Chapter 9:
The Deadly Dis-ease of Unforgiveness

  1. Ponder the following and record your thoughts: “Hate and unforgiveness prove such powerful emotions, becoming states of mind and heart that destroy everything they touch.” Do you believe this statement is true? Why or why not?
  2. Why does Anthony Thompson write, “Now is the time to focus on God”? What does he mean?
  3. Why is Simon Wiesenthal’s story important for people today? Who was Karl, what did he do, and what did he want from Wiesenthal?
  4. What would you have advised Wiesenthal to do with Karl’s request?
  5. Ponder this statement: “What happens to a lone man’s mind, heart, body, and soul when he is so driven, so consumed, so burdened for an entire lifetime by unforgiveness, anger, hatred, and resentment?” What price did Wiesenthal pay in health and relationships when he hunted down Nazi criminals?
  6. How is harboring hate and unforgiveness “like carrying a heavy burden—a burden that victims bring with them when they navigate the physical world”?
  7. In what ways can refusal to forgive harm a person physically, emotionally, mentally? What happens to the health of those who hold grudges?
  8. Contemplate this statement: “By requiring the offender’s contrition, we’re letting a person who harmed us decide if or when we can benefit from forgiveness. That’s giving the wrongdoer a lot of control over our lives.” Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
  9. Describe the life of Eric Lomax.What did a life spent in hate cost Lomax?
  10. Describe the type of forgiveness Eric Lomax extended to his enemy, Takashi Nagase. What was the condition of Lomax’s forgiveness?
  11. What did Lomax mean when he said, “Some time the hating has to stop”? Do you agree or disagree, and why?
  12. Ponder this: “Scientific studies show that participants who believe God has forgiven them for their own sin and wrongdoings are more likely to offer others unconditional, unrestricted, and unqualified forgiveness.” Do you believe this statement is true or false? Why?
  13. What is unconditional, unrestricted, and unqualified forgiveness?
  14. How is societal forgiveness different from biblical forgiveness?
  15. Contemplate the meaning of this statement: “With biblical forgiveness, victims choose to forgive another person because they, themselves, have been completely forgiven by God. Their own sinful debt has been paid in full with no conditions—a grace gift from their heavenly Father.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Why?
  16. What did St. Augustine mean by this statement: “Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee”?
  17. What does Anthony Thompson mean when he says that “without God’s direct divine intervention I don’t expect Dylann to experience a positive change of heart and mind while inside the Terre Haute prison”? Why does he believe this? What happens to a human being shut up in isolation?
  18. Why does Thompson believe that “Dylann’s racist hate will only be nurtured in prison, not diminished, his tortured mind no longer able to make clear decisions—the choices that can change his eternal destination”?
  19. Anthony Thompson states that “Dylann goes from court to prison still embracing hate, having issued the powerful emotion a carte blanche invitation to dictate his life, his actions, and his future.” What does that mean?
  20. According to Thompson, “To the slaughtered victims’ family members and loved ones who chose not to forgive the young killer, Dylann has become the guard who now controls their lives, who holds the keys to their own personal prison cells, and who opens the door wide to allow hate, resentment, and bitterness to enter and take root in their hearts and minds.” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
  21. Contemplate this Scripture and record your thoughts: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23–24).

For Deeper Understanding

  1. To learn more about Simon Wiesenthal, read his book The Sunflower. Please record your thoughts.
  2. To learn more about the story of Eric Lomax and Takashi Nagase, read Lomax’s book, The Railway Man. (The story has also been made into a film by the same name.) Please record your thoughts.
  3. Read and contemplate the message in Psalm 139. Describe what this Scripture means to you personally.

Your Notes