"Forgive and forget," that's what people would always advice those who are experiencing pain from an abuser. It becomes a blanket advice from people who normally have never experienced the same kind of pain. From people who may never understand what that pain meant.
The concept of forgiveness in the Filipino culture has been exploited too much, to the point that people often let things go in order for them to look like good people. In fact, for them it is an act of "true Christianity." This country has been colonized by the Spaniards bearing the cross, colonizing in the name of Christianity, teaching our people to "submit" and "obey," and if anything unjust was done to you, you are to "forgive" and "forget" as an act of true Christianity. Those teachings were so much exploited in order for the colonizers to continue to enslave our people. So that they will not fight back against the Spanish colonizers who are abusing them in their own lands. For more than three hundred years, it was ingrained in the Filipino psyche, that even after the brave heroes fought for the country's freedom (not without the presence of traitors), so much of the distorted theology has remained in our culture.
The Spanish colonizers were followed by American colonizers, bringing Protestantism and education as a disguise to colonization. Again, Filipino forgiveness has been exploited - you are not to demand justice, especially if the offender or abuser is someone who is in authority. The concept of authority as anointed by God (Romans 13:1-7) has also been exploited, in a sense that anyone in authority - in the church, in politics, in the family - can never be questioned because God anointed them for the position of power they hold. Anything they do is considered right, and even if people do not agree, you are not allowed to question their authority because they are 'anointed by God'. But what if those in authority abused their power and selfishly turn away from the will of God? Does that still make them "anointed'? They use Matthew 5:38-42 (turn the other cheek) to justify that the people's suffering is acceptable, in order that they will not revolt against the oppressors. Totally misleading people from the teaching of the Bible. Again, our brave heroes fought for this country's freedom, Heneral Luna, for instance, but never without the presence of our country's own traitors who brutally killed him.
The Philippines has become a country with great leaders, and also lots of traitors. Those who are put in power (either by the people or by themselves) are mostly succumbing to greed (for power and wealth), each with their own story. Each protecting their own interests and families, and the few good ones being murdered by traitors.
There was once a rich ruler who succumbed to his greed - both for power and wealth - that he became a dictator and ruled for two decades. He ruled far beyond the time allowed for him. He created many big projects that until now are being used by the public. He built schools, hospitals, roads, trains, and bridges. Anyone who questions his dictatorship are either thrown in jail, tortured, killed, or would mysteriously disappear never to be found again. His rule was loved by some of the people who are ignorant of all the murders and plunders he has been doing in other parts of the country. Some parts of the country have been relatively peaceful and people who are 'good enough' to know not to question authority, adored this leader with their lives. This ruler's wife has exploited all the riches they have been stealing from the country, displaying their extravagance to the entire world. His children also enjoyed all the family's riches. They were given everything they needed, vast resources spent to adorn and entertain themselves. They were given positions in the government, without having to go through the normal process others would have to go through. At their whim, their enemies, or anyone who tries to question them will immediately be murdered by their rich father, the ruler (dictator) of the land.
At one point, the people decided that this dictatorship needs to stop. There has been so much injustice and human rights violations in this leadership, including thousands who were tortured and killed, several communities that were massacred, and billions of money loaned from international comunity to build all his beautiful projetcs, because the people's taxes are kept in the family's treasury to sustain their extravagant lifestyles. These loans are still being paid by the people, until thirty years later. Not all the people know about it because the information being sent out to the public through the media are all controlled by the dictator. At that time, the people were united into a people power revolution. One that inspired the whole world of the power of democracy. The dictator was replaced by a rich widow, wife of one of the dictator's political critique. The dictator's family was exiled after the revolution, bringing with them all the wealth and jewelries they plundered from the country. After a few years, the dictator died from a decease. He was initially buried privately, but the family has a plan. They wanted to bury him as a hero. They wanted to come back to the country and rule again.
The widow's leadership was not without controversies and human rights violations as well. The leaders that followed after her, each with their own interests and anomalies. Eventually, the dictator's family was allowed to return to the country, with an agreement that his body will be buried far up north in their land. The family signed the agreement, but they never really buried the dictator. They wanted a hero's burial. They wanted to come back and gain power all over again.
Thirty years after the revolution, the dictator was buried in the Heroes' cemetery like a thief in the night. They arranged a hero's burial secretly, because they know that many people will not allow it to happen. The children defend their father, saying he can be buried as a hero because he was a soldier. They say there was nothing to apologize for their father's cruel leadership, because they did not know anything about it, and that they were 'too young' to understand what happened during that time. 'Too young,' they say, when they were already young adults at the time, enjoying all the extravagance of their status and wealth. They call for the people to "move on," "forgive" - without asking for forgiveness, and to heal.
