Christians and Anger

[DiveCon]

Jesus teaches non-violence, yet the Old Testament does not. The Bible includes both Old and New Testaments.

How do Christians resolve the apparent contradictions in the Bible?

a lot of the OT is just for history
and to show the need for a savior

 

[Againsheila]

Jesus teaches non-violence, yet the Old Testament does not. The Bible includes both Old and New Testaments.

How do Christians resolve the apparent contradictions in the Bible?

I always figure whenever there's a contradiction, the New Testament cancels out the old testament.

 

[sky dancer]

I always figure whenever there's a contradiction, the New Testament cancels out the old testament.

I see. Kind of a default system?

 

[DiveCon]

I see. Kind of a default system?

there are a lot of times in the OT that it was speaking to specific persons or people
so not applicable for everyone

 

[AllieBaba]

So, it's the OT believers who are into anger and vengeance? The NT doesn't deal with anger and hatred?

Is that what you're saying?

The NT deals with anger and hatred all the way through. That's what the entire life of Jesus was about...dealing with anger and hatred.

And God loves us. But he is also a judge of us and therefore must be able to mete out punishment. He cannot be righteous if he tolerates sin and evil.

 

[sky dancer]

The NT deals with anger and hatred all the way through. That's what the entire life of Jesus was about...dealing with anger and hatred.

And God loves us. But he is also a judge of us and therefore must be able to mete out punishment. He cannot be righteous if he tolerates sin and evil.

Isn't it true that it's up to God to judge, not the disciples of Christ? Isn't the purpose of Christian teachings personal, and not about pointing fingers at anyone else?

 

[AllieBaba]

It's not that simple, of course. Nothing is.
It's up to God to judge us, but he will also appoint judges among us to judge others in the end.

Part of the purpose of a church is to help others who are also in Christ to maintain a healthy lifestyle and relationship with God. To support them when they need it, to point out when they think they may be faltering and help them help out.

Our OTHER job as Christians, and the more important one, I think, is to witness to non-believers to provide them the opportunity to be saved and join Christ's kingdom. This is why you see Christians who are willing to die to go to isolated and dangerous locations, in order to witness to people who will otherwise never hear the word of God and experience salvation.

At the same time we're supposed to be models of all that is good...moderation, kindness, modesty, frugality, committment to God. We're supposed to be good workers, good parents, good neighbors. Which means we aren't supposed to be running up to people and screaming in their faces.

But I've honestly never experienced that and think that many people who find the Christian religion off-putting haven't experienced it either....but they read into "witnessing" some sort of condemnation of them, personally, and because they take it personally (and it is actually personal) they think it shouldn't be allowed.

Because we believe, we share what we know in order to give others the opportunity to be saved. Those who don't want to be saved are threatened by this and try to stop it.

And honestly, that's the work of the devil. But you don't see Christians lining up to stone, decapitate and otherwise maim and torture people who scoff at them and jeer at their religion. Even though we do see it as the work of the devil. Because the bible also teaches us to turn the other cheek, to not cast pearls before swine because there are people who simply will not listen, and a variety of other things to help us not resist in a vile way to that sort of thing.

 

[strollingbones]

no way!!! you wanna bring him down here?!

why wouldnt he come here

 

[strollingbones]

It's not that simple, of course. Nothing is.
It's up to God to judge us, but he will also appoint judges among us to judge others in the end.

Part of the purpose of a church is to help others who are also in Christ to maintain a healthy lifestyle and relationship with God. To support them when they need it, to point out when they think they may be faltering and help them help out.

Our OTHER job as Christians, and the more important one, I think, is to witness to non-believers to provide them the opportunity to be saved and join Christ's kingdom. This is why you see Christians who are willing to die to go to isolated and dangerous locations, in order to witness to people who will otherwise never hear the word of God and experience salvation.

At the same time we're supposed to be models of all that is good...moderation, kindness, modesty, frugality, committment to God. We're supposed to be good workers, good parents, good neighbors. Which means we aren't supposed to be running up to people and screaming in their faces.

But I've honestly never experienced that and think that many people who find the Christian religion off-putting haven't experienced it either....but they read into "witnessing" some sort of condemnation of them, personally, and because they take it personally (and it is actually personal) they think it shouldn't be allowed.

Because we believe, we share what we know in order to give others the opportunity to be saved. Those who don't want to be saved are threatened by this and try to stop it.

