[Rebiu]

How do fear and Religion relate? Is fear the motivation for accepting religious views and is the relationship exploited by religious oriented organizations? Does fear prevent people from being influenced by religious dogma? I fear induced acceptance sustainable?

[hallenrm]

I think fear and religion are very closely related, almost on the same plane as fear and insurance. Fear is intutive, because of the competeive NATURE, everybody is competing with everyone for survival, infact fear is the survival instinct; that is the reason for the early evolution of religions much much before modern science took root.

Originally Posted by Rebiu

Does fear prevent people from being influenced by religious dogma? I fear induced acceptance sustainable?

I really do not understand this question could you kindly elaborate.

[CraigD]

Originally Posted by Rebiu

How do fear and Religion relate?

The acceptability of the idea of religion observance as a consequence of fear of death, hell, etc. appears to increase and decrease with time and change in culture. During periods of perceived libertine excess, it becomes more acceptable – the 1741 sermon ”Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” stands out as an example. During periods of perceived repressiveness, such as the 1960s America, it becomes less acceptable, as expressed by an increase in “New Age” religious thought emphasizing love and compassion.

Personally, I always liked the fictional religious perspective on fear expressed in Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune”:

The Bene Gesserit Littainy against Fear
I will not fear
Fear is the mindkiller,
Fear is the little death
That brings total Oblivion
I will permit my fear to pass
Over me and through me
And where it has gone
I will turn the inner eye
Nothing will be there
Only I will remain

[Rebiu]

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I really do not understand this question could you kindly elaborate.

Does fear cause or prevent people from being influenced by religious rhetoric? If people accept religion out of fear will that fear keep cause them to continue to accept the religion.

[hallenrm]

Originally Posted by Rebiu

Does fear cause or prevent people from being influenced by religious rhetoric? If people accept religion out of fear will that fear keep cause them to continue to accept the religion.

No! fear cannot cause or prevent people from being influenced by religious rhetoric, on the contrary people believe in religion and hence are influenced by religious rhetoric, only because they are afraid of the unforseen future. Religion provides a succor from all such fears, a territory where science miserably fails!. I am intutively equating a religious belief with faith in God.

[Southtown]

The two points of control are fear and desire. Some tv commercials use enticement to attract customers, others use scare tactics: sleek car commercials vs. crash-test car commercials. Governments likewise polarize: democracies are built on promises while tyrannies are built on threats. Even religions vary: feel-good charismatic Christians vs. hell-fire and brimstone Christians. Other religions probably polarize as well. I hear written Islam is radically off base with the extremists, hence the name I guess.

But the bible says to walk the middle road. Neither let yourself be controlled by lust or desire, nor fear or threat. But do what is right.

“There is no fear in love: but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punishment; and he that feareth is not made perfect in love.” — 1 John 4:18

“Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.” — Romans 13:10

“For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” — Galatians 5:14

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” — James 2:8-9

“So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh: for if ye live after the flesh, ye must die; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” — Romans 8:12-14

[hallenrm]

Originally Posted by Rebiu

Does fear cause or prevent people from being influenced by religious rhetoric? If people accept religion out of fear will that fear keep cause them to continue to accept the religion.

Thinking a bit more, i wonder whether you are referring to the fundamentalist rhetoric that is a matter of concern now.

A belief in a religion is perhaps a herd mentality, and "religious" people are sometimes afraid of the retaliation from the society they inhabit. In such a case, people are naturally afraid to accept any rhetoric that is counter to the beliefs of their religion as prophesized by its high priests.

Is this close to your line of thinking Rebiu, when you initiated this thread???

[Rebiu]

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I think fear and religion are very closely related, almost on the same plane as fear and insurance. Fear is intutive, because of the competeive NATURE, everybody is competing with everyone for survival, infact fear is the survival instinct; that is the reason for the early evolution of religions much much before modern science took root.

So do you believe fear is a necessary aspect of the human experience?

