This is probably, maybe, hopefully the last post about anger for a while. To loyal readers, I hope that discussing anger has been an interesting process for you, as it has for me, as I work through something that I find challenging. If you are new to this blog, here are some of the links that led up to this one. Check out the comments as well.
Temper, Temper
Clearing Things Up
Anger: Mission Impossible?
The Orange Juice Story
The Virtue of Parsley
This post is long. It has to be.
I left off with the big question, “Is the spark of anger a sin?” I think many of us agree that acting in anger is a sin, and dwelling on angry thoughts is a sin, but what about the “spark,” the inception?
–Before proceeding, I need to clearly state that I personally believe that a current teaching that is floating around the pop-psychology world, and making in-roads into the Church is blatantly false, and spiritually dangerous. The teaching is the idea that emotions are neither good, nor bad, they are merely “neutral information” that we need to process – hence, you should allow yourself to feel the emotion, and not repress it in order to maintain your “integrity.”
Nonsense. I defy anyone to tell me that the emotion of love I feel towards my EC is not good. I also defy anyone to justify that feeling lust towards some lady I see is “neutral information,’ and not bad. How do I know this? God said. I refuse to justify my struggles with putting off the ‘Natural Man’ by pretending good and evil do not exist within me. I know there are those of you who disagree. All I can say is that if you can find a single theological justification for this concept, I can cite you back a thousand quotes and scriptures that teach just the opposite.
I do understand why that concept would be attractive. It lessens guilt, as it removes a major, difficult struggle that we all contend with. Please be careful, and walk, don’t run from any teaching that tells you not to worry about things the Lord has told you to avoid.
— OK, I’m back. Sorry, that kind of stuff really “pushes my buttons.” I need to work on that.
Quickly: I am proceeding with the resolve that feeling a spark of anger is a sin. Why? Two quick quotes:
Elder Lynn Robbins: “Understanding the connection between agency and anger is the first step from eliminating it from our lives. We can choose not to become angry. And we can make that choice today, right now: “I will never become angry again.” Ponder this resolution.” (“Agency and Anger,” April Conference, 2008)
Feel free to read these quotes again, or the entire talks they come from. Both can be life-altering.
The prophet says that getting angry is our choice. The prophets, and the Lord also teach us that this is not just an issue of emotion, it is an issue of agency. (That was the point of my orange juice story.)
So, the way my brain, and my heart, process this, is that if I use my agency to choose what God has deemed wrong, is a sin. (That was a long way to go to tell you what you already knew I thought.)
Therefore…from this point on, I will proceed with the following stipulations:
1) Anger is a sin – all three forms: The spark, the fuse, and the explosion.
2) It is an issue of agency. We chose to be angry – or not.
3) It is possible to “never become angry again.”
(I might need to go take a nap now…)
That’s a pretty high bar that’s been set, isn’t it? Never get angry? Yet I believe it is possible. Why? Because I have achieved it. Yes, that’s right, I, MMM, have experienced the ability to completely excise anger from my life, to the point where not even the spark could ignite. Impressed? Don’t be.
Twice. It happened twice. (That I can think of.) Oh no, it is not a current, or frequent state of being for me. But it did happen! Two quick stories:
Story #1 When I was called to serve as a bishop, the week preceding the call, and the week after, were two of the most spiritually intense periods of time that I have ever experienced. There was a little problem with timing. When I was set apart, the very next day my family and I left on a week-long vacation that had already been planned, and paid for.
After the vacation, my EC asked FOML#1, “Does Dad seem any different, now that he is the bishop.” My daughter responded by saying, “Yes, he is different. We went on vacation for an entire week, and he never got mad at anyone.” (This is a far greater feat than you might think.)
Story #2 One time FOML#1 (again) borrowed my truck for a road-trip and promptly plowed it into the back of a semi-truck – full speed on the freeway. We were terrified. When we were able to talk to her she was worried about the truck, and terribly apologetic. I could not have cared less about the truck at that moment, and told her so – I was worried about my girl. I never gave it much thought, but apparently she did. A little later, she thanked me for not getting mad at her. I was surprised, because it had never even crossed my mind to get angry. I guess that spark could have had an excuse to be lit – but it wasn’t.
