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==Religious perspectives== ===Judaism=== {{Main|Anger in Judaism}} In [[Judaism]], anger is a negative trait. In the [[Book of Genesis]], [[Jacob]] condemned the anger that had arisen in his sons Simon and Levi: "Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel."<ref name="Jewish">[[Kaufmann Kohler]], [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1523&letter=A Anger] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206101308/http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=1523&letter=A |date=2010-02-06 }}, [[Jewish Encyclopedia]]</ref> Restraining oneself from anger is seen as noble and desirable, as [[Ethics of the Fathers]] states: {{Blockquote|[[Ben Zoma]] said: Who is strong? He who subdues his evil inclination, as it is stated, "He who is slow to anger is better than a strong man, and he who masters his passions is better than one who conquers a city" (Proverbs 16:32).<ref>Ethics of the Fathers 4:1</ref>}} Maimonides rules that one who becomes angry is as though that person had worshipped idols.<ref>Rambam, Hilchot de'ot 2</ref> Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]] explains that the parallel between anger and idol worship is that by becoming angry, one shows a disregard of [[Divine Providence]] – whatever had caused the anger was ultimately ordained from Above – and that through coming to anger one thereby denies the hand of [[God in Judaism|God]] in one's life.<ref>Sefer HaTanya, p. 535</ref> In its section dealing with ethical traits a person should adopt, the ''[[Shlomo Ganzfried#Kitzur Shulchan Aruch|Kitzur Shulchan Aruch]]'' states: "Anger is also a very evil trait and it should be avoided at all costs. You should train yourself not to become angry even if you have a good reason to be angry."<ref>Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 29:4</ref> In modern writings, Rabbi [[Harold Kushner]] finds no grounds for anger toward God because "our misfortunes are none of His doing".<ref>Harold S. Kushner, ''When Bad Things Happen to Good People'' (Schocken Books, 1981), 44.</ref> In contrast to Kushner's reading of the [[Bible]], David Blumenthal finds an "abusing God" whose "sometimes evil" actions evoke vigorous protest, but without severing the protester's relationship with God.<ref>{{cite web|first=David |last=Blumenthal |title=Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest (Westminster/John Knox, 1993) |page=223 |url=http://religion.emory.edu/faculty/blumenthal.html |publisher=Religion.emory.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140115041028/http://religion.emory.edu/faculty/blumenthal.html |archive-date=2014-01-15 }}</ref> ===Christianity=== Both [[Catholic]] and [[Protestantism|Protestant]] writers have addressed anger in different perspectives. Anger among mortals is typically seen as a sin, though this contrasts against the righteous [[Divine retribution|wrath of God]]. ====Catholic==== [[File:Boschsevendeadlysins.jpg|thumb|''[[The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things]]'', by [[Hieronymus Bosch]] (1485). "Wrath" is depicted at the bottom in a series of circular images. Below the image is the [[Latin]] inscription ''Cave Cave Deus Videt'' ("Beware, Beware, God is Watching").]] [[File:Rage-and-anger-fresco.jpg|thumb|[[Angel]] with [[Temperance (virtue)|Temperance]] and [[Humility]] [[virtue]]s versus [[Devil]] with [[Rage (emotion)|Rage]] and Wrath [[sins]]. A fresco from the 1717 Saint Nicholas [[Eastern Orthodox Church|Orthodox church]] in Cukovets, [[Pernik Province]], [[Bulgaria]]]] ''Wrath'' is one of the [[Seven Deadly Sins]] in Catholicism; and yet the [[Catechism of the Catholic Church]] states (canons 1772 and 1773) that anger is among the passions, and that "in the passions, as movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither good nor evil". The neutral act of anger becomes the sin of wrath when it is directed against an innocent person, when it is unduly unbending or long-lasting, or when it desires excessive punishment. "If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin" (CCC 2302). Hatred is the sin of desiring that someone else may suffer misfortune or evil, and is a mortal sin when one desires grave harm (CCC 2302-03). [[Christianity in the Middle Ages|Medieval Christianity]] vigorously denounced wrath as one of the seven cardinal, or deadly sins, but some Christian writers at times regarded the anger caused by injustice as having some value.