AFTER VIOLENCE: 3R, RECONSTRUCTION, RECONCILIATION ...

Christian; South Africa is mixed. Christianity of all kinds would
emphasize the free will of human beings, see crime as the
successor to sin, confession as confession, State/judge as the
successor to God/priest and punishment as the successor to
penitence. As a result there is a clean slate. But forgiveness?
Many Christians, when asked, say that only the Lord can
forgive. But how do we interpret the formulation in the Lord's
Prayer (Our Father) "Forgive us our debt as we forgive our
debtors" (Wyclif/Douay versions) or "Forgive us our trespasses
etc.". Does it mean "He who forgives others will himself be
forgiven by the Lord", "Lord, forgive us so we get the strength to
forgive others", both (or neither)? A simple reading would be
that the Lord forgives, we forgive, and the two are related. At
any rate, forgiveness is not beyond human beings.
All this becomes less problematic if one sees the evil act
less as rooted in an evil actor, and wars more as something that
happens, like an earthquake, drought, flood. It comes and goes.
To punish the actors of a war makes as little sense as to punish
an earthquake. Better understand why/how it happened (Truth),
reconcile oneself to the circumstances (Reconciliation), and be
better prepared next time. It makes a lot of sense.
7. Reconstruction After Violence: An Overview
We repeat: humankind at its worst, intra-species war. There are
victims, killed and wounded, the bereaved, the deprived, the
traumatized, the material damage, the damage to nature. There is
no limit to work under the heading of reconstruction, such as
rehabilitation, the healing of traumatized humans, bereaved as
well as wounded (posttraumatic stress disorder counseling), and
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