In both instances, my mind, heart and disposition were such that the expected sparks never lit – and sadly, it was so out-of-character that even my loved ones noticed. But the anger-sparking mechanism was effectively suppressed. It wasn’t that I felt anger, but did a better job dealing with it – it was that I did not have angry thoughts.
Why? What had changed? I think these two stories exemplify two concepts that can make the seemingly impossible, possible.
1)The presence of the Holy Ghost, and 2) The gift of charity.
A scripture from Moroni about charity: Moroni 7:45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all thngs, hopeth all things, and endureth all things.
I don’t know if Moroni could do bold text with metalwork tools, so I took the liberty of highlighting terms in this verse that I think have a direct application to anger. Yes, most of his definition of charity is included.
It would seem that having charity in our hearts can turn off our natural response mechanisms. This is one of the goals of earth life, right? I think we would all agree that anger is a natural human response.
Mosiah 319: “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be forever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him…”
(Again, I took the liberty of bolding some things that have direct application to anger, and again, most of the scripture is anti-anger)
What do we do with “natural” responses? We put them off. We don’t embrace them, evaluate them, and coddle them. We trust the power of the Holy Ghost to help us get rid of them and become more saint-like.
Remember a long time ago, at the beginning of the post I mentioned that something “pushes my buttons?” We use that term a lot to describe how certain things and people seem to have an ability to trigger the spark of anger in our hearts. Some people are really, really good at it – often the people we love most.
We spend a lot of time as saints, and as a society, figuring out ways to handle the results of those buttons being pushed. That’s what anger-management is. We work hard to control our actions, our reactions, our words, our aggression, all based on handling the response to our buttons being pushed. It is a huge expenditure of our emotional energy.
Maybe we are in the wrong business. Perhaps, instead of being in the “Button Suppression Business,” we need to be in the “Button Removal Business.” If we get rid of those buttons, nobody can find them to push them. If nobody can find them to push them, then we don’t need to deal with our reactions, because there aren’t any!
In my experience, we spend way more time in thought, prayer, and counseling trying to overcome the way we respond to our buttons being pushed than we do in trying to remove those very buttons. I know I have prayed more for the Lord to help me CONTROL my temper than I have for Him to REMOVE my temper. But, as we discussed, it is possible to remove those buttons.
How? The Holy Ghost can change our hearts and remove those buttons. The gift of charity can soften our hearts and change our view of those around us. That is the only way I can see how following Elder Robbin’s challenge is remotely possible.
Here’s a big question: Do we have enough faith in the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost that we believe he can re-wire our minds an hearts so that thoughts of anger, pride, lust, envy no longer occur? Or do we think His power to sanctify us is limited? It is one or the other.
And…
After the remission of sins bringeth meekness and lowliness of heart; and because of the meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer… (Moroni 8:26)
The button removal process, as I see it, is this.
1) Repent and be baptized. Weekly if necessary through the sacrament.
2) Gain and keep the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
3) Pray specifically for charity. Not once, but continually.
4) Let the Spirit do the heavy lifting as it strives to remodel our hearts.
I have met many people who have seemed to let go of their “buttons” as they have gotten older and wiser. I don’t know if it is from wisdom gained, or spiritual refinement. I think the latter. I do know, from my personal experience, that those buttons can be removed, or disabled – temporarily or permanently – if we have the Spirit with us, and pure love in our hearts.
It is possible to remove those buttons, because with God, all things are possible.
I’ve read your anger series before, but this time it really hit home. I think the same principle applies to other (initially) thought-sins (lust, for example). I work with a lot of people who struggle with sexual sins, and so I know how very hard that particular one is. I’ll definitely be sharing this with them to read in that light.