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I really do not understand this question could you kindly elaborate.

That is because you are removing the question from its context.

Originally Posted by Rebiu

How do fear and Religion relate? Is fear the motivation for accepting religious views and is the relationship exploited by religious oriented organizations? Does fear prevent people from being influenced by religious dogma? I fear induced acceptance sustainable?

If you look at it as a series of questions you will see that I am asking if fear may prevent people from accepting religious dogma after having asked if it may cause them to accept said dogma.

[Rebiu]

Originally Posted by CraigD

The acceptability of the idea of religion observance as a consequence of fear of death, hell, etc. appears to increase and decrease with time and change in culture. During periods of perceived libertine excess, it becomes more acceptable – the 1741 sermon ”Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” stands out as an example. During periods of perceived repressiveness, such as the 1960s America, it becomes less acceptable, as expressed by an increase in “New Age” religious thought emphasizing love and compassion.

Thanks for the information

Originally Posted by CraigD

Personally, I always liked the fictional religious perspective on fear expressed in Frank Herbert’s novel “Dune”:

The Bene Gesserit Littainy against Fear
I will not fear
Fear is the mindkiller,
Fear is the little death
That brings total Oblivion
I will permit my fear to pass
Over me and through me
And where it has gone
I will turn the inner eye
Nothing will be there
Only I will remain

I also enjoyed "Dune"

[kcl0341]

Originally Posted by hallenrm

I think fear and religion are very closely related, almost on the same plane as fear and insurance. Fear is intutive, because of the competeive NATURE, everybody is competing with everyone for survival, in fact fear is the survival instinct; that is the reason for the early evolution of religions much much before modern science took root.




I really do not understand this question could you kindly elaborate.

Reply by kcl0341


Religions today:

Some observers believe that the main function of religions today is to provide their followers with a feeling of security.

John Shelby Spong, retired bishop of the Episcopal Church, USA has written:

"Religion is primarily a search for security and not a search for truth. Religion is what we so often use to bank the fires of our anxiety. That is why religion tends toward becoming excessive, neurotic, controlling and even evil. That is why a religious government is always a cruel government. People need to understand that questioning and doubting are healthy, human activities to be encouraged not to be feared. Certainly is a vice not a virtue. Insecurity is something to be grasped and treasured. A true and healthy religious system will encourage each of these activities. A sick and fearful religious system will seek to remove them."

David C. James, rector of St. John's Episcopal Church & Diocesan Mission Center in Olympia, WA, wrote:

Many times when we think we are worshipping God, we are actually comforting our very fragile egos. I’m not so naïve as to assume that we build temple and erect altars to ourselves…directly. But our core need to been safe, secure and sound mandates that we construct reality systems that will support us.

Let me quote Bertrand Russell statement: “Religion is based, I think primarily and mainly upon fear – fear of the mysterious, fear of defeat, fear of death. Fear is the parent of cruelty, and therefore it is no wonder if cruelty and religion have gone hand in hand.”

Fear is one of several very basic emotions and it is an instinct. It is a survival mechanism, and usually occurs in response to a specific negative stimulus. With this instinct our anciently man could survive in the world ruled by jungle laws. If someone was struck by lighting, then they would think this was the act of God. Fear has overcome them by natural disasters such as flood, bush-fire, landslide, earthquakes and many others. Religions were created to give people a feeling of security in an insecure world, and a feeling of control over the environment where there was little control.

A plague, called The Black Death (1347 – 1350 AD) swept over Europe, causing widespread hysteria and death. One third of the population of Europe died. The primary culprits in transmitting this disease were oriental rat fleas carried on the back of the black rats. The Christian church said it was God’s will, but the reason for this awful punishment was unknown. “God have mercy upon us all!” said the bishop. As a matter of fact, there was nothing to do with God. God had nothing to forgive the people. The lack of medical knowledge had caused the plague. Ignorance had created fear that had overcome all the people