And honestly, that's the work of the devil. But you don't see Christians lining up to stone, decapitate and otherwise maim and torture people who scoff at them and jeer at their religion. Even though we do see it as the work of the devil. Because the bible also teaches us to turn the other cheek, to not cast pearls before swine because there are people who simply will not listen, and a variety of other things to help us not resist in a vile way to that sort of thing.

allie why do your actions speak so much louder than your words?

 

[AllieBaba]

What actions would those be?

 

[AllieBaba]

Particularly since all a person has on a message board is words, not actions, so you would have no concept of what my actions are...but that's beside the point.

 

[sky dancer]

Your words are more than enough.

 

[strollingbones]

the pen is always mightier than the sword is it not? therefore your words have "actions" do not deny that words have impact.

do you think you relect any god's love?

 

[AllieBaba]

I think I proved my point, and that leads to emotional, personal attacks from people who are threatened by God.

 

[Care4all]

Does Christianity say that anger is good? I'm just curious. It's a big subject in my path, what about in Christianity?

sky,


anger is a natural instinct and expected in certain circumstance and if it is a natural instinct then as a believer, one would conclude that it came from God.

There are things that happen that call for anger as the natural response....

Christianity teaches that there is righteous anger and indignation, and there is sinful anger....Jesus when angered by the money changers that were using God's laws to take advantage of the layman religious going to Temple is an example of righteous anger....

There is a wrong way of being angry...we must never be bad-tempered people. That is entirely and utterly wrong. To be bad tempered, to be irritable or irascible, is something which is sinful and is condemned...in Scripture.

We must not be easily provoked. Love is not easily provoked.

Any anger or expression of anger that is excessive, violent, uncontrollable, out of control, is a wrong sort of anger....sinful anger.

the apostle paul said...`Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.' which is where today's sayings of kiss and make up or don't go to bed angry....come from

care

 

[DiveCon]

sky,


anger is a natural instinct and expected in certain circumstance and if it is a natural instinct then as a believer, one would conclude that it came from God.

There are things that happen that call for anger as the natural response....

Christianity teaches that there is righteous anger and indignation, and there is sinful anger....Jesus when angered by the money changers that were using God's laws to take advantage of the layman religious going to Temple is an example of righteous anger....

There is a wrong way of being angry...we must never be bad-tempered people. That is entirely and utterly wrong. To be bad tempered, to be irritable or irascible, is something which is sinful and is condemned...in Scripture.

We must not be easily provoked. Love is not easily provoked.

Any anger or expression of anger that is excessive, violent, uncontrollable, out of control, is a wrong sort of anger....sinful anger.

the apostle paul said...`Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.' which is where today's sayings of kiss and make up or don't go to bed angry....come from

care

BibleGateway.com: Search for a Bible passage in over 35 languages and 50 versions.

 

[Care4all]

BibleGateway.com: Search for a Bible passage in over 35 languages and 50 versions.

yep! that's the full quote of paul's!!

 

[sky dancer]

sky,


anger is a natural instinct and expected in certain circumstance and if it is a natural instinct then as a believer, one would conclude that it came from God.

There are things that happen that call for anger as the natural response....

Christianity teaches that there is righteous anger and indignation, and there is sinful anger....Jesus when angered by the money changers that were using God's laws to take advantage of the layman religious going to Temple is an example of righteous anger....

There is a wrong way of being angry...we must never be bad-tempered people. That is entirely and utterly wrong. To be bad tempered, to be irritable or irascible, is something which is sinful and is condemned...in Scripture.

We must not be easily provoked. Love is not easily provoked.

Any anger or expression of anger that is excessive, violent, uncontrollable, out of control, is a wrong sort of anger....sinful anger.

the apostle paul said...`Let not the sun go down upon your wrath.' which is where today's sayings of kiss and make up or don't go to bed angry....come from

care

Righteous anger? Says who? Why would God be angry? Is God God? Does God have ordinary emotions?

 

[chloe]

Righteous anger? Says who? Why would God be angry?

I dont know

 

[sky dancer]

I dont know

The problem with God is that he is non-conceptual. Human beings make him/her conceptual and attribute human qualities to God.

Rather, more likely it is the other way around.

The direct experience of the truth of being, which some may label as God, others may call 'buddha' is non-conceptual, direct experience, moment to moment, now. It is beyond concepts.

This is all just words though. We get tripped up in words. We know what love is, because love is. Describing love in words is just words. It can't be substituted for the experience of love.