Posted by Doug Showalter on November 13, 1997 at 15:05:56:
When you think of forgiveness, what images come to your mind? It seems that images of forgiveness are very limited in our culture. Some people think of Jesus on the cross, saying "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." Some people think of Jesus' Parable of the Prodigal Son. Other people are at a loss to come up with any image for forgiveness.
Suppose you were given a container of crayons and asked to draw a picture of forgiveness. What would you draw? What colors would you use? Would anyone else really recognize that your drawing was specifically about forgiveness?
If we had more images for forgiveness in our culture which people could readily identify as such, would there be more forgiveness itself?
Advertising companies cultivate a particular brand image to influence people's behavior. Might the same be done with forgiveness? In that case, what simple but memorable image for forgiveness would you nominate for common use in our society today?