PROJECT

Through a partnership with the Elijah Interfaith Institute, this program supports research and dialogue among world religious leaders and scholars on the topic of religious leadership and forgiveness.

Religious leaders are frequently called on for assistance with issues of forgiveness and reconciliation. They report that dealing with forgiveness is often a time-consuming, extraordinarily difficult challenge for which they are inadequately prepared. Many indicate that their knowledge about how to “walk people through” the challenges of forgiveness has come primarily from experience and “on-the-job” training. Few religious leaders with whom we have spoken are knowledgeable about recent psychosocial research on forgiveness, but they express great eagerness to learn more about it.

Little research is available on the role or effectiveness of religious leaders in facilitating forgiveness or about how these dynamics might vary across different traditions. This project supports research by religious scholars and deep dialogue among world religious leaders on the topic of forgiveness and religious leadership. The project will culminate with a conference, “The Future of Religious Leadership,” for religious leaders in Haifa, Israel, in 2009.

Video Collection: Consider Forgiveness

Consider Forgiveness features interviews with leaders and scholars from the Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, and Christian traditions.

This project was filmed in Amritsar, India, at “Sharing Wisdom: The Case of Love and Forgiveness,” a meeting of the Elijah Interfaith Institute’s board of religious leaders.

View these video clips to learn more about each faith’s approach to forgiveness and how it relates to justice, love, compassion, retribution, revenge, and empathy.