Faith and Disney: Beauty and the Beast

THAT MAKES ME SO MAD!!!

Disney’s Beauty and the Beast

Questions to ask:

Why do people get angry?

Is there a difference between angry and mad?  What is it?

Show Beauty and the Beast video clip where the beast has asked Belle to come to dinner.

Ask:

• When your anger is out of control, people don’t want to be with you.  You become a monster to them, like how Belle saw the beast.  What do you think it was like to live with the beast and his anger? 

• What did the teapot and candlestick say was the most important thing for the beast to do in order to win Belle over?  Control his temper

• Why didn’t the clock want to tell the beast that Belle wasn’t coming to dinner?  Afraid of his anger

• Why did the beast get angry?  Because Belle wouldn’t do what he told her to do
  

• When things didn’t’ go the beast’s way, he couldn’t handle it.  Why do you think he reacted so angrily?  What was really bothering him?  The rose was wilting, time was running out

• Why do you think Belle still refused?  Because of how the beast had treated her earlier

• “If she doesn’t eat with me, she doesn’t eat at all”—Why do you think the beast said this?  He let his anger control his thought process

• Where did the beast go wrong?  
  
  
• How could he have handled his anger better? 
  
  
• Was it hopeless for him?

• What are some ways people express their anger? List on board (shouting, throwing tantrums, pouting, crying, running away, hitting someone or something)

• Are these constructive or destructive ways to express anger?
  
  
• What are some OK ways to act when you are angry or mad?
  
  
• How often do we take out our anger on things or other people that are not the source of our anger?  Maybe something else is actually bothering you, but you take it out on another person.

• What do you see other people doing that makes you mad?

• How should someone react if someone or something in the church makes them angry?  How about work or school?

• Is it OK for a parent to spank or hit a disobedient child?  What are some other ways they could handle their anger?

• How should a teacher handle their anger when a student is disruptive and talks back to them?

• When have you seen your friends the angriest? How did they vent their anger?

• What do you do that really makes your parents mad?

• Do you think one can control others with their anger?  How?

B. Pass out index cards and have the class answer the following questions on their card:

#1  The last time you got angry with your parents was when they…..

        How did you express your anger?

#2  The last time you got angry with your best friend was when they…

        How did you express your anger?

#3  The last time you got mad with someone you didn’t know was when they…

        How did you express your anger?

Pass the cards in and read them out.  Ask the following questions:

Is this a good reason to get angry?

Is this a good way to vent your anger?

What are some other ways to handle the situation?

How would you react in these situations?

• Someone copies off your test against your wishes and you get caught and flunk the course.

• You go to all the practices and really hustle.  Your friend has missed some practices and is lazy.  He gets to start and you don’t.

• Someone is spreading gossip about you that is not true.

• You flunk a test because the teacher asked questions on uncovered material.  Your parents don’t believe you and ground you for a month.

• Your mother makes you take your 6 year old sister to the mall and movie on Saturday night with your friends.

Wrap-up

Did Jesus ever get mad?  

15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there.

He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. Mark 11:15-16

Being mad is an OK emotion and normal.  But how you handle it or what you do with that anger is what’s important.  That’s the difference between anger being OK and not OK.  

9 Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, 
for anger resides in the lap of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:9

Anger is an emotion that WE control.  We choose to be angry in response to a situation; no one makes us feel anger.  

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, ²⁰ because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20

Anger is not a sin.  It is a feeling or emotion.  Anger is not the problem, but how you react to it could be a problem.  It is not good to keep it inside or to let it out in inappropriate and destructive ways.    

26 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, ²⁷ and do not give the devil a foothold.  Ephesians 4:26-27

Most of the time if we let our anger cool off, we can talk about it and come to some constructive way to handle it.  When you are your maddest is not the time to react.   

29 Whoever is patient has great understanding, 
but one who is quick-tempered displays folly.  Proverbs 14:29

18 A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, 
but the one who is patient calms a quarrel. Proverbs 15:18

Closing:

Close your eyes and relax. 

• Think about what really makes you mad.  Get this picture planted in your mind.
• What is the situation?  What has been said or done?
• Now, visualize Christ standing with you when you are angry.  
• What would Jesus do and how would he react to the situation?
• What advice would Jesus give you?

Open your eyes.  Try that the next time you get angry.  Pray for patience and love.