I agree that we should be like Christ, and that he never reacted in anger. Never felt it even for a second. But what about sadness? Did Christ feel this (other than during the atonement with he felt all of our pains and sorrows)? The scriptures mention Christ weeping after lazarus died which could be interpreted as sadness.
I have had moments in my life where I knew I was dragging out my sadness too long and that it was wrong. It is comparable you when you hold a grudge. But at what point should I have picked myself up and moved on? Should I never have felt sadness, or should I have felt it but not acted on it? Or what? I’m curious as to what you think about this.
Thanks for all of these posts.. I get to teach the YW this Sunday and I plan on giving your lesson on Anger 🙂
Your thoughts here have helped me and I wanted to thank you and agree with you whole-heartedly! I spent a chunk of last year attending therapy with LDS counseling, and while I have GREAT respect and love for the people who gave their time and services there I stopped going because of disappointment over what I heard. I kept wanting someone to help me figure out how to remove lifelong feelings of anger/hurt and replace them with love…but instead it seemed to be about coping mechanisms, almost smothering those feelings instead. The Lord finally gave me the courage to lovingly and honestly confront those people who were at the center of the hurt and anger and we have grown closer together, basically “removing my anger button” or the source of the feelings. I feel so much more free and can finally move on, rather than trying to “cope” every single day of my life, which sounds like a desperately hopeless task. I wouldn’t discourage others from receiving therapy but I would certainly tell them that there is no source of strength or help like that found in the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Just this morning I was thinking about my experiences last year and how there has been other unforeseen negative fall-out and I was wondering how to deal with it… so I wanted to thank you for reminding me that the power lies within myself and with the Lord to make those issues a non-issue, to replace anger with charity, because no one else will do it for us. It sounds so simple but can mean the difference between hopelessness and joy.
Amen, and thank you.
I just wanted to thank you for making this post about anger. I had never really thought about praying for removal of anger before. Lately, I’ve been feeling angry way too often–snapping at my children, annoyed with everyone. After reading your post, I actually wrote about it my journal that night. Then, I thought about it and decided to say a prayer right then. I first asked for forgiveness, and I felt a peace I hadn’t felt in awhile. The next morning I prayed that my anger would be removed from me. The whole day I was able to be with my children without feeling constantly annoyed. When they did something wrong, I didn’t yell at them. Later that evening when I realized what had happened I cried b/c it made me so happy, and I hadn’t felt like that in awhile. I prayed again today, and I’m not saying I’m perfect, but I can tell a difference.
So thank you for this. Thank you for getting me back on track and for teaching me something new.
I love your blog, and I’m so glad I found it.
Great Post! I am going to watch my emotions more closely and try to get rid of my buttons. The child that pushes my buttons the most will be leaving for college in a few weeks. Emotions will be running high as we pack, travel and do the drop-off. This is a great time for me to get rid of some buttons so that saying good-bye will can be a postive event.
I have read all your posts about anger and have not allowed myself to respond for a couple of different reasons. One I feel that I should not be involved in a discussion unless I feel that I am educated enough to back up my opinions. And two because I’m afraid this is an area of my life that I am very weak in. This discussion has hit too close to home for me. And I don’t like to be told I’m a sinner. 🙂 who does right?
Im taking a moment to comment because I need some clarification. I am only asking for this clarification because I truly do believe that anger does drive away the spirit and I wish to have the spirit in my life at all times. (I have to say that I have been thinking about this since Sunday when you first posted this)
The part I need clarification on is:
“That’s a pretty high bar that’s been set, isn’t it? Never get angry? Yet I believe it is possible. Why? Because I have achieved it. Yes, that’s right, I, MMM, have experienced the ability to completely excise anger from my life, to the point where not even the spark could ignite. Impressed? Don’t be.
Twice. It happened twice. (That I can think of.) Oh no, it is not a current, or frequent state of being for me. But it did happen!”
