Is Anger Bad?

It my belief that one of the reasons for our earthly existence is to experience and feel a wide variety of emotions.  As we feel emotions, we learn how to work through them and control them.  I often felt growing up that it was never okay to be angry.  As I have gotten older and experienced very hard and challenging things, what I have come to understand is that sometimes anger is part of a healthy emotional process.  Our behavior in response to these emotions, however, is extremely important.    

Recently, I encountered a very difficult situation, and I felt an anger like I had never experienced.  I tend to be a quiet person, but in this instance, I could not keep silent.  I yelled, and cried and was so severely overcome with anger that I could not stop shaking.  The emotions came so quickly, for valid reason, but it took time for me to calm down and several conversations with family and close friends. 

I did not let my actions in response to these emotions get out of control.  And I knew that I did not want to continue to feel this way.  Over the course of several days with a great deal of prayer, I was able to let this anger go.  While it tries to creep back from time to time, I am able to ponder on why the feelings are coming back, think through things, forgive and then let them go.

In the Scriptures, numerous times it is stated that the Lord’s anger is kindled against the people.  This leads me to believe that there is a form of righteous anger and that there may be a purpose for it. 

In Matthew 21:12 Jesus Christ enters the temple and cleanses it.  It states, “And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves”

While the scripture does not state that Christ was angry, his action of overthrowing the table, leads us to believe that he was indeed angry.  He threw out those people who caused him to be angry and cleansed the temple.  The pattern of this event seems significant.  He was angry, he threw out those that were defiling the temple, and then he cleansed the temple.  

Thinking about how to apply this to ourselves.  Anger can lead us to re-evaluate, throw out those things that have caused us to be angry, and then go through a process of cleansing which I relate to forgiveness and humility. 

In this talk by Elder James E. Faust of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he talks about how forgiveness helps us to let go of anger.  I found this especially true in my own situation, but it is not always something that comes immediately or all at once.  Often the cycle of grief repeats itself multiple times.    

   

So I pose the question....  Is anger bad?