ANGER: It’s just too costly

Our church had a good lesson on anger last Sunday.

Uncontrolled anger can be damaging, both to individuals and causes, and there are more than 500 mentions of or comments in the Bible on anger. Some justified anger.

Our preacher, Josh Basic, pointed out that Jesus demonstrated justified anger in throwing the money changers out of the temple, but Jesus followed that with a lesson on what should be done.

The first book of the Bible had a report on anger – a brother killing a brother.

The first mention of anger, I think, might be God when Adam and Even ate the apple.

••• “In the course of time, Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering, he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

“Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’

“Now Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let’s go out to the field.’ While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.” (Genesis 4:3-8).

How anyone can get so angry as to kill a brother or anyone, for that matter, threw me for a loop when I first read it.

I do get disgusted when movies show people – guys normally – throwing stuff or breaking it or even pounding their fist against a wall, and other silliness to show anger. My first thought is what are they proving? Answer (in my opinion): Nothing.

A religion columnist on Townhall.com, Myra Kahn Adams, also a media producer, had an interesting column on anger, which caught my eye after Sunday’s message.

She wrote that the Old Testament book, Leviticus (19:17-18), provides a lesson on anger management: “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:17-18).

The lesson on anger caused me to think of the insanity that arises over politics.

I wish, for instance, that the nut case who shot Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk had read a few of the verses on anger and the benefits of controlling it before he shot Kirk from concealment while Kirk was peacefully debating a student at Western Utah University on Sept. 10.

The human race produces very few like Kirk. His life was devoted to peacefully teaching Christianity and informing college students about the advantages of America’s free enterprise system – things they don’t learn in most colleges nowadays – but which were primary in developing the greatest nation in the world.

By the way, I’ve never found anything in the Bible that I think prohibits defending yourself, your family or other loved ones from an attack by a murderous individual.

There are other informative Biblical teachings that teach a route to a more peaceful world, such as: (Jesus) “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to council, and whoever says, ‘You fool’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:22) The discussion on anger causes me to wonder if the Left’s constant harangue against conservatives is anger or simply an attempt to encourage dimwits to do things they want done without getting the blame.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem revealed recently that gangs, cartels, and known terrorist organizations have put bounties on the heads of specific Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and border patrol officers. She also said these gangs, cartels, and known terrorist organizations are “being extremely effective” and they want to take these agents down because they “are keeping them from making money off their criminal networks.”

She also added: “Make no mistake: This isn’t just about protesting free speech or that they don’t like that people out here are upholding the laws of our country. They’re actually going out there and saying, ‘Kill these people, and we’ll give you this much money to do it.”

This sounds like pure evil to me; worse than anger. Noem called out Democratic Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for his city being “a war zone.”

Fox News’ Bill Melugin reported Border Patrol agents in nearby Broadview, Ill., were rammed and boxed in by 10 cars, including a woman with a semi-automatic gun, then surrounded by a large crowd of hostile protesters. Melugin confirmed with multiple law enforcement sources Sunday that “Chicago police officers were instructed by their Chief of Patrol to NOT respond” to the agents’ call for help.

Governors and mayors are producing executive or- ders prohibiting National Guard members appointed to help stop the rioting and other rampant law breaking in their jurisdictions from even using restrooms in government facilities, according to Noem.

The Left is creating as much chaos, historically the predecessor to government overthrow, as possible.

“These officers went right from Los Angeles to Chicago, and they’ve been away from their families for months,” Noem said, regarding Guardsmen. But they know their “families don’t have a chance unless President [Donald] Trump cleans up our streets,” Noem said, so “they’re (the officers) true believers in this country and where it can be.” Then we get to Portland, Oregon, a disaster area where criminals run rampant and citizens stay in their homes out of fear.

Legal opposition has occurred in targeted locations.

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson describes the actions as a “red herring,” a distraction to avoid taking the blame for shutting down the government.

Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana can be counted on to provide a shortened version of any event, including the Democrats’ Schumer shutdown: “We’re getting along fine. Nobody’s stabbing each other, but their (Democrats’) demands are laughable. They’re just totally unreasonable. You know, I get the strategy of asking for a pony and being willing to settle for a puppy, OK? But they’re asking for every horse in the United States and every pony in the United States: $1.5 trillion [in demands]? Give me a break.”