How can you say you have experienced the ability to completely excise anger from your life when you only have two instances that you didn’t get angry? How can you know that you will never be angry again? I know that you know that no one is perfect. We all sin. That is what the atonement is for right? Im not saying that is an excuse to say it is ok to sin. But I think it’s naive for us to say we will never be angry again. I hope you don’t take anything I have said as confrontational or argumentative. I truly am just seeking clarity. I may have misunderstood what you were trying to convey.
Thanks for letting me read your thoughts. 🙂
Good question. I was being a little silly in my description – I am rarely angry, but anger still raises its head once in a while.
The best analogy that I can think if is when someone is trying to beat an addiction – let’s use cigarettes for an example. If I smoke 2 packs a day for 10 years, then I quit, and go smokeless for 10 days, I will understand that it is “possible” to be a non-smoker. Even if I goof up and smoke again, the next time I might be smoke-free for 6 months. Then I have more faith that is possible.
The two instances I described were meant to illustrate experiences that gave me faith in the possibility – have I achieved it yet? No, but I believe it is possible.
Does that make sense?
That makes alot of sense. Thank you for clearing that up. 🙂
I feel that I do pretty good at the “controlling” my anger, becoming calm quickly after the spark instead of acting on it but there have been wonderful times where the spark is removed.
One day our washer overflowed and flooded the room beneath it. Cleaning it up with three young children and a baby should have been highly stressful, yet I felt an intense and abiding calm throughout it. I feel that it was Heavenly Father’s blessing to show me what is possible and a challenge for me to strive for that.
The next few days I was able to maintain that calm and then I got out of habit again/lax and went back to “controlling” the impulses, taking a deep breath and so forth. Thank you for the reminder of what not only is possible but also commanded.
Interesting and insightful. I agree that we should strive to remove the anger button, I’m not sure it’s always possible. We are here with inherent flaws that we simply won’t overcome, but endure. The only reason I have to believe this is 2Corinthinians 12:7-10,
7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I am strong.
Certainly, we should repent, strive to be perfect and use the gift of the Atonement. At the end of the day, we are always mortal (so long as we wake up the next morning) and we sin. I don’t use this as an excuse to justify sinning, rather for comfort that the Lord will make up the difference for my shortcomings as long as I am doing all I can to draw closer to Him.
I agree that we possess flaws that we will likely never overcome in this mortal life – the problem that we don’t know which ones those are – so we need to proceed as if we can overcome all of them. Yes, the atonement will make up the difference.
President Monson says it is possible. As far as the “paper-scissors-rock” of prophets go, President Monson beats Paul.
Can we overcome all of them?
I doubt it! (At least not in mortality – and definitely not alone – the Atonement will cover those we are unable to overcome.)
Hmm. The Atonement cover those we overcome, too. Without it, we could not overcome any of them.
Point taken.
Sorry — didn’t mean my comment to sound so snarky. (I’m working on that and hoping the atonement will help…) 🙂
an elder missionary in our ward spoke this past sunday reguarding this topic of overcoming our weaknesses, or more specifically obiedience. The way he described what our efforts should be really struck me, so I will share. He said to think of following the gospel and working on our faults as “practicing” just as one practices a musical instrument, sport, or any skill.
We do not tell a student or child they are unworthy to continue learning to play the violin just because they miss a note. Neither should we tell ourselves we are unworthy to continue our efforts to become Christlike because we make a mistake. I believe controling our anger is something we should practice dilligently and pray help in perfecting, but never stop because we have an angry episode.
This same young man also taught that the atonement does not “make up” what we lack, but encompasses all of our efforts! The Lord qualifies our practice and gives us the opportunity to learn and grow.
AuntSue
I know this response is too late. But this comment really resonated with me. I feel ‘truth’ in the words.
Thank you.
These are fantastic posts! I love the depth and insight on today’s post, and the comments as well. This blog has done wonders for me because it pushes me to dig deeper, push myself to do better and raise my personal bar. Thank you, MMM! p.s. Your posts always give my husband and I some pretty awesome discussions:)
I think if I am going to use all the energy of my heart to do something, I’d better waste less of it on other, more trivial things. Blast, time to put away my new iphone toy and go do something more eternal.
