Amongst adherents of Christianity, causeless, excessive, or protracted anger is treated as sinful due to its treatment in
the Antithesis of the Law and in Colossians 3:8, and unbridled wrath is one of the Seven Deadly Sins. The Bible warns "do not let the sun go down on your anger" (Ephesians 4:26), that is, do not let feelings of anger last so long as to become sinful, but rather, deal with them before they reach that point. There is, however, what is commonly referred to as "righteous anger," as demonstrated by Jesus when he made a whip and cleared out the merchants in the Temple (Gospel of John 2:13-16). In Romans 1:18, the sin of man also provokes the wrath of God, who not only punishes sinners, but also provides a way for them to appease His Wrath.
In Islam, anger is seen as a sign of weakness. Muhammad said, "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, But the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." and "The best of you are those who are slow to anger and swift to cool down... Beware of anger, for it is a live coal on the heart of the descendants of Adam."
Anger in Buddhism is defined here as: "being unable to bear the object, or the intention to cause harm to the object". Anger is seen as aversion with a stronger exaggeration, and is listed as one of the five hindrances. It is a common misconception that
spiritual saints never get angry. This is not true: even the Dalai Lama, the spiritual Guru of Tibetan monks, gets angry<4>. However, there is a difference; most often a spiritual person is aware of the
emotion and the way it can be handled. Thus, in response to the question: "Is any anger acceptable in Buddhism?'' the Dalai Lama answered:
"Buddhism in general teaches that anger is a destructive emotion and although anger might have some positive effects in terms of survival or moral outrage, I do not accept that anger of any kind as a virtuous emotion nor aggression as constructive behavior. The Gautama Buddha has taught that there are three basic kleshas at the root of samsara (bondage, illusion) and the vicious cycle of rebirth. These are greed, hatred, and delusion--also translatable as attachment, anger, and ignorance. They bring us confusion and misery rather than peace, happiness, and fulfillment. It is in our own self-interest to purify and transform them" <5>.
In Hinduism, anger is equated with sorrow as a form of unrequited desire. The objects of anger are perceived as a hindrance to the gratification of the desires of the angry person.<6> Alternatively if he thinks they are superior, the result is grief. Anger is considered to be packed with more evil power than even desire.