Anger at God common during time of crisis

Although people rarely talk about it, almost everyone experiences anger toward God at some point in their lives, commonly after the diagnosis of a serious illness, the death of a loved one or a trauma.

To see if people get angry at God, researchers in the US analysed the results of five previous studies that examined people's relationships with God, particularly during times of personal crisis or disappointment.

It was found that nearly two out of three people report that they've felt angry at God and many get angry because they believe that God is responsible for the negative events in their lives.

Those who reported being more religious were less likely to get angry with God when bad things happened to them.

In addition to finding that those who were more religious were less likely to be angry with God, the researchers found that certain types of religions, specifically Protestant Christians, were slightly less likely to get angry with God in the face of personal problems. Interestingly, those who don't believe in God or question God's existence reported more anger at God than people who said they believed. Other groups that were more likely to be angry at God when something bad occurs in their lives include younger people and whites.

The researchers said that the anger people feel toward God often parallels the anger that people may feel in other relationships. For example, if someone sees God as responsible for what goes on in their lives, they may feel betrayed by God when they receive a cancer diagnosis, as if God abandoned them in their time of need. Anger toward God is generally fleeting and people who can't let go of their anger often have poorer mental and physical health than those who can. They conclude that it's not unhealthy to feel some anger but if the anger is very distressing or it starts to disrupt normal life, it may be time to get help.