I remember vividly watching Elder Bednar’s talk “And Nothing Shall Offend Them”. I had always had the personal belief that we get to choose the emotions we feel, but didnt have the doctrine to back it up. It is possible to have our “buttons” removed- that is the purpose of the Atonement.
In my life experiences I have come to realize that the Atonement has very little to do with sin (or the “shall not” commandments), but that it is for the development of Christlike attributes (the “shall” commandments). For me, anger falls into that category. For those that actively seek help, they will get it. Those that are content to have those feelings wont.
I loved these posts – they have given me a whole new perspective on what God’s idea of anger management is, thank you!
As I was reading Alma (the Capt Moroni chapters) last night I came across several references to Moroni becoming angry. I had never really thought much about it in previous readings of Alma since I would imagine that the stubbornness of Zerahemnah could test the patience of a saint. But in view of your post which I had read before my scripture study, I thought maybe there was something in the interpretation of Moroni’s emotions that I was missing. After all, a man able to stop in the middle of battle to show give the Lamanites a chance must have a great degree of self control! And so I return to your post to ask the question here.
Good insight. Captain Moroni displays his own struggles with anger several times. One of the best examples is when he got angry with Pahoran, and wrote hostile letters to him – even threatening to come kill him. But it turned out that Captain Moroni was completely out of line, was wrong, and working from bad information. Everyone has their challenges!
Thank you triple M!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this series, MMM. I have felt the Spirit ring true in my heart as I have read your words and it is evident that you did much pondering over this topic. Anger/ shortness of temper is one of my greatest vices… I too feel more resolved to rid myself of that spark and will remember your words (and the words of the scriptures referenced) each time a decision-making moment presents itself.
I had thought that “wetting down the fuse” was the answer, but you’re saying throw the fuse away completely. I didn’t even consider that as a possibility… and still not sure it’s possible for me. I probably lack faith, but I know I *need* button/fuse removal.
If you ever feel like addressing the inter-relation between faith and hope I would love to read it. Sometimes I find it easier to have hope than faith, but Moroni seems to suggest faith comes before hope: Moroni 7:42.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts; I’ll be thinking about this and I know I’ll be back to re-read these posts.
Bruce: I know what you mean – it is a leap for me too. However, everything points to tearing out the roots, rather than hacking at the branches.
Faith/Hope/Charity is an interesting idea. Perhaps?
I’m working on a series of posts on having access to the atonement, and changing from the natural man is the result of that process (not the method). Pulling out the fuse is clearly one of those changing-from-the-natural-man kinda things. (I’ll probably start running them late next week.)
Paul: Can’t wait!
That sounds as difficult as pulling out bindweed by the roots. I think de-fusing will require some deep, deep digging. Ouch.
I don’t know if its helpful at all or if its too late to comment, but it is helpful for me to root out my buttons if I can see clearly what is going on inside my thoughts and heart. For anger, I have found that 100% of the time the ugly thing behind the spark, lets call it the match, is selfishness. If I am humble enough and willing to see, I can always trace anger back to something myself wanted and didn’t get. Its hard to be angry with others when you see where you need to change, I guess its the mote and beam idea.
To get you started on the Three Sisters, you may wish to review this article: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2009/06/hope-the-misunderstood-sister?lang=eng
I just found your blog today and as a MMM myself, it has been an enjoyable few hours reading many of your posts and the subsequent comments. I subscribed as your blog is in the spirit of Square Two (see: squaretwo.org) but closer to my cognitive abilities. Don’t take that as a snide remark. I love well reasoned, Christ centered lines of thinking. Some times, though, I don’t want to work so hard. In short, I meant it as a compliment.
Last week I told someone: “I also have an anger issue.” I know that my son who left not only the church, but believing in a divine being altogether, has his agency. Nevertheless, I see my anger towards him while he was a child as a major cause of his separation.
