THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST VIRTUOUS VERSATILE BLOGGER — PART 2

Here we have the second post in a long series. If you really want to know what this post is about, check out THE SEARCH FOR THE MOST VIRTUOUS VERSATILE BLOGGER — PART 1. Otherwise, just read on and enjoy.

What is the subject of this post?

WRATH or ANGER

Wrath is one of the seven deadly sins. Is all anger wrong? Consider this definition from the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The desire of vengeance. Its ethical rating depends upon the quality of the vengeance and the quantity of the passion. When these are in conformity with the prescriptions of balanced reason, anger is not a sin. It is rather a praiseworthy thing and justifiable with a proper zeal. It becomes sinful when it is sought to wreak vengeance upon one who has not deserved it, or to a greater extent than it has been deserved, or in conflict with the dispositions of law, or from an improper motive. The sin is then in a general sense mortal as being opposed to justice and charity. It may, however, be venial because the punishment aimed at is but a trifling one or because of lack of full deliberation. Likewise, anger is sinful when there is an undue vehemence in the passion itself, whether inwardly or outwardly. Ordinarily it is then accounted a venial sin unless the excess be so great as to go counter seriously to the love of God or of one’s neighbour. (from here)

Ethical rating? It seems the writer of this definition just made a funny choice of words. For a minute, I thought we might have a mathematical measure for sin.

Note that wrath is not necessarily a sin. Here for example, Wikipedia speaks of wrath as a sin, and here Wikipedia speaks of anger both as a normal emotion and as a self-destructive condition. Curiously, the Bible most often speaks of our Lord God’s righteous wrath (a condition aroused by mankind’s numerous sins) and of the anger of men — sometimes righteous and sometimes not so righteous. I wonder if that is because we are most often guilty of the sin of wrath when we break the injunction of the Lord God and seek vengeance on our own.

Deuteronomy 32:35 Common English Bible (CEB)

Revenge is my domain,
so is punishment-in-kind,
at the exact moment their step slips up,
because the day of their destruction
is just around the corner;
their final destiny is speeding
on its way!

We can help each other to avoid the sin of wrath.

Proverbs 15:1 New Century Version (NCV)

A gentle answer will calm a person’s anger,
but an unkind answer will cause more anger.

The bluebird of bitterness

Are there political bloggers who prefer the gentle answer? I think so. One such is the bluebird of bitterness.

Who is the blogger at the bluebird of bitterness? That’s . What  does is collect lots of humor.  Here is the statement of purpose from the About page.

As for the theme of this blog, it has none. I admire the focus that many of my blogging buddies possess — some blog about poetry and literature, some about home schooling, some about politics, some about faith and religion, some about nature, some about cooking and recipes, and so on. But while I have been accused of many things in my life, being focused has never been one of them. I make no predictions, much less promises, about what will appear on this blog from day to day; that will depend on a variety of things that I can’t foresee. In short, if you are looking for focus and consistency and continuity, you should look elsewhere.

Well, there is some truth to that. When I looked at the video at this post, They just don’t make ‘em like they used to…, it fit, but it left me baffled instead of laughing. What happened?

Laughing? Yes. Although   claims her blog has no focus, that is not exactly true. Gentle humor is  ‘s focus.

Some of ‘s humor is political and will “innocently” rile Obama supporters. Consider this picture.

Sign of the times

But what can Obama’s supporters say? It is simply true. Isn’t that why the folks occupying Wall Street keep asking for handouts?

Much more of what  collects simply observes the twisted irony of extreme Federal policies. In Let freedom ring! However, you’re going to need a permit for the bell, for example, we learn what happens these days when the man of the house defends his wife and children from a grizzly bear.

Still more of what   collects just is just plain funny. Need a medicinal belly laugh? Here are several posts worth checking out.

• Reading and writing and arithmetic…
• Why parents should not discuss the national debt in the presence of small children
• Know your state motto!

Next week we will discuss greed.