Are there any saints with a struggle of shouting at and insulting God when they are mad, but who didn't mean it for real?
By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10
In the Coptic Orthodox tradition, we do not recognize any saints who lived in a state of shouting at or insulting God as a practice of their holiness. The definition of a saint is one who has been sanctified by the Holy Spirit and has reached a state of theosis/deification, characterized by humility, submission to the Divine Will, and profound reverence for God.
However, the Holy Scriptures and the lives of the Fathers do show us "holy frustration" or "laments" where a servant of God speaks with extreme raw honesty during times of immense suffering. These are not insults, but rather the cries of a soul in agony seeking comfort.
Biblical Examples of Lament
In the Orthodox Study Bible, we see examples of individuals reaching their breaking point. For instance, Sarah, the daughter of Raguel (from the Book of Tobit), was so distressed by the insults of her maids and the death of her seven husbands that she considered hanging herself. She stayed her hand out of respect for her father, but she cried out to God in a prayer that expressed her deep sorrow, asking to be released from life because she could no longer bear the "false insults" (Tobit 3:6-10). While she was distressed, she turned to God, not against Him.
Likewise, Job and the Prophet Jeremiah (who cursed the day of his birth) expressed extreme anguish. The Church Fathers teach that God accepts the honest pouring out of a broken heart, provided it does not cross into blasphemy or a denial of His Lordship.
The Danger of Insulting God
St. Cyril of Alexandria warns strictly against "ignorant speech" and the "spouting of bitter words." He notes that pouring wicked words over the "ineffable glory" of God is accursed and that we should instead be "honoring it with unending praises."
The Coptic Perspective on Anger
In our tradition, if a person shouts at God or speaks disrespectfully in a moment of anger, it is viewed as a sin of weakness or a temptation from the enemy. It is not something a saint would "struggle with" as a permanent character trait, but rather a moment requiring deep repentance.
The Desert Fathers teach that the remedy for anger and frustration is silence and the "Jesus Prayer": (Kyrios Iesous Pi-Khristos nai nei — Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me).
If a person "didn't mean it for real," it shows that their spirit is willing but their flesh is weak. We look to the saints not as those who insulted God, but as those who, like St. Anthony or St. Mary of Egypt, took their inner turmoil and used it as fuel for deeper prayer and crying out for God's mercy, rather than lashing out at the Creator.