I know people with pornography/morality in their lives (good job on the whirlpool posts) who “white knuckle” it through. This is rarely successful over the long term.
The only way to make it through is to have ones heart changed by all the things you describe. My heart has been changed, but not enough and not completely. I long to not just have wetted matches, but to have no match.
Thank you for helping many of us with your thoughts.
These posts in anger are great! I agree 100 percent. I have a sweet daughter who is very strong willed and it helps me in that split second before anger to remind myself that the only thing I can control in those situations is how I react. That helps me keep it in perspective and allows me to make a conscious decision about how to react and it’s usually much better than what my knee jerk reaction may have been…but of course it’s all a work in progress for me. Thanks for sharing. I enjoy reading your blog
Thank you thank you thank you. I want to be like Anon’s mother. I want to be someone who doesn’t “lose it” and is calm and peaceful throughout life. I’m not. But I believe the Lord can change me into that person. Time for me to do some serious work.
The principles you have taught in this post have been dramatically modeled for me by my angel mother who is 93 years old. She used to have a terrible temper. Her first three children remember when her explosions were almost a daily affair. Her last three children (of which I am one), know her only as a the personification of Mosiah 3:19, “…submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love…”. Many, many years ago, when I was just a small child, she had an experience that taught her that she can chose not to be angry. She was in the middle of a tantrum one day when the phone rang and when she answered she instantly became calm and pleasant. It shocked her that she could do that and she realized that she had the power to turn off the anger. Not long after that, one of her children dropped a bottle of peaches on her freshly waxed kitchen floor. Everyone held their breath, expecting the usual explosion. But she remembered the incident with the phone call and simply decided not to get angry. Since then, she has taught her entire posterity that there is a split second before we get mad when we can choose to feel differently. She became a different person from then on. I am forever grateful for her teaching and example which has impacted my life more than I can say.
Thanks for that great story.
Love this story so much. Thank you!
I had a similar experience after reading this post! It has caused me to have a paradigm shift, and I thank you, MMM, from the bottom of my heart. I can’t think about anger in the old way ever again.
Last Thursday a coworker came into my office and totally reamed me for a problem that wasn’t my fault – and in fact was really his. I was hurt and upset, but I didn’t allow myself to become angry. I sat there and reminded myself of all the stress he was under and that he was human (as am I) and I let it go. Best part . . . he apologized later.
It totally is a choice and I can see it clearly now. Thank you for the enlightenment. 🙂
Nicely done. Button removal is the answer.
Even the pop psychologists who allow for emotions to be what they are label anger as a secondary emotion. It’s not usually the first thing someone feels, but the result of something else; therefore, arresting it before it sparks is possible. (Your orange juice story is the best example, and certainly applies to me.)
From your list of four at the end of your post:
“1) Repent and be baptized. Weekly if necessary through the sacrament.”
I’m trying to imagine for whom it is not necessary. Maybe you, but certainly not me. 🙂
You don’t miss a thing!
It’s kinda funny.. because you don’t know me, but I really enjoy your blog. I agree with everything you’ve posted so far since I’ve been following for a few months.
And today in combined Priesthood/RS our Bishop was talking about how we drive the Spirit away and the second item on the board for discussion that we came up with was anger, and there were a few people who said it’s just an emotion and it’s okay to be angry, as long as it doesn’t lead to anything else. And it just reminded me of the anger posts you’ve written. And I wanted to say something profound and quote your blog, so I tried looking it up during class on my phone and noticed you posted this. (At least I was on the phone for a good reason, right?) It was just funny how we were talking about anger and then I saw this and it just reaffirmed my thinking that being angry is a choice, and we can choose not to be angry. Needless to say, I didn’t mention anything about anger from your blog because we had already moved on, but I quoted you on other topics (such as SSW…which I’m working on!)
As for anger, I don’t get angry very easily.. I’m a pretty mellow person. But I do know that as soon as I get mad or upset or say mean things to people (especially ones I love), I feel gross inside. When I do bad, I feel bad. You can definitely feel the loss of the Spirit.
