Morals
From Aryez
Book 8 of the Marfat
8: Morals
1. Think not that even though God
2. has promised to redeem and forgive you
3. for your sins, that He will not judge and
4. punish you on Earth and after for these
5. sins. Although a person’s sins are a matter
6. between himself and God, it is society’s duty
7. to punish people for grave crimes against society
8. and against God, here on the Earth. That is how God will
9. teach everybody a lesson, although He is merciful
10. and forgiving. Remember that the sinner
11. may be you, so judge not too harshly, and never
12. administer death as a punishment. God will judge them
13. afterwards. In your hearts, forgive
14. the murderers, those who commit adultery, and thieves and
15. do not be too harsh on them or cause them
16. shame. God has commanded us to instantly
17. forgive everyone, but people must redeem themselves
18. though their actions in order to rebuild trust with society. In
19. dealing with thieves, have mercy on the poor
20. who have no other means of survival. All
21. sinners have strayed [from the right path] and more important than
22. their punishment is their reeducation in proper
23. morals. As the prophet Jesus showed, only love and not
24. hate can heal sin. When the people were
25. about to stone the immoral woman [prostitute], Jesus said:
26. “let he who has never sinned cast the first stone.”
27. Therefore, think hard about your own sins before
28. criticizing others for their sins [remove the log from your eye before removing the stick from your brother’s eye].
Commentary: First and foremost, this book says that everyone must be forgiven for their sins. There should be no holding of grudges. However, on a practical basis, people must be punished for crimes which affect society. Furthermore, if people are to believe that they can get away from punishment for their crimes, they will not know any restraint on their evil actions. There is a different between a sin and crime. Not all sins are crimes but all crimes are sins. However, in punishing a crime, society must be kind and just, and forgiving of a person who repents in good faith. It is important to remember that one will be judged by the way he judges others. The death penalty is forbidden as a punishment [the practicality of this is disputable, but ideally it should rarely be applied and only in severe cases such as unrepentant treason and mass murder; furthermore in the case a death sentence it is passed, it is the duty of the man who passes the judgment to become the executioner so as to understand the gravity of his actions]. The point of forgiveness for one’s actions is so as to allow the person to perform actions that redeem him. Performing good actions may negate the stain of bad actions. The book also makes the distinction between forgiveness and trust. While forgiveness (understanding and letting go) must be instant, trust (a relationship and feeling based on mutual respect and aid) must be build over time by good deeds done in good faith. It must also be understood that the punishment must fit the crime and take into account the circumstances of the crime. A poor person who cannot find a job who steals food may not really be committing a crime, because the person has no other means of survival. In such a case, it is the fault of society for allowing itself to degrade to such a level. No human being is totally free of sin.
