Have you observed angry, demanding groups with a grievance, real or imagined, or special interests seeking redress, with threats of disruption or violence to achieve their ends? Consider personal behaviors that were illegal for millennia but are now considered to be “civil rights.” Behaviors and choices, no matter how deviant, are not only being allowed, but are being aggressively and sometimes angrily promoted, often to children who have not even reached puberty.
What will be the ultimate result of normalizing behaviors that are dangerous to one’s physical health, and that are detrimental to a stable, healthy mental state? What does history reveal about results of perverted lifestyles?
Is there an authoritative source to consult for answers? Definitely! If one acknowledges the Creator and His instructions for mankind found in the Holy Bible, the confusion quickly clears up.
David, King of ancient Israel, stated it this way: “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’ They are corrupt, they have done abominable works” (Psalm 14:1). No one wants to be a fool, so what does God say about gender? “God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).
Simple enough, yet down through history, mankind has attempted to deny this basic fact. Rampant deviant behavior occurred in the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Abraham, resulting in the sudden destruction of those cities. And the Apostle Paul wrote to the Church of God in Rome in about 57 AD about the same attitudes we see today, both depravity and a tendency toward violence (Romans 1:28–32).
Today, in much of the developed world, those who promote and agitate create angry disruptions to achieve their ends. It is an ancient practice that will not end well for them. In several places the Bible calls such individuals “fools.” For example, “It is honorable for a man to stop striving, since any fool can start a quarrel” (Proverbs 20:3). In another place it states, “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (Proverbs 16:32). Solomon said succinctly, “Do not hasten in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools” (Ecclesiastes 7:9).
There is a time for righteous anger—not uncontrollable rage, but a motivation to take positive action for solutions. Paul put it this way to the Church at Ephesus: “Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your wrath…. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you” (Ephesians 4:26, 31–32).
When stressful situations or grievances arise in your life, rather than get caught up in the strife and anger that “rests in the bosom of fools,” remember the words of Paul: “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:18–19).