Construct a short essay (1800 – 2000 words) on one of the seven deadly sins (vices) as discussed in the DeYoung text. A successful essay will at minimum contain the following:
Have at least five additional scholarly sources beyond the textbooks in this course as support for your observations and proposals.
Have a robust definition and discussion on the particular vice that you have chosen to write on. Make sure that you identify how this vice is operating in the contemporary world.
Describe how the opposite Biblical virtue to the vice you are describing combats and addresses this particular sin.
Show how the enduring questions of truth, goodness, and beauty assist us in identifying, arresting and addressing this particular vice in our contemporary world.
Have a clear thesis statement in the opening paragraph of the paper.
Sample Essay Solution
Deadly Sin of Anger
Anger or wrath is one of the sins identified by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. Scholars have classified anger as one of the deadly sins. It is one of the deadly sins since it leads an individual to death. It is referred to as the sin of rejecting the love and patience human beings should express for one another. Anger is an unrealistic expectation that a certain outcome should have been different. Jesus while teaching his disciples indicated that anger was similar to killing a person since both are liable for judgment. People are thus required to express gentleness, patience, and love towards each other despite their behavior. Anger can lead a person to sin or extremism of harming other people. It is thus condemned since it does not work for the good of society. Anger is one of the deadly sins that people should shun in their lives since it leads to death and injustice in society.
Anger in the Contemporary World
The vice of expressing frustrations, aggression and vengeful thoughts is evident in the contemporary world today. The United States president Donald Trump has been quoted in a media interview indicating that the world is an angry place. Although academicians seem to disagree with his comments, it is not a secret that people are living in anger (Sansom, 2018). For example, it is common to see people on television news demonstrating, burning vehicles or engaging the police in running battles. It is also possible to see a man who killed the wife and children. The recent cases of a school shooting was a result of a student who was angry after he disagreed with the decision of the school management. Therefore, people are living an angry life. One of the reasons for their anger is that their expectations are not met (Veselka, Giammarco & Vernon, 2014). When people demonstrate in the streets, it is as a result of unfulfilled expectations. Therefore, anger is evident in society today in various forms.
The world has experienced an unprecedented divorce rate starting with the United States. The high divorce rates as a result of partners who could not express gentleness and love to one another (Schaerlaeken & Grandjean, 2018). The divorce leads either of the two or one of them to remarry. Statistics indicate that people who remarry are more likely to end up in divorce compared to those who are in their first marriage. One of the top reasons that cause divorce is infidelity. When partners find out they have been cheated on, they fail to exercise the care, patience, and gentleness required (Saini, 2009). The Bible commands Christians to enjoy the wife of their youth. Additionally, they should not divorce since God hates divorce. Therefore, it is the failure to exercise due to patience and gentleness. Marriages have also ended up broken due to physical abuse. Some partners get angry and beat up their wives or husbands and thus terminating the marriage. Marriage is thus sustained by the exercise of gentleness and patience since no one is perfect.
Anger has been displayed in the relationship between parents and children. Parents who fail to exercise gentleness towards their children end up aggressively reacting to their mistakes (Del Vecchio & O’Leary, 2004). In some cases, parents have beaten up their children to death or end up physically harming them. Conversely, children fail to love their parents unconditionally. As a result of unfulfilled expectations, they run away from home or steal from their parents. Teachers in schools are also guilty of punishing students by aggressively expressing their wrath. The wrath is evident when they punish their students harshly thus harming them or killing them in the process. Although parents and teachers should discipline children, they should not do it in anger. For example, the governments across the world hold parents or teachers liable for disciplining their children or students excessively. The reason is that some parents or teachers use crude tools when they are disciplining their children. Bloomfield (2016) indicates that anger is evident in various places including schools or homes since there is an absence of patience and love between the parents, teachers and children or students.
Opposite Biblical Virtue
The biblical virtue that can be used to address anger is derived from the teachings of Apostle Paul on the fruits of the Holy Spirit. He indicated that love, patience, and gentleness are the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Version, 2017). The virtues can be used to address all forms of anger. For example, when a person is tempted to get angry, they should resolve to show love, patience, and gentleness (DeYoung, 2009). In the biblical teachings, God decided to express his love towards the world by sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross. Human beings should thus emulate the example of God of demonstrating love even when it seems impossible. God who is righteous decided to humble himself counting the powers in heaven as nothing to be grasped. He came down to earth as a child who grew up to begin his ministry (Version, 2017). It is thus the role of Christians to emulate Jesus and desire to express love to their family, friends, and colleagues even when it seems impossible. It is the duty of Christians to forgive one another, express love, gentleness, and patience.
The concept of love is best described by God when he decided to forgive the sins of the world by sending Jesus to die on the cross. The decision to send Jesus was sacrificial since he was the only son. God was thus not at his comfort when he was giving out Jesus Christ as the ransom for many (Version, 2017). The concept of true and honest love should be expressed amongst people. It is a true cure to the vice of anger that has destroyed families and society at large (Cline, 2019). If people could only love each other, there would be no hatred, bloodshed or killings. Due to the deep nature of love, the Bible indicates that God is love. Simply put, the synonym of God is love. Therefore, if people claim to have God in themselves or to know him, they must love one another. It is not realistic for people to be associated with God, yet they do not do what he does. Love is the opposite of anger and it can be used as a cure for those who regularly feel anger and wrath.
Gentleness is another biblical opposite value for anger. Anger is referred to as responding aggressively against other people with little consideration. However, gentleness calls for people to treat each other in a gentle way (Cline, 2019). For example, a person could be hurt by another, by they can choose to call the person and explain how they feel hurt. It is unlike insulting them or harming them as a payback for what they have experienced. Jesus himself is an illustration of gentleness. The gospel according to Saint Matthew indicates that Jesus, although he had to powers to fight back, he was gently led to crucifixion like ram is led to the slaughterhouse (Version, 2017). Therefore, Jesus was not crucified because he did not have the powers to resist the soldiers or Roman rule. He had all the powers, but he did not fight back. Christians can choose to develop the attitude of gentleness in their hearts even when they are in a position to fight back. For example, demonstrators sometimes can take to the streets and engage the police in running battles. In the end, they will have destroyed houses, cars or injured people on the streets. In this case, they can choose the gentle way of raising their concerns through a court of law.
Enduring Questions
Truth, goodness, and beauty can be used as solutions to anger. The enduring questions on truth will prompt a person to question whether their aggressive expression is truthful or honest (Sansom, 2018). In many cases, people do not express wrath due to what has happened, they do it simply because they have low self-worth, need for attention, peer pressure and witnessing violence in other places. For example, statistics indicate the rising cases of high school students who are injured or threatened with a crude weapon. The reactions of the high school students are not truthful since they are reacting from something they experienced in the past. Additionally, it is crucial to question is wrath is the best and only solution to respond to another person (Veselka, Giammarco & Vernon, 2014). If there are other better solutions, people should not resort to kill or harm others simply because they are angry. They should face reality and use other appropriate measures that are peaceful. For example, if a person hurt another due a small disagreement, the case might end up in court and the accused may be fined or jailed. Many cases of women who have been abused in marriage have ended up in court and their husbands have been arrested, fined or jailed. Therefore, it is important to question if anger is the only solution and the outcome of the decision.
It is important to base the argument upon the value of goodness. When a person is angry it means they are likely to utter words that are devaluing to the other person. When they also harbor the anger in their hearts they will destroy their lives (Veselka, Giammarco & Vernon, 2014). The Bible puts it clear that nobody should allow the sun to go down when they are still angry over someone. The anger can lead to stress or depression since the mind is disturbed. Additionally, the responses given when people are angry are always regrettable (Schaerlaeken & Grandjean, 2018). For example, a parent may abuse their child compared to disciplining them. It is the same parent who will incur expenses in hospital and in court.
The enduring question on how beautiful a decision is should be a guiding factor before a person becomes angry. The Bible indicates that people should think of or dwell on things that are of good report, adorable, and lovely (Version, 2017). It is not lovely when a person has been injured in an argument. However, it is lovely or adorable when a person chooses to forgive all those who do them harm. Jesus Christ was clear on the need to forgive other people. When teaching his disciplines the Lord’s Prayer, he pointed out that they should ask the Father to forgive those who harm them or their enemies. Therefore, it is a clear sign that vengeance belongs to God and not human beings. When people decide to express their anger they are simply dethroning God, taking the law in their hands and doing the work of God. It is thus important to shun the vice of anger since it will not lead to a beautiful ending (Schaerlaeken & Grandjean, 2018). The beauty of a relationship is not the failure to be embroiled in arguments or pain, but to forget all the pain and love one another unconditionally.
Conclusion
The teachings of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount clearly indicate that people are embroiled in arguments or experiences that may elicit hatred and anger. However, Jesus had prior knowledge of what can happen when people get angry. He knew that people can hurt themselves and hurt others, which is not a biblical concept. When people get angry and feel resentment against their enemies, the Bible instructs them to relinquish the work of vengeance to God. The deadly sin of anger can be substituted by biblical concepts including love, patience, and gentleness. The substitutes are effective since they help people to remain patient with their friends despite what they have done. It also points out that they should love one another as God loved the world and gave his only son. A person who is angry should consider the enduring questions of whether the outcome of anger will be truthful, beautiful and full of goodness.
References
Bloomfield, W. (2016). Overcoming the Deadly Sin of Anger. Retrieved from https://onepeterfive.com/overcoming-the-deadly-sin-of-anger/
Cline, A. (2019). A Critical Look at the 7 Deadly Sins. Retrieved from https://www.learnreligions.com/punishing-the-seven-deadly-sins-4123091
Del Vecchio, T., & O’Leary, K. D. (2004). Effectiveness of anger treatments for specific anger problems: A meta-analytic review. Clinical psychology review, 24(1), 15-34.
DeYoung, R. K. (2009). Glittering Vices: A new look at the seven deadly sins and their remedies. Brazos Press.
Saini, M. (2009). A meta-analysis of the psychological treatment of anger: Developing guidelines for evidence-based practice. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online, 37(4), 473-488.
Sansom, D. (2018). Deadly Sins, Addiction, Demonic, and Spirituality. Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, 18(1), 62-77.
Schaerlaeken, S., & Grandjean, D. (2018). Unfolding and dynamics of affect bursts decoding in humans. PloS one, 13(10), e0206216.
Version, K. J. (2017). Holy Bible. Arcturus Publishing Limited.
Veselka, L., Giammarco, E. A., & Vernon, P. A. (2014). The Dark Triad and the seven deadly sins. Personality and Individual Differences, 67, 75-80.