The tragedy of this is that many people, good people, accept their call for forgiveness, healing, and moving on, without even understanding that until today, thirty years later, there are still thousands of victims of this dictator who have not experienced justice. There was never even any "apology" from the family, acknowledging that there was wrong done. There was only denial and lies. Many, many lives were lost. Many young people, who could have been today's great leaders, have been raped and murdered in gruesome ways. The dictator, who was ousted by the people, has been buried as a hero, 30 years later. It was an insult to the democracy that many fought for. And it has divided the country - families, friendships, and relationships. The very family who was calling for "forgiveness" and "healing" - has caused division in so many levels. Yet they are the ones who have never moved on, even waiting for thirty years before burying the dead. Poor skeletons!
Ironically, the division was caused mainly by the call for "forgiveness" and "healing." Many people - Christians, especially - would justify that the dictator's burial can be accepted and he can be forgiven because the law allowed it and that God would judge everything in the end. That it is not for us to judge those who sin against us.
Here is where conflict occurs. In the New Testament, Jesus often talked about forgiveness, even saying forgive 'your brother' seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). The missing point here is that, Jesus' parables and examples of forgiveness have always been forgiving those who are indebted to you, which in that context means, that person has lower power or authority than you. In that sense, you forgive unconditionally (Luke 7:41-43). In Luke 17:3 Jesus talks about forgiving a brother, in which case there is no hierarchy set up, considering the offender as an equal. Here Jesus talked about forgiveness 'if there is repentance'. If an equal has offended you, you must rebuke, and if there is repentance, forgive. If you have been offended seventy times, and that person came back to you seventy times, you must forgive. Here there are two things: Rebuke, and Repentance. The process of forgiveness in a relationship of equals require repentance from the offender.
As Frederick Keene puts it in "Structures of Forgiveness in the New Testament,":
...the progression of forgiveness can be broken only by a more powerful person refusing forgiveness to a less powerful person. The progression of forgiveness does not move up the structure of power, only down.
The only example where one with less power forgives those with relatively more power, was Jesus Himself on the cross (Luke 23:34). One of Jesus' last words on the cross was "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." At that time, He was crucified on the cross, in a situaion where He has no power. But He was not the one who forgave those who crucified Him. He asked God the Father to forgive them. Being less powerful in the situation, He did not offer forgiveness Himself. Instead, He asked the strongest and most powerful to forgive. He did not indicate that a less powerful can forgive a more powerful.
The link between forgiveness and justice can be established by relinquishing power of the one who is more powerful. In cases of sexual abuse, say, of a pastor to a church member. It will be very difficult for the victim to offer forgiveness, especially if power is not relinquished. There must be space, or action done so that the power imbalance is addressed, and repentance is offered by the offender. Otherwise, a victim cannot offer forgiveness.
In a larger scale, it is the case of this country, where thousands of victims of injustices have never been given justice. There was never even an apology, nor relinquishing of power. Sadly, the offender was even self-declared as a hero. And the dictator's family trying to go back to power. For a large-scale injustice where victims are powerless, it is easy to say "Let God, who is more powerful, forgive." Yes, God can offer them forgiveness. But it is lazy to just sit back and do nothing, watching the victims suffer from all the pain, all the wounds unhealed from the past, and the offender rubbing salt on those wounds. We can offer forgiveness to the dead, but what happened to love and compassion for the victims?
Right now, it is not just about the dictator, or his family. It is about the system that allows cruelty to remain, for evil and injustice to reign, because of the culture of forgiveness that has enslaved this country for hundreds of years. It is a culture that tells people to be lazy. To just sit back, watch God forgive and do the rest, while those who are not yet affected by injustice, remain comfortable in their own homes.
When Jesus said "Follow me," I understand Him saying "Follow what I did. Turn tables, challenge unjust laws and systems, challenge those in authority who are not following the will of God." I did not take it as, "Sit down and just pray while injustices roam on your streets." No. It is a distorted theology passed on to us by our colonizers and oppressors. When you've surrendered forgiveness to God, it does not mean you forget and neglect all those who experience injustice. It means you do something, no matter how small, so that the oppressive and unjust system will somehow allow justice to be served. When you seek and pursue justice, it does not make you unforgiving. Love and compassion for those who are neglected by the institutional injustices, can never be equated to unforgiveness. Yes, forgiveness is offered to the dead. But the family of the dictator needs to show repentance and relinquish power for true healing to happen. Otherwise, we offer our exploited forgiveness as a nation, all over again. We mock ourselves and destroy the future of the next generation, who will live in the same institutionalized injustices.
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