I just wanted to thank you for your good example and wanting to post gospel truths in their pure form without misinterpretations and providing inspiration to others. One person’s good example has lasting affects. 🙂
I’m wanting to say more than “thank you” but that’s all that’s coming to mind. I have been greatly anticipating this concluding post. And, of course, the scriptures have the answers of how to master temptation and sin written much better than the anger self-help books from the library. Thanks for spelling it out and making it sound so incredibly simple. Gives me hope that I can change.
You are most welcome!
But God is always getting angry at the Isrealites, Nephites, Lamanites, et al! He continually talks about people had better not be kindling His anger. Because if they do, they are going to GET IT! And let’s not forget the whole moneychangers in the temple incident.
I think saying that anger is bad is very dangerous. It’s all right to feel angry. Just as it’s all right to feel sad. Should you dwell on it? No. Should you act in a mean and hateful way when you feel angry? No. But sometimes something will happen that makes you angry. And that’s just part of being a human. It is not a good idea to deny that you are angry. The anger is going to burble out at some point. Usually not when you want it to. I come from a long line of stoic anger-swallowers. It is not a healthy way to be.
Being angry is OK. Just try not to be a jerk when you’re mad.
You might want to go back and read the blogs prior to this one.
It is pretty obvious that you haven’t been keeping up with the previous posts!
The best I can say, with all the love and respect that I have in my heart, that I completely disagree with just about everything you said in this comment, and that I can’t find any support in scripture – modern or ancient – that it is OK to be angry. If you have anything that contradicts the teachings of the prophets, and says it is OK to feel anger, please share.
I had been “offline” most of the day, and logged in to check comments. I’ve gotta say that I am surprised at the kind words, and inspirational thoughts.
Thanks to all of you!
My husband wanted to state that maybe Moroni DID make those words bold, and it got lost in translation… maybe the printing press couldn’t bold stuff.
I imagine he had italics, too. (Pretty cool that you take dictation from your husband. I imagine it is to avoid getting food in the keyboard.)
As he was reading over my shoulder and commenting, I invited him to sit and comment himself… he declined and invited me to do so in not so many words. I agree, there were probably italics as well. It allows many a Sunday School teacher to add them where needed.
I know you’re right. Now I just need to start doing what I know.
This has been a great series for me. I am not an angry person but am going through a diffucult time right now that the world would tell me to get angry and fight, I’m gonna credit this series for giving me the integrity and insight for not doing so. I still need to work on and my frustrations but I now have a testimony that anger can be eliminated. Thankb you MMM.
Thank you for stating so clearly what I have believed for a long time, and thank you for being you. It brings joy to my soul to see someone who understands the what The Gospel means. Thank you for letting your light shine.
Great thoughts! Very thought provoking 🙂 new follower of ur blog 🙂
Ha…I see that my sister commented just before me..
.I’ve been praying for charity lately…not so much to replace anger but to replace hurt…or the “hurt” button. I know what you’ve written here is true. Thanks!
*smile*
Thank you.
This series has been life-changing for me. I know you wrote it for yourself, but I truly thank you for writing it –I needed it and I’m going to read it more than once (and focus more on those Conference talks you referenced!). Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Thank you! I didn’t realize how much I needed this right now.
Thanks for this post. It really made me think.
These posts have helped me so much with controlling my anger. I was going through a time where I felt I was continually angry with my 2-year-old son, and when I realized that I needed to change myself instead of figuring out how to punish him it made all the difference. That’s what the Holy Ghost does: it incites change within our hearts.
What a beautiful thing Grace. Same happened to me. My older two boys handled my discipline well, but my third did not respond, so I was getting angry with him. The spirit intervened one day, and I saw him as the beautiful spirit he is. The spark of anger was gone. I changed my responses to him and changed our environment when possible instead of punishing him. We were all blessed going forward with our subsequent children because of the change in my heart.
Thank you! Yes with God all things ARE possible!!