Righteous anger is a weapon against sin, intolerance of it, a desire to drive the sin away whenever it appears. And when we see sin in another person, righteous anger also does not tolerate it, and we are ready to attack this other person's sin with all the righteousness of our anger.  In the history of the Church, there are cases when Chrishians, guided by righteous anger, fought not only their own sins, but also those of their neighbors, helping others to break free from the Devil's thrall.

However, for an inexperienced evil fighter, righteous anger can hold a serious danger. When we confront sin and come at it with all our might, it is too easy to direct the weapon of our anger on a neighbor himself, instead of his sins. And such anger can no longer be called righteous.

To avoid this sort of mistake in online disputes, there is a simple and very effective way: as soon you've raised your hands to the keyboard, when the fiery diatribe is already rushing through your mind and you hurry to type it all down - then stop and take a deep breath.

Breathe in and out, and then slowly remove your fingers from the buttons with letters. Now look around and think about one very important thing that people often forget in the heat of arguments. Those people I am prepared to condemn - do I really wish the best for them? Or am I saying all these things to humour my own pride? Do I truly feel sorry for my brothers ensnared by the Enemy? Do I love them now, those who blaspheme on the Internet? Or am I prepared to bring down the full force of my anger on them - just to get some vengeance for myself?

And if it turns out that I have no compassion and love for the person I am angry with, then this anger of mine is not righteous at all, but quite sinful. The one about which the apostle James wrote: Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man does not create the righteousness of God (James 1:19-20).

And finally, on this difficult issue, there are a few thoughts of another saint. Today they sound literally like instructions on the spiritual safety for all Orthodox Internet debaters and angry fighters for their faith:

"Christian wisdom is peaceful, and those who strive for it must be peaceful. A lover of wisdom should also be peaceful in relation to others, not to enter into a discussion of words, as the apostle teaches, which in no way serves to benefit, but only to upset the listeners. And if you need to stand up for the truth against those who attack it, you should do it with calm firmness, without irritation, so that you can then, like King David, say to yourself in conscience: I was at peace with those who hate the world."

It would be useful for each of us to print these words of St. Filaret of Moscow in large letters and pin them to the wall next to the computer. So that we remember them every time when the comment section goes wild, how a Christian should actually defend the truth of God.

Original article: https://radiovera.ru/instruktsiya-po-bezopasnosti.html