[Magdalen] ++ Desmond Tutu

[Lynn Ronkainen]

Martin, thanks for including part of your article. I really enjoyed reading 
again, +Tutu's words on forgiveness.

peace,
lynn

My email has changed to: houstonKLR at gmail.com

website: www.ichthysdesigns.com

When I stand before God at the end of my life I would hope that I have not a 
single bit of talent left and could say, "I used everything You gave me." 
attributed to Erma Bombeck

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From: "Revd Martin Dale via Magdalen" <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Sent: Thursday, April 09, 2015 6:07 PM
To: <magdalen at herberthouse.org>
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] ++ Desmond Tutu

>
> Sally
>
> Do you know what I really respect of ++Desmond  Tutu was when he stepped
> down as ++ of Cape Town to become Chairman of the Truth  and 
> Reconciliation
> Commission. His theology is far to liberal for me, but what  he has done 
> as a
> Christian for the nation of South Africa puts him on the level  of Nelson
> Mandela as a statesman - in my opinion.
>
> Funny you mention him because I have just  written about him in one of the
> two East Marshland Benefice parish mags for May  2015.
>
> May I just copy you in on a part of what I wrote  in our parish mag today
>
> Blessings
> Martin
>
>
> <One of the most remarkable events in recent years was the setting up  of
> the Truth and Reconciliation Council in South Africa after the historic 
> poll
> on April 27, 1994, which brought Nelson Mandela  to power.
> It was almost universally predicted that there  would be serious
> blood-letting when the black-led government took control. A  fearful orgy 
> of revenge
> and retribution against the whites was  predicted.
> After all, hadn’t that sort of thing happened  in the Nuremburg Trials in
> 1946 at the end of the Second World War when the top  Nazi’s were tried 
> and
> executed? Surely this would be a time for justice and  retribution.
> Well, that prediction was not fulfilled. But  instead of revenge and
> retribution, the new nation of South Africa chose to  tread the difficult 
> path of
> confession, forgiveness, and  reconciliation.
> The new South African Government under Nelson  Mandela decided to set up 
> of
> the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, with the  remit that they would
> give an amnesty to the perpetrators of some of the most  gruesome 
> atrocities
> in exchange for a full disclosure of the facts of the  offence.
> I was not a great fan of the Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu until he 
> took
> up the position of  Chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in
> South Africa and  relinquished his position as Archbishop of Cape Town.
> Why did he do that?
> Let me let the Archbishop speak for himself. Archbishop  Desmond Tutu
> wrote:
> “To forgive is not just to be altruistic. It is the best form of
> self-interest. It is also a process that does not exclude hatred and 
> anger.  These
> emotions are all part of being human. You should never hate yourself for
> hating others who do terrible things: the depth of your love is shown by 
> the
> extent of your anger.
> However, when I talk of forgiveness I mean the belief that you can come
> out the other side a better person. A better person than the one being
> consumed  by anger and hatred. Remaining in that state locks you in a 
> state of
> victimhood,  making you almost dependent on the perpetrator.
> If you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained
> to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can even help the perpetrator 
> to
> become a better person too.
> But the process of forgiveness also requires acknowledgement on the part
> of the perpetrator that they have committed an offence.“ >
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> In a message dated 09/04/2015 19:41:27 GMT Daylight Time,
> sally.davies at gmail.com writes:
>
> It  sounds a lot like the horror that ran through "white" parishes in 
> South
> Africa, back in the day when a certain Bishop Desmond Tutu of 
> Johannesburg
> was appointed Archbishop of Cape Town.
>
> Stories did the  round about his family making a fire in the middle of the
> floor at  Bishopscourt, a la traditional African hut.
>
> It affected him not one  whit but I think there must have been strain on 
> the
> younger family  members.
>
> When our very popular priest Rob was transferred to a school  chaplain job
> at the end of 2012, a few people tried to start the story that  this was
> some kind of anti-St John's conspiracy by the Bishop. It didn't go  far
> because there were too many level headed people, because Rob himself 
> nailed
> it by making it clear that he knew this was God's calling for him,  and by
> our wonderful assistant priest Angela (now about to retire herself)  who
> held things together with tremendous grace during the  inter-regnum.
>
> Sally D