<ref name="Ethics"/><ref name="AngerTheory">Simon Kemp, K.T. Strongman, ''Anger theory and management: A historical analysis'', The American Journal of Psychology, Vol. 108, No. 3. (Autumn, 1995), pp. 397–417</ref> [[Basil of Caesarea|Saint Basil]] viewed anger as a "reprehensible temporary madness".<ref name="Ethics"/> Joseph F. Delany in the [[Catholic Encyclopedia]] (1914) defines anger as "the desire of vengeance" and states that a reasonable vengeance and passion is ethical and praiseworthy. Vengeance is sinful when it exceeds its limits in which case it becomes opposed to justice and charity. For example, "vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive" are all sinful. An unduly vehement vengeance is considered a [[venial sin]] unless it seriously goes counter to the love of [[God in Christianity|God]] or of one's neighbor.<ref>{{cite CE1913|wstitle=Anger}}</ref> A more positive view of anger is espoused by Roman Catholic pastoral theologian [[Henri Nouwen|Henri J.M. Nouwen]]. Father Nouwen points to the spiritual benefits in anger toward God as found in both the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testament]] of the [[Bible]]. In the Bible, says Father Nouwen, "it is clear that only by expressing our anger and hatred directly to God will we come to know the fullness of both his love and our freedom".<ref>Henri J.M. Nouwen, "Forward" in ''May I Hate God?'' Pierre Wolff, 2 (Paulist Press, 1979).</ref> [[Georges Bernanos]] illustrates Nouwen's position in his novel ''The Diary of a Country Priest''. The countess gave birth to the son she had long wanted, but the child died. She was fiercely angry. When the priest called, the countess vented her anger toward her daughter and husband, then at the priest who responded gently, "open your heart to [God]". The countess rejoined, "I've ceased to bother about God. When you've forced me to admit that I [[hate]] Him, will you be any better off?" The priest continued, "you no longer hate Him. Hate is indifference and contempt. Now at last you're face to face with Him{{nbsp}}... Shake your fist at Him, spit in His face, scourge Him." The countess did what the priest counseled. By confessing her hate, she was enabled to say, "all's well".<ref>Georges Bernanos, ''The Diary of a Country Priest'' (London: Fontana Books, 1956), 126–150 passim.</ref> ====Protestant==== [[File:Schnorr von Carolsfeld Bibel in Bildern 1860 093.png|thumb|right|''Saul attacks David'' (who had been playing music to help Saul feel better), 1860 woodcut by [[Julius Schnorr von Karolsfeld]], a Lutheran]] Everyone experiences anger, Andrew D. Lester observes, and furthermore anger can serve as "a spiritual friend, a spiritual guide, and a spiritual ally". Denying and suppressing anger is contrary to [[Paul the Apostle|St. Paul's]] admonition in his [[Epistle to the Ephesians]] 4:26.<ref>{{cite web |first=Andrew D. |last=Lester |title=Anger: Discovering Your Spiritual Ally – (Westminster John Knox, 2007) |pages=11–12 |url=http://www.acpe.edu/NewPDF/Andy%20Lester%20Tribute.pdf |publisher=Acpe.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017044703/http://www.acpe.edu/NewPDF/Andy%20Lester%20Tribute.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-17 }}</ref> When anger toward God is denied and suppressed, it interferes with an individual's relation with God. Expressing one's anger toward God can deepen the relationship.<ref>{{cite web |first=Andrew D. |last=Lester |title=Coping with Your Anger: A Christian Guide – (Westminster John Knox, 1983) |pages=92–94 |url=http://www.acpe.edu/NewPDF/Andy%20Lester%20Tribute.pdf |publisher=Acpe.edu |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017044703/http://www.acpe.edu/NewPDF/Andy%20Lester%20Tribute.pdf |archive-date=2013-10-17 }}</ref> [[C. FitzSimons Allison]] holds that "we worship God by expressing our honest anger at him".