Home
>
Spirituality
>
When is it Right to be Angry?

When is it Right to be Angry?

Many of us have been taught that it is wrong to be angry. This thinking weighs heavily in both the sacred and secular domains. Is that thinking right or wrong?

Ruby Bayan saw this when she scoured publications seeking statements about anger made by some well-known and anonymous sources. She cites several in her article, "What They Say About Anger."

"Anger is one letter short of danger," an unknown spokesperson said. Similarly, Thomas Fuller taught that "anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that wants it hath a maimed mind." A Malabar Proverb claimed, "Anger is as a stone cast into a wasp's nest." Samurai Maxim warned, "the angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life." Thomas Carlyle charged, "The instant we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth, and have begun striving for ourselves." And Louis L'Armour challenged that "anger is a killing thing: it kills the man who angers for each rage leaves him less than he had been before-it takes something from him."

While we nod our heads in agreement with much that is taught about the waywardness of anger and the destruction it may bring individuals and organizations, we cannot escape what Jesus and the apostle Paul taught in the New Testament. Matthew, in chapter five, verse twenty-two of the book that bears his name, reported that Jesus said it is right to be angry if we have a just cause.

Then Paul, in chapter four, verse twenty-six of his letter to the church in Ephesus, taught they could be angry without committing sin. In other words, Paul, like Jesus, suggested there must be a legitimate reason for anger. Likely, he had dealing with the false teachers who brought devious doctrines into the church in mind. Whatever, the apostle urged the church members in Ephesus to deal with problems carefully and not go to bed angry.

While the false teacher issue was probably foremost in Paul's mind, settling conflicts before the sun went down sounds like a lesson in family matters-a subject he addressed forcefully in Ephesians, chapter five. There the apostle spoke about the notion of submissiveness-a subject disliked and distorted by many wives and husbands. While Paul taught in Ephesians chapter five, verse twenty-two--a text highly touted by husbands who have a zeal to control and manipulate--that wives are to submit themselves to their husbands, many men miss the lesson in the preceding verse. The truth is-according to Ephesians, chapter five, verse twenty-one, and the most overlooked text in the chapter--husbands and wives should submit themselves to each other.

Clearly, disputes between husbands and wives didn't originate in modern times. They were part of ancient family life too. Paul taught that problems might arise in households in New Testament times that could make mates angry, but forgiveness should be enacted before the sun went down.

When is it right to be angry? We are right, when we have a legitimate cause. When our thinking squares with what Jesus and Paul taught we then commit ourselves to turn the cause for anger into correcting the problem that created the cause-and do so before going to bed!

Dr A H Barbee is a minister and educator who has served as pastor for growing churches, consultant with businesses and Fortune 500 corporations, and professor with colleges and universities in interdisciplinary studies in the humanities, organizational behavior and management. He holds the PhD in Human Resource Development.

monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..

In The News:

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

When is it Right to be Angry?

Spirituality