The Big Question: A Film About Forgiveness

Everett Worthington, author of To Forgive Is Human and a therapist whose research specialty is forgiveness, experienced the ultimate irony when his mother was brutally murdered and he had to face his own feelings toward her killer. How he dealt with the challenge is the subject of one of several cases profiled in Vince DiPersio's The Big Question. What does it mean to forgive? Can we? Should we? These tough questions are explored in segments focusing on the extraordinary story of an Amish community's generous response to the man who murdered five of their children in a Pennsylvania schoolhouse, the recollections of a Japanese American who was sent to an internment center during World War II, and reflections by Joseph Lowery on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., among other topics. The segments highlight different aspects of the process of forgiveness and effectively present concepts that will stimulate discussion of this universally confounding issue. Also featuring Desmond Tutu, Sr. Helen Prejean, Thich Nhat Hanh, and Deepak Chopra, DVD extras include a 20-minute program in which Dr. Worthington outlines “Five Steps to Forgiveness,” and a PDF study guide. Recommended. Aud: J, H, C, P. (J. Reed)