<ref>C. FitzSimons Allison, Guilt, Anger, and God (Regent College Publishing, 2003. 1st published by Seabury Press, 1972), 88.</ref> [[Bible|Biblical]] scholar Leonard Pine concludes from his studies in the [[Book of Habakkuk]] that "far from being a sin, proper remonstration with God is the activity of a healthy faith relationship with Him".<ref>{{cite journal |first=Leonard |last=Pine |title=Remonstrating with God in Adversity: A Study in Habakkuk |journal=WRS |volume=3:1 (February 1996) 21–26 |url=http://www.wrs.edu/about/faculty-and-staff/ |access-date=2013-10-16 |archive-date=2013-12-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131201085824/http://www.wrs.edu/about/faculty-and-staff/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Other biblical examples of anger toward God include the following:<ref>[[New Revised Standard Version]]</ref> * [[Moses]] was angry with God for mistreating his people: "Lord, why have you mistreated [''lit.'' done evil to] this people?" ([[Book of Exodus]] 5:22). * [[Naomi (Bible)|Naomi]] was angry with God after the death of her husband and two sons: "The Almighty has dealt bitterly with me. The Almighty has brought calamity upon me" ([[Book of Ruth]] 1:20–21 ''abr''). * [[Elijah]] was angry with God after the son of the widow died: "O Lord my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?" ([[Books of Kings|1 Kings]] 17:20). * [[Job (biblical figure)|Job]] was angry with God: "You have turned cruel to me; with the might of your hand you persecute me" ([[Book of Job]] 30:21). * [[Jeremiah]] was angry with God for deceiving his people: "Ah, Lord God, how utterly you have deceived this people and Jerusalem" ([[Book of Jeremiah]] 4:10). ===Hinduism=== In [[Hinduism]], anger is equated with sorrow as a form of unrequited desire. The objects of anger are perceived as a hindrance to the gratification of the desires of the angry person.<ref>[http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part22/chap11.htm Anger (HinduDharma: Dharmas Common To All)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170528014505/http://www.kamakoti.org/hindudharma/part22/chap11.htm |date=2017-05-28 }}, Shri Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham</ref> Alternatively if one thinks one is superior, the result is grief. Anger is considered to be packed with more evil power than desire.<ref>[http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2004/7-9/40-49_anger.shtml Anger Management: How to Tame our Deadliest Emotion] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080121213147/http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2004/7-9/40-49_anger.shtml |date=2008-01-21 }}, by Satguru Bodhinatha Veylanswami</ref> In the [[Bhagavad Gita]], [[Krishna]] regards greed, anger, and lust as signs of ignorance that lead to perpetual bondage. As for the agitations of the bickering mind, they are divided into two divisions. The first is called avirodha-prīti, or unrestricted attachment, and the other is called virodha-yukta-krodha, anger arising from frustration. Adherence to the philosophy of the Māyāvādīs, belief in the fruitive results of the karma-vādīs, and belief in plans based on materialistic desires are called avirodha-prīti.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Spiegelberg|first1=Frederic|last2=Stein|first2=Richard|date=September 1980|title=Sargeant, Winthrop, trans.The Bhagavad Gita. New York, Doubleday, 1979.|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/jung.1.1980.2.1.23|journal=The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal|volume=2|issue=1|pages=23–31|doi=10.1525/jung.1.1980.2.1.23|issn=0270-6210|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Jñānīs, karmīs and materialistic planmakers generally attract the attention of conditioned souls, but when the materialists cannot fulfill their plans and when their devices are frustrated, they become angry. Frustration of material desires produces anger.<ref>The Nectar of Instruction 1</ref> ===Buddhism=== Anger is defined in [[Buddhism]] as: "being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object". Anger is seen as aversion with a stronger exaggeration, and is listed as one of the [[five hindrances]]. Buddhist monks, such as [[Dalai Lama]], the spiritual leader of Tibetans in exile, sometimes get angry.<ref name="urbandharma">[http://www.urbandharma.org/udnl2/nl030904.html The Urban Dharma Newsletter] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161001211041/http://www.urbandharma.org/udnl2/nl030904.html |date=2016-10-01 }}, March 9, 2004</ref> Most often a spiritual person is aware of the emotion and the way it can be handled. Thus, in response to the question: "Is any anger acceptable in Buddhism?' the Dalai Lama answered:<ref name="urbandharma"/> {{blockquote|Buddhism in general teaches that anger is a destructive emotion and although anger might have some positive effects in terms of survival or moral outrage, I do not accept that anger of any kind as {{sic}} a virtuous emotion nor aggression as constructive behavior. The [[Gautama Buddha]] {{sic}} has taught that there are three basic [[Kleshas (Buddhism)|kleshas]] at the root of [[samsara]] (bondage, illusion) and the vicious cycle of rebirth. These are greed, hatred, and delusion—also translatable as attachment, anger, and ignorance. They bring us confusion and misery rather than peace, happiness, and fulfillment. It is in our own self-interest to purify and transform them. }} Buddhist scholar and author Geshe [[Kelsang Gyatso]] has also explained [[Buddha]]'s teaching on the spiritual imperative to identify anger and overcome it by transforming difficulties:<ref>[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0978906713 How to Solve our Human Problems] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326032901/https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/product-description/0978906713 |date=2023-03-26 }}, Tharpa Publications (2005, US ed., 2007) {{ISBN|978-0-9789067-1-9}}</ref> {{blockquote| When things go wrong in our life and we encounter difficult situations, we tend to regard the situation itself as our problem, but in reality whatever problems we experience come from the side of the mind. If we responded to difficult situations with a positive or peaceful mind they would not be problems for us. Eventually, we might even regard them as challenges or opportunities for growth and development. Problems arise only if we respond to difficulties with a negative state of mind. Therefore if we want to be free from problems, we must transform our mind.}} The Buddha himself on anger:<ref>[http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.060.than.html "Kodhana Sutta: An Angry Person"(AN 7.60), translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100430175235/http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.060.than.html |date=2010-04-30 }}, June 8, 2010</ref> {{blockquote| An angry person is ugly & sleeps poorly. Gaining a profit, he turns it into a loss, having done damage with word & deed. A person overwhelmed with anger destroys his wealth. Maddened with anger, he destroys his status. Relatives, friends, & colleagues avoid him. Anger brings loss. Anger inflames the mind. He doesn't realize that his danger is born from within. An angry person doesn't know his own benefit. An angry person doesn't see the [[Dharma (Buddhism)|Dharma]]. A man conquered by anger is in a mass of darkness. He takes pleasure in bad deeds as if they were good, but later, when his anger is gone, he suffers as if burned with fire. He is spoiled, blotted out, like fire enveloped in smoke. When anger spreads, when a man becomes angry, he has no shame, no fear of evil, is not respectful in speech. For a person overcome with anger, nothing gives light. }} ===Islam=== A verse in the third [[surah]] of the Quran instructs people to restrain their anger.<ref>{{qref|3|134|b=y}}</ref> Anger (Arabic: غضب, ''ghadab'') in Islam is considered to be instigated by Satan (''[[Devil (Islam)|Shaitan]]'').<ref>{{cite book |last=Muhaiyaddeen |first=M.R. Bawa |title=Islam & World Peace: Explanations of a Sufi |page=64 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8grB4SKJrXsC&pg=PA64|isbn=978-0-914390-65-7 |year=2004 |publisher=Fellowship Press }}</ref> Factors stated to lead to anger include selfishness, arrogance and excessive ambition.