There is the story of Simon Wiesenthal who was a famed hunter of Nazi war criminals. As a prisoner, Wiesenthal was sent to a labor camp during World War II. "He found himself on a work detail in a hospital where a young SS officer lay wounded and dying. The Nazi mad Simon sit and listen while he confessed a long list of atrocities, including burning down a houseful of Jews in Ukraine and shooting those who leapt from the window trying to escape. The officer, tormented by guilt, begged Wiesenthal, as a Jew, to forgive him. Wiesenthal stood, turned, and walked away.

"He survived the camp and spent over forty years tracking down Nazi war criminals. Still, he remains troubled by doubts about whether or not he did the right thing in refusing to forgive the SS trooper. The Old Testament speaks of mercy and forgiveness. It speaks of love of neighbor, and Wiesenthal had been unwilling to love and

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