If "A Cause always has an Effect" - then can God forgive evil-actions and their consequences?

(This question is not just for Catholics, but for anyone who believes that "For Every Cause there is Always An Effect" but also believes that God can forgive evil-actions and therefore stop the consequences which comes from evil-actions)

If a person were to rob the bank, but then after robbing the bank, they wish for God to forgive them and wish that God would give them the self-control to not do such things, they will still face the consequences of their actions. The cops would be looking for them and they'll get thrown in jail.

Evilness (or sin) is like a thorn. You can plant as many thorns in the ground as you wish, but there are consequences because as you walk through them , you'll get cut. The forgiveness of sin, would be the removing of thorns so that you do not get cut. Since sin (or evilness or bad karma) brings death into the world, then the forgiveness of sin would remove it, and yet as people pray to God to forgive their sins, that doesn't seem to change the fact that there are still consequences for every action ("the consequence of an evil-action").

This is why many religions believe in Good Works, because regardless of if you pray to God to forgive you, you still seem to get the consequence of the evil-action (sometimes people can escape the consequences of their wrong-doings but most of the time people get caught even if they asked God to forgive them).

a reply to: arpgme

Don't think of it as good and evil. Think of actions of right and wrong. And the consequences of these actions make the haven or hell we get to live with by the grace of God.

a reply to: Sillyosaurus

I personally, understand the consequences of actions and how they lead to "The Kingdom of Heaven Within" or to hell, but what if someone did not understand this until it were too late when the cops are after them for their crimes and wrong-doings against other people.

At that point, even if they had this sudden realization, and sincerely prayed to God, the cops would still be after them and they will still experience the "consequences" ("punishment") of their wrong-doings.

Sin is what separates you from God and being in a state of rebellion from God. Think of you and God like a pair of oxen pulling in tandem yolked together. When both oxen work together, much work is done, good work, but only one ox can lead the team, and that is God.

When we rebel against God or sin, we are pulling out of synch. Much is destroyed and nothing works.

Seeking forgiveness is the act of reconciling ourselves to God and His leadership, putting ourselves back into synch so that we can pull in tandem with Him again and much work is done.

When we ask for foregiveness, it does not erase the things we did when we were in rebellion or the consequences of those actions. We can only work with God in our new state, reconciled to Him to create more that is good than what we messed up when we were in rebellion.

Our, simply put, forgiveness is more about the spiritual than it is about the material.

a reply to: ketsuko

Our, simply put, forgiveness is more about the spiritual than it is about the material.

Thanks for your response, and to be honest, this makes sense to me, but then I see Faith-Healing and how God has to power to change things physically just through people's Faith (Belief), and it makes me think, OK, If Faith has the power to do these things then were is that point between Faith (Trust/Belief) and Action?

Emoto's Rice Water Experiment (Repeated by many people on YouTube with success)



A lady healing her clumped blood-cells through the Power of Faith (Belief):

Evil condemned us, grace forgave us. That is in the realm of our creator. Principalities on the other hand often time exact payment for breaking the law. One is Celestial, the other terrestrial, one in the realm of God, the other in the realm of man.

I'm not religious, but I use to be a long time ago. What I have found is that people who request forgiveness from a deity live in ignorance, and ignorance is bliss. True forgiveness happens within your soul. God may forgive me for what I have done, but I may very well never forgive myself. People need to hold themselves to higher standards, it's all good and easy to ask Jesus to forgive your sins, but your sub-conscience may perhaps never reconcile and forgive you for what you have done. One must meditate on your mistakes, realise what the causes were and how you could rectify them if the situation ever repeats itself. I think true forgiveness happens when you have felt guilt and grieve, true sorrow for what you have done and when you don't repeat your actions that lead you to be the guilty party.

a reply to: arpgme

He could but then his character would be injured.

Justice would be violated in his holy realm because he put a requirement on sin in his eternal words. So he made the way for all to come and get forgiveness via the cross of his son.

Accept that or reject that. Accept it and live with God eternally, Reject it and go to hell and pay for your sins yourself. Rejection of his son's work on the cross today is the only thing that will send you to hell.

originally posted by: arpgme
(This question is not just for Catholics, but for anyone who believes that "For Every Cause there is Always An Effect" but also believes that God can forgive evil-actions and therefore stop the consequences which comes from evil-actions)

If a person were to rob the bank, but then after robbing the bank, they wish for God to forgive them and wish that God would give them the self-control to not do such things, they will still face the consequences of their actions. The cops would be looking for them and they'll get thrown in jail.

Evilness (or sin) is like a thorn. You can plant as many thorns in the ground as you wish, but there are consequences because as you walk through them , you'll get cut. The forgiveness of sin, would be the removing of thorns so that you do not get cut. Since sin (or evilness or bad karma) brings death into the world, then the forgiveness of sin would remove it, and yet as people pray to God to forgive their sins, that doesn't seem to change the fact that there are still consequences for every action ("the consequence of an evil-action").

This is why many religions believe in Good Works, because regardless of if you pray to God to forgive you, you still seem to get the consequence of the evil-action (sometimes people can escape the consequences of their wrong-doings but most of the time people get caught even if they asked God to forgive them).

...and if God 'caused' the whole fireworx display in the first place, and there were no 'consequences' to shuttle responsibility onto...the root 'cause' - by admission - is God, otherwise there would be no-one to chide, nothing to fabricate to scapegoat, nothing to be 'saved' from, no-one to do the saving...

The dynamic of that little game, where the perp covers their tracks, and everyone else searches for reasons, doubts themselves, chews on everyone elses ankles except the perps - is an obvious one...

...or, cause&effect are only the result of dumb mechanics, and no-one is to blame except the manufacturer...

Å99

"In God's plan, nothing happens by chance." (Pope John Poul II)

I guess it is safe to asume that since it is his plan anyway she will forgive whatever happens. As would only be right since it was planned from the beginning. People are merely puppets in the hands of God.