Forgiveness

Eric Butterworth addresses forgiveness in a number of his books. He explains the Unity approach that sin is not something one needs to ask God for forgiveness about. Rather sin is missing the mark - not being centered with Divine Mind. He is often writing to a mixed audience of Unity/New Thought students and those unfamiliar with the teachings and ideas. So he does some basic teaching, but generally he moves pretty quickly through that emphasis and on to his deeper points.
In Discover the Power Within You he talks about how God is goodness and therefore, does not know anything else. Because God doesn't even recognize anything that isn't goodness, forgiveness isn't something that God needs to do. This concept is likely a pretty difficult one for those coming from a more traditional Chritian background. EB goes on to say, "In our consciousness, we may feel guilty. We may be perfectly willing to take our punishment... The fact is we have already been receiving our punishment, for sin is its own punishment and righteousness is its own reward." 152 His point is that when one holds on to feelings of guilt or smallness or fear -whatever gives him a sense of separation from his good - those are his sin and his punishment. He needs simplyto turn his thoughts and feelings away and toward the divine within. "The moment I accept myself in a higher context, in that moment I have overcome, or come over, that which was the basic sin. That basic sin may have resulted in all sorts of secondary sins - but the basic sin was that I did not know who I was. The moment I come to myself, know the Truth of my innate divinity, my divine sonship, in that moment I turn on the light, and I let the flood of life and inspiration and intelligence fill me and thrill me - and I am transformed. Iam forgiven, because I have forgiven myself." 152,153
EB further states how important it is for forgiveness to be ongoing. One needs to forgive oneself to clear the way for the good to flow. One needs also to forgive others and situations that were hurtful. EB explains that as one holds on to these through feelings of anger or thoughts of getting even, what he is actually doing is staying connected to the pain of the original circumstance. Forgiveness isn't about condoning what happened, it is about releasing one's attachment to it. "In other words, you have been involved in an experience of limitation, resisting, it, talking about it, feeling sorry for yourself in it, but perhaps subtly enjoying it. But when you finally make up your mind that you have 'had it,' and determine that you are going to rise to a new level of consciousness, a remarkable thing happens. When you turn to God, God turns toward you. Suddenly, you have the whole universe on your side in your effort to change." 154 EB has this tendency to talk about God outside of the seeker, even while reminding him that God is within him. This last quote is an excellent example of how God outside might be perceived to react as one turns toward Him. It seems EB uses this languaging to help bridge the gpa for those readers who still think of God as being outside of themselves.
EB continues this line of teaching, "...the moment we turn toward God, the wisdom and love and life and peace of God shower us with the blessings of His presence. We really haven't changed God by our decisions to 'come to ourself,' but we have brought ourselves into a state of acceptance." 155
He concludes his chapter on forgiveness with a poem about finding one's right place. "You see, obviously your 'right place' is not a 'place' at all, but a right attitude of mind. The right place is the state of consciousness in which we know, and know that we know, our unity with God. We know our own divinity." 157
Forgiveness then is a letting go of past beliefs and a giving way for aligning with God's goodness. Whether one holds on to a concept of God being outside of him or knows the God of his own being, according to Butterworth, the very act of forgiveness opens the door so that he can feel his connectedness with the God of his understanding. Directing his thoughts and feelings toward God's goodness is the first step toward claiming one's own goodness, toward transforming one's life.