Redemption and Forgiveness
What Does Religion Say About Redemption and Forgiveness?
To begin, Christians believe that in order to be redeemed or forgiven, a person must first commit a sin - which is considered to be "a violation of the will of God." (8) Once a person has committed a sin, they must repent for their actions and be forgiven by God.
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How does this happen? First, one must admit to their wrongdoing. This is often done through prayer, as this allows people to admit to themselves and to God that they have sinned (9). In the Catholic and Orthodox communions, there is a practice known as confession or penance in which a person vocally admits to their sins and wrongdoings to another human being, usually a priest. The priest then acknowledges the person's sinful actions but also offers them "the promise of absolution." (9)
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Similarly, in Judaism, sin and forgiveness are important concepts. In Rabbinic theology, sin is thought to be a result of "evil inclination" which entices people to disobey God's laws. Also similar to Christianity, in Judaism, people are able to repent for their sins. There are two requirements for Jewish repentance: confession of the sin and feeling remorseful for having committed the sin (4).
Merida destroys her mom's family tapestry
"Oh mum... I'm sorry, this is all my fault. I did this to you. To us." - Merida
Redemption and Forgiveness In Disney's BRAVE
In the film, Queen Elinor is turned into a bear because of the spell in the pastry Merida gives her while attempting to change her fate. It is clear to viewers that the entire situation is Merida's fault - she was the one who found the Witch, asked for a spell, and gave the cursed pastry to her mother. Merida also leaves the remains of the pastry on a table where her three younger bothers (Harris, Hubert, and Hamish) eat it and also turn into bear cubs. If it wasn't for Merida, the entire situation would not have happened.
However, Merida refuses to take responsibility for her actions. She does not believe that her mother turning into a bear is her fault. She does not acknowledge her role in the situation at all. This can be seen in the below video (from 0.06-0.30)
"A witch turned mom into a bear. It's NOT my fault!" - Merida
It's clear from this scene that Merida feels no responsibility OR remorse for her actions, instead she places the blame onto the Witch who gave her the spell.
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As the film continues, Merida and Queen Elinor discover the instructions left behind by the Witch to reverse the spell - "Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond torn by pride." They also learn that the spell will become permanent after the second sunrise. The two interpret this to mean the only way to reverse the spell is to repair the torn family tapestry that Merida sliced open during a fight with her mother. However, once the tapestry is repaired, Elinor remains a bear.
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It's not until the second sunrise is quickly approaching, with Elinor still in bear form, that Merida finally realizes the consequences of her actions. She finally admits aloud that the situation is her fault and takes responsibility for her actions. She becomes visibly upset and clearly feels remorseful. This scene can be seen in the video to the left.
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It is only once Merida confesses to her actions, takes responsibility for them, sincerely apologizes, and is remorseful for her actions that Elinor (and Harris, Hubert, and Hamish) finally turn back into humans.
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It is easy to see the similarities here between Merida's story and the idea of redemption and forgiveness in religion. In order to be 'forgiven', Merida had to fulfill the two requirements of repentance in Judaism: confession of her sin (admitting her fault in turning Elinor into a bear) and showing remorse for her actions (crying and apologizing). It was only once she completed these two things that she was able to reverse the spell and be 'redeemed' and 'forgiven.'