Tiger Woods And Forgiveness

Brit Hume caused a stir the other night by suggesting that Tiger Woods might find the forgiveness, the restoration, the emotional and spiritual healing in Christianity rather than in the Buddhism he has supposedly embraced.
Hume suggested that Woods leave his chosen faith and return to Christianity. People went into shock over this statement for a couple of reasons. 1) Christianity has a reputation for being a noxious set of beliefs and behaviors among many decent people.
Unfortunately some of its adherents do a great deal to earn Christianity its bad rap by their actions (sniping abortion providers), their sometimes intemperate words, and the appearance many give of being opposed to any program that benefits the poor—happily ignoring the Biblical suggestion that “he who gives to the poor lends to the Lord” (and can expect payback).
2) Most folk have absolutely no idea what Christianity actually teaches (I didn’t say how it behaves in all too many cases, but the ideal it promulgates, however fitfully.) Christ gives us a clue in the term he uses to identify his own teachings.
He calls his message the “good news”. Good news about what? Specifically the good news that he has come to reconcile humans to their estranged deity. In other words, the whole movement begins with a story of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Having reconciliation at the core of the faith is unique to Christianity. A) man betrays God and earns a traitor’s penalty. B) God takes the initiative and sends Christ to pay that penalty and to effect a reconciliation between the offended and the offender.
That notion is not found in any other faith or religion. Not Hinduism, not Buddhism, not Islam or Shintoism, or any other form of religion. That one point is unique to the teachings of Christ. It is brilliantly depicted in Michelangelo’s fresco on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. Here God reaches out to man to reconcile.
Often in the New Testament, before healing a sick person, Christ first tells him that his “sins are forgiven”. This, more than mere healing from disease or even death, is the real “good news” he came to bring.
Mr. Hume has rightly chosen to ignore all the ways in which Christians show intractability in behavior and a very human unwillingness to forgive anyone for anything they object to—and he has taken us back to the most basic tenet of his own faith.
He is suggesting that possibly Mr. Woods greatest need right now is to realize that all of his blunders, foolishness and damaging behavior can be forgiven. He can be reconciled with his God, with the better side of himself, with his public and, possibly, with his own family.
It is not a concept Woods will find in Buddhism. Hume is saying that this reconciliation—and the path to it—just might be Tiger Woods’ greatest need at the moment. There is no question that at this moment Mr. Woods appears to be staggering about like an ox that has just been struck with a hammer blow right between the eyes.
He clearly needs to reconcile something in his life, if only to put things back in perspective. It starts with saying something like, “I’m sorry; I really messed up.” Then you go on from there. “Forgive me; I shall amend … .”
“I know it was wrong; I know it was stupid.” What more can anyone say after he’s said that? Especially if it has the ring of sincerity. Hume was trying to his best to suggest a way back for Tiger—one that many fans would understand and be forced by their own beliefs to accept.
It might be a good strategy as well as good theology.