Anger

This post is a follow-up to my previous post, on the importance of acknowledging and dealing with negative feelings. Abdur Rahman, a Muslim blogger, wrote about anger several months ago on his Street Prophets diary. His post set off a discussion in the comments about whether anger is a destructive or constructive force. You can visit the discussion by clicking here.

I commented:

“I agree with those who have written that anger can be healthy response to injustice–whether that injustice is perpetrated against other people, or against one’s self. This is an important spiritual question, you’ve raised, Abdur, about what anger does to us and our spiritual development. There’s no question that anger can be destructive, when it is excessive. But anger can also be our soul’s way of saying “Wow, that’s not right!” or “That person shouldn’t be treated that way” or “I deserve better.”

This question of anger seems to me very gendered, at least in this country. Women are often socialized not to acknowledge their anger, or not to express that anger forcefully. I believe this is because feeling and expressing anger is often an integral part of fighting oppression. Stigmatizing anger is a way of cutting off the options available to marginalized groups.”

Anger is one of the emotions I least often hear about in church, especially during Sunday worship. Anger in the religious setting is often associated with hellfire and damnation messages. Or it is seen as antithetical to the stereotype of the pleasant, passive, friendly churchgoer. Yet, anger is also an integral part of being human, and can be a healthy response to unfair or harmful experiences.