while attending university, I asked my professor whether an abused person becomes an abuser. Their answer shocked me.

The professor said that studies of recidivism in prisons revealed that inmates who believed they were unforgivable were more likely to reoffend. Prisoners who were taught as children that there is a God and that God forgives if asked, were much less likely to return to prison. 

The perspective of many returning prisoners was: if I’ve already committed a sin and am unforgivable, then what difference does it make if I commit a thousand more sins? I’m still going to hell.

Now, in the present day, Trump and Netanyahu bombing Iran isn’t the main issue for me: the real issue is that they bombed Iran during Ramadan, when Muslim populations around the world are fasting from sunrise to sunset in devotion to God.

They may be ignorant of the religious significance of bombing during Ramadan, or they may fully understand it and simply not care, their actions stemming not from ignorance, but from arrogance: an awareness of the significance of Ramadan coupled with a disregard for it.

Perhaps, as Trump has professed, he doesn’t think he will go to heaven. So, like the professor taught me, Trump may have already determined that he is unforgivable, and whether he commits one sin or thousands of sins, he believes he is still going to hell.

What type of response to Trump and Netanyahu's bombing of Iran during Ramadan do you think is warranted and effective?