Anger
President Gordon B. Hinckley taught that “temper is a vicious and corrosive thing that destroys affection and casts out love.“ (Ensign, May 1991, 74.)
Elder Lynn G. Robbins of the Seventy described anger as the “thought-sin that leads to hostile feelings or behavior. It is the detonator of road rage on the freeway, flare-ups in the sports arena, and domestic violence in homes.” (Ensign, May 1998, 80–81.)
President Gordon B. Hinckley warned of the tragic consequences of anger, asking, “Who can calculate the wounds inflicted, their depth and pain, by harsh and mean words spoken in anger?” (Ensign, Nov. 1991, 50)
Each day, countless individuals are assaulted verbally, physically, and sexually by angry persons.
One can become angry almost without thinking. Anger is often difficult to control because it occurs so quickly. In other situations, anger builds slowly as a person perceives ongoing threats, injustice, or mistreatment. These perceptions are often exaggerated or imagined. In either case, becoming angry is a choice.
The Apostle Paul said, “The peace of God . . . passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).
Those who have struggled with anger know how liberating it is to feel peace and freedom from this emotion. As one person described it, “I used to walk around feeling like I wanted to hurt everyone I saw. Anger dominated my life. As I applied gospel principles and as I learned to think differently and to view others in a better way, my anger went away. Now I can enjoy being around others. I have my life back again.”
Scripture references
- Proverbs 16:32
- 3 Nephi 11:29–30
- 3 Nephi 12:22
