How angry do you have to be for it to be a wrong or a sin?

[Flopfoot]

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong? Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on how angry you feel as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on whether your anger is justified, and whether or not your angry at the right person? Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

 

[Trelow]

i reckon:

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong?

Maybe, we are addressing the anger, not what may come of it.

• Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not? *

Nah, same as above.

Does it depend on how angry you feel as to whether its ok or not?

I’d say so, but only secondary to the reason why you are angry.

• Does it depend on whether your anger is justified, and whether or not your angry at the right person? *

Hell yes. It’s good to be angry sometimes! The reason is the most important thing. Is the anger a reflection of one of the cardinal temptations? Or is it due to an injustice, an assault virtue, blasphemy, and so forth?

Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

I’d say so, one cannot control the immediate emotional response. Our sin comes in wither or not we discern the cause of the anger,what we do with it, wither or not we retain it after the situation has been rectified, etc.

Just my :twocents:

 

[Eireann]

Flopfoot:

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong? Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on how angry you feel as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on whether your anger is justified, and whether or not your angry at the right person? Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

I love Saint John Vianney’s sermons, heres one of his on anger.

catholic-forum.com/saints/stj18033.htm

 

[Trelow]

Also see the catechism 1762-1775

 

[Lonevoice]

I know how you feel!

Every week I confess anger, and Father tells me that it has the marks of the sin of pride. He then asks me to think about it when I get angry and see how much of it is prideful or righteous. (there is a thing such as righteous anger)

God knows, I don’t know if I do it right, but that usually helps me; I guess that it’s the intention that makes the difference.

 

[springbreeze]

The Letter of James Chapter One Verse 19

‘Know this, my beloved bretheren. Let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God.’

This verse is to be read in context with the Chapter as it speaks of suffering and affliction, from which all anger arises if a soul is inclined to think of it’s self and not of the suffering our Lord endured and it’s image to be re-created into that of our Lord.

and in James chapter 4 verse 17

‘Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is a sin’

God Bless you and much love and peace to you

Teresa

 

[Madia]

From the Catechism:

[2302](javascriptpenWindow(‘cr/2302.htm’) By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill,"94 our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. *Anger *is a desire for revenge. “To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit,” but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice."95 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. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."96

scborromeo.org/ccc/p3s2c2a5.htm

Anger itself seems to be an occasion of sin. It depends what we do with the anger that determines whether or not we sin. Most of the time, it’s probably best just to say silent if possible and offer up our feelings of anger to God.

For example, say it makes you angry every time your sibling uses up the roll of toilet paper and doesn’t replace it. You go into the bathroom and see that the toilet paper roll is empty and you get angry. What’s the best thing to do? Yelling at your sibling would be more acting out of vengeance than trying to correct their behavior. So it would be best to simply replace the roll, offer up the anger to God and then at a time when you’re not angry mention it to your sibling to try to correct the behavior.

If you are struggling with feelings of anger I would suggest bringing up your struggles in confession. Also, please say a prayer (if possible) when you get angry and before you decide to act. If you are going into a situation where you are likely to get angry then say a prayer before entering into that situation.

 

[Cupofkindness]

I think that whenever possible, calm and reasonable discussion is the best way to undo anger in interpersonal relationships. Just letting someone know the truth in an unthreatening way can often solve a problem before the need to go to a confessional arises. But what is hard for me is anger having to do with my wacky parents and the poor choices that were made during my childhood. Since I can’t talk with them about that, that anger is self-destructive and also harms my relationship with them. This requires, I believe, more of a healing than of a confession, but I may be wrong.

 

[Augustine]

Flopfoot:

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong? Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on how angry you feel as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on whether your anger is justified, and whether or not your angry at the right person? Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

Anger in acute intensity, wrath, is in itself a sin, a deadly sin. It’s deadly because it can easily lead to a mortal sin.

Our Lord angered at the commerce in the Temple whipped them out and turned their tables over. God created anger, but we can easily twist its purpose and reason in sinful ways. I myself am better off by avoiding anger completely, which means that I wouldn’t to do what Jesus did in the Temple without committing a sin.

 

[LindaS]

Anger, in and of itself, is not sinful. It is often how we express that anger that becomes sinful, as well as the topic of our anger. It was anger at a drunk driver that motivated the woman who started Mothers Against Drunk Driving. So good can come from anger. It’s when we lose control, lash out at people that anger can be sinful.

Peace,
Linda

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Flopfoot:

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong? Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not? Does it depend on whether your anger is justified, and whether or not your angry at the right person? Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

Hi there Flopfoot…anger is never caused by another but by our own attitude and perspective. Why if a person says something am I angry and another person not when what the person has said is not an insult or attempt to hurt me? My anger is flowing from my own attitude and perspective on what the person has said.

Why if someone does insult me am I angry and on another occasion laugh: my own perspective and attitude at the time.

No one can make us anything! We need to own our own emotions.

I’ll have a go at responding to your questions:

If you are angry at someone but you don’t take your anger out on them then is it still wrong?

No, it is not sinful or wrong. Emotions of themselves are neither right nor wrong. It is what we do with our emotions that make them right or wrong.

Does it depend on how you express your anger as to whether its ok or not?

Quite simply, yes as in my answer to your first question.

Does it depend on how angry you feel as to whether its ok or not?

No…as I said emotions are neither right nor wrong no matter their intensity. I can make myself angry by deliberately thinking angry thoughts however. But it is not the anger that is wrong then, but the thoughts which have motivated the anger.

Can your anger be ‘wrong’ or ‘not recommended’ but not be a sin?

Yes, you are quite correct. My anger can be wrong because it is entirely unjustified our out of proportion to my relevant situation at the time. This does not make it sinful, simply not hitting the mark as it were. A fault or imperfection and I for one am full of these.
An emotion of itself is never sinful. The thoughts I had which created my anger may well be, or what I choose to do with my anger can be sinful too.
Allowing myself to be angry (which still comes from my thoughts) may not be recommended in that as an example, I may get very angry with a person and often perhaps say because they are always asking me for money. Another person may say to me “Dont be angry with him - he is very very poor” Then my anger is not recommended or indeed justified in the light of the new facts I now have about that person.

The expression of anger is somewhat of a risky business (I am talking about anger, not rage) because if I am angry and state whatever in an angry way, the person to whom I speak will be so concentrated on dealing with my anger that they may not hear at all the content of what I am saying, which is really what I want them to deal with not my anger.

Even some of our saints have experienced problems with anger or some temptation. Just as a temptation of itself is not sinful, neither is anger…but what I do about them. Of course I can put myself into a position of temptation and then I am very wrong and probably sinful if I have done it deliberately…just as my anger can come from angry thoughts, and then my thoughts are sinful to some degree and not the anger itself.

There is a thread on anger on the following link if you are interested:
forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=88432

Barb