Is Anger Ever Justified?

by Lester Rennard

Anger is one of the strongest and most potentially dangerous emotions that anyone of us mortals is capable of expressing. Whether one is a saint or sinner, the reality and legitimacy of anger as a human response to feelings of hurt, betrayal and other negative life circumstances and experiences cannot be denied.

By itself, anger is a normal human emotion, just as love is, that is neither good nor bad. What determines whether anger is good or evil is the way in which it is manisfested or expressed. When the expression of anger is displayed in a manner that results in negative consequences, such anger can be described as evil. Anger expressed non-violently that condemns and draws attention to the perpetration of injustice and demands fairness, impartiality and equality, is a positive expression of that emotion that merits being considered as good.

The New Testament biblical writer, Paul, admonishes his readers to be angry but to avoid sinning in the process. The Old Testament Solomon in his Proverbs declared that anger rests in the bosom of fools. Although appearing contradictory, both writers and statements are actually in sync rather than in disharmony. They reflect the expression of anger as a legimitate emotion that needs to be controlled rather than allowed to exert control over the one from whom it finds expression. It means that one must be in control of his or her anger otherwise anger will usurp control and seek to dominate ones life and behavior.

Jesus, the ultimate model of perfect human behavior, expressed anger appropriately. He never expressed it in defense of self or for any self-serving reason. He saw the money changers and other merchants abusing the defenseless, wretched but obedient sinners who were coming to the temple in obedience to the requirements of the law but were being fleeced by the powerful and self-serving leaders. He challenged these leaders, upset their trade and drove them out of the temple declaring that His Father's house was a house of prayer for all people but they had turned it into a den of thieves. He was expressing anger against injustice and in defense of righteousness and the vindication of God's name and purpose for those who were seeking His grace and favor.

Individuals who have experienced abuse of any kind especially during the early years of their childhood often walk around as ticking time bombs with the fuse already lit ready to explode in anger at anything that triggers their sordid memories, experiences and association of the abuse they suffered. The manner in which they express their anger is not usually positive. They are unfortunately controlled by anger and resentment against the individuals and systems that destroyed their innocence and made their lives to be living nightmares that they just cannot seem to wakeup out of and find relief. Do such individuals have justified reasons to be angry? I will propose unreservedly that they do have justification for their anger. What I will not justify however, is such legitimate anger that expresses itself in violent and self-destructive ways.

Those who find themselves struggling with anger resulting from unresolved memories of abuse and are religious often complicate their issues with feelings of guilt. They are told that as Christians they cannot be angry and be spiritual at the same time. When they find themselves angry they feel guilty that they are being unspiritual and go through a roller coaster cycle of emotions that may sometimes plunge them into depression. Well meaning but uninformed fellow Christians may further exacerbate their pains by reinforcing what they interpret as the incongruity of the existence of anger and spirituality coexisting in the same human soul.

It is healthy and redeeming for individuals struggling with anger resulting from unresolved issues of abuse to not seek to deny the anger but to acknowledge it as a legitimate and justified emotion that must be reconciled. The fact that one may be a Christian should not negate or deny the issue of such legitimate anger. Spirituality does not automatically erase anger or insulate us from our expressions of legitimate emotions. Authentic spirituality however, will help us to face the reality of all our issues, including anger, and provide us with the tools to ultimately find resolution, reconciliation and healing.

A person who is a Christian and struggling with legitimate anger has a source of help that the unspiritual may not have to positively deal with anger. The spiritual person has divine resources at his or her disposal to aid in their struggle for freedom from the bondage of unresolved anger. After acknowledging legitimate anger, such an individual will move on to finding resolution by facing the real issues that are at the base of their anger. After coming to grips with the facts of the issues, they will then reconcile issues of ownership, responsibility, restitution and accountability in regard to the injustice they suffered. To find healing and freedom, they will move into forgiveness which includes forgiving the perpetrators at whose hands they suffered, forgiving themselves and forgiving God where they felt He did nothing to shield them from the injustice.

The final step in releasing and defusing the time bomb of anger without allowing it to explode and do major damage, is to let go of it after all the foregoing steps have been taken. These steps that ultimately lead to healing may require professional help to achieve the desired result. Legitimate anger when resolved and reconciled in positive ways does not lead to sin. The anger that rests in the bosom of fools is that anger, whether legitimate or not, which one refuses to acknowledge, face, forgive, reconcile and let go. It stays in the 'bosom' and eats away at the soul of the individual and leaves him or her as a 'dead carcass' in whom the breath of life continues to exist at a basic survival level. Conclusively, you do have the right to express legitimate anger but do so without allowing it to rest in your bosom and thus control you.