The Bible Speaks to You February 21, 1970 Issue

[The above is an abbreviated, postproduction text of the program released for broadcast the week of February 13-19 in the radio series, "The Bible Speaks to You." Heard internationally over more than 1,000 stations, the weekly programs are prepared and produced by the Christian Science Committee on Publication, 107 Falmouth Street, Boston, Massachusetts, U. S. A. 02115.]

RADIO PROGRAM NO. 411 - What Gets Rid of a Bad Temper?

[The participants are Wylodene Govia, a Christian Scientist, and Robert McKinnon.]

McKinnon: Few people would enjoy having the reputation of being mean-tempered. But perhaps some of us have become accustomed to accepting bad temper as a natural part of our makeup, not facing up to the misery it can cause ourselves and others. Govia: True, but do you think that something can really be done about that? McKinnon: Yes, but I also think that to the individual who possesses it very often it appears insurmountable. Govia: You know, there is an alternative. The Bible says (Col. 3: 9, 10), "put off the old man with his deeds" and "put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

Bad temper of an adult, like a tantrum of a child, is nothing to take pride in. It may be likened to the "old man with his deeds," which can be "put off." McKinnon: Putting off something sounds a little like repression. I certainly wouldn't want anyone to repress hostility manifested as temper. After all, is this really dealing with the basic problem, or is it just sort of pushing it back and letting it come out at a later day, perhaps in a much more violent way? Govia: Well, that certainly is a good point. As we are willing to see what is really behind bad temper, we can do a great deal not only to control it but to get rid of it.

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