Reverend Michael Jensen opines on an interesting perspective of judgment and whether we should berate “sinners” around us from the high moral ground of our soap-boxes in the media, or in Rev Jensen’s case, the pulpit (“Let those of you who are without sin cast the first stone”, DT, 28/2). People seem more easily annoyed and intolerant of others in public life today, but it is not a product of purported chaos. When people eventually get both sides, we are much more forgiving and feel our own inner peace when conflicts are resolved. As the Abdallah family and the iForgive message shows, giving and accepting forgiveness is the basis for all sides conceding that harm has occurred. While restitution or penance must still be undertaken after forgiveness, (otherwise justice would be meaningless), the recipient of forgiveness could ask no greater gift from the person he has afflicted. Rev Jensen fails to ask why Jesus didn’t throw the first stone at the prostitute himself, being sinless. The answer surely lies in the fact that the prostitute didn’t expose or judge her potential stoners, giving additional meaning to the words that you won’t be judged either (by Jesus) if you don’t judge. When Danny Abdallah publishes his book later this year about meeting the man he forgave for the tragic events of February 1, 2020, great substance will be given to Rev Jensen’s exhortation about treating each other better and creating even more forgiveness in our world. Alan Sexton, North Parramatta 1Mar2024