PJ Media

Dwight, to reply to you, I would first like to develop the idea of the value of the individual, and what I think about anger and fear.

The Bible should be recognized as the single most significant contributor to the concept of the value of a human soul. Certainly, the first glimmers of the idea can be seen in ancient Greece, but practically speaking, human life was cheap in the ancient world for all but the powerful few. The message of the gospel planted the seed of the concept of the value of an individual deep into human thought; it was a novel idea. The good shepherd leaves the 99 to seek out the one who is lost. It is the individual who enjoys eternal salvation. I’m trying to keep it short, but there are other examples of individuals being equal before God. The influence of the Bible on the US Constitution is more than obvious.

Fear is a perfectly normal, God-given emotion that gives us the energy to escape from danger (to preserve life). The more intelligent and perceptive you are, the more you will recognize genuine danger around you, and respond to it accordingly. Now, I posit that anger is an emotion that gives us the energy to right a wrong.

We all know that selfishness, cruelty, in short, all the dark parts of our makeup can very easily spill over into the expression of anger. When Jesus found that the money-changers had turned the temple into a house of merchandise, the Bible records that He became angry. His anger was appropriate to the situation, balanced, and under His control. This anger served the purpose of righting a wrong. I conclude that anger is a normal human response, with the specific purpose of righting a wrong. Regrettably, we often overstep when we are angry because of our human imperfection and spiritual immaturity, nevertheless, it would be abnormal not to be angry in the face of evil.

I judge an aggressor’s intent to deprive me or others of life as wrong and evil. Now, would I pull the trigger in such a situation? I have discussed this with a Vietnam veteran. He said that you do not know what you will do until you are in the moment, and I think he is right. I hope I never have to find out. Would I have the presence of mind to shoot to disable and not kill? Would that person then live to kill others?

When the left accuses conservatives of being angry, they know that this accusation will likely silence them. It is similar to the accusation of racism. The accusations get us off balance because, being moral and thoughtful, we have an awareness of our tendency to overstep in anger and we are sensitive to other’s feelings. Their strategy is to attack us on this ”weak point,” that we are moral. We need to shake off this misplaced guilt and act with the courage of our convictions. If we are passive and silent, we are agreeing with evil and in effect would commit suicide.