<ref name="Path">{{cite book |last1=Efendi |first1=Birgivî Mehmet |last2=Bayrak |first2=Tosun |title=The Path Of Muhammad: A Book On Islamic Morals And Ethics |page=182 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GLFZ8f8trUgC&pg=PA182|isbn=978-0-941532-68-6 |year=2005 |publisher=World Wisdom }}</ref> Islamic teachings also state that anger hinders the faith (''[[iman (concept)|iman]]'') of a person.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Kınalızade Ali |last1=Çelebi |first2=Muḥammad ibn Muṣṭafá |last2=Khādimī |title=Ethics of Islam |page=128 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WQP-Nhmq6VIC&pg=PA128|year=2001 |publisher=Smashwords |isbn=978-1-4657-9821-3 }}</ref> The Quran attributes anger to [[Prophets in Islam|prophets]] and believers as well as Muhammad's enemies. It mentions the anger of Moses (''[[Islamic view of Moses|Musa]]'') against his people for worshiping a [[golden calf]] and at the moment when Moses strikes an Egyptian for fighting against an Israelite.<ref>{{qref|7|150|b=y}}</ref> The anger of Jonah (''[[Islamic view of Jonah|Yunus]]'') is also mentioned in the Quran, which led to his departure from the people of [[Nineveh]] and his eventual realization of his error and his repentance.<ref>{{qref|21|87-88|b=y}}</ref> The removal of anger from the hearts of believers by [[God in Islam|God]] ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: [[Allah|{{lang|ar|الله}}]] ''{{transliteration|ar|DIN|Allāh}}'') after the fighting against [[Muhammad]]'s enemies is over.<ref>{{qref|9|15|b=y}}</ref><ref name="AngerQ"/> In general, suppression of anger (Arabic: كَظم, ''kazm'') is deemed a praiseworthy quality in the hadis.<ref name="AngerQ">Bashir, Shahzad. ''Anger'', [[Encyclopaedia of the Qur'an]], Brill, 2007.</ref><ref>{{hadith-usc|bukhari|8|73|135}}</ref><ref>Mohammed Abu-Nimer, ''Non-Violence, Peacebuilding, Conflict Resolution and Human Rights in Islam:A Framework for Nonviolence and Peacebuilding in Islam'', Journal of Law and Religion, Vol. 15, No. 1/2. (2000–2001), pp. 217–265.</ref> [[Yusuf ibn abd al-Barr|Ibn Abdil Barr]], the Andalusian Maliki jurist explains that controlling anger is the door way for restraining other blameworthy traits ego and envy, since these two are less powerful than anger. The hadis state various ways to diminish, prevent and control anger. One of these methods is to perform a [[wudu|ritual ablution]], a different narration states that the angry person should lie down and other narrations instruct the angry person to invoke God and seek refuge from the Devil, by reciting ''I take refuge with Allah/God from the accursed Devil.'' [[Ali]], the cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad said "A moment of patience in a moment of anger saves a thousand moments of regret" and "Anger begins with madness, and ends in regret."<ref name="Path"/> ===Divine retribution=== [[File:John Martin - The Great Day of His Wrath - Google Art Project.jpg|thumb|''[[The Great Day of His Wrath]]'', by [[John Martin (painter)|John Martin]] (1789–1854)]] In many religions, anger is frequently attributed to God or gods. Primitive people held that gods were subject to anger and revenge in anthropomorphic fashion.<ref name="DictionaryofR"/> The [[Hebrew Bible]] says that opposition to God's will results in God's anger.<ref name="DictionaryofR">Shailer Mathews, Gerald Birney Smith, A Dictionary of Religion and Ethics, Kessinger Publishing, p.17</ref> [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] [[rabbi]] Kaufmann Kohler explains:<ref name="Jewish"/> {{blockquote|God is not an intellectual abstraction, nor is He conceived as a being indifferent to the doings of man; and His pure and lofty nature resents most energetically anything wrong and impure in the moral world: "O Lord, my God, mine Holy One{{nbsp}}... Thou art of eyes too pure to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity."}} Christians believe in God's anger at the sight of evil. This anger is not inconsistent with God's love, as demonstrated in the Gospel where the righteous indignation of Christ is shown in the [[Cleansing of the Temple]].
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