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The More Forgiven You Feel, the Less Likely You Are to Apologize — Science Proves It
A study found that divine forgiveness can make people less accountable, turning faith into a moral loophole.
At one point in my life, I believed that forgiveness was the highest virtue. Growing up in a religious family, I was taught that the mercy of God is limitless. A never-ending safety net for the human soul.
But as I got older, I began to notice a pattern. Those who felt they were forgiven by God often skipped the bit about making it right. I confronted a childhood friend of mine who had circulated a vicious rumor about a girl and I. His response was, “God knows my heart. He forgives me.” And that was it. No apology. No accountability. Just a satisfactory absolution while I stood there carrying his injustice.
This experience was not unusual. There are many who profess to live by certain religious beliefs, but then use divine forgiveness as a means to obtain moral license. The issue here is not faith itself. The issue is how faith is mobilized to shun personal accountability.
A study recently published suggests that when people are able to evoke a sense of divine forgiveness, they are less likely to apologize to those they have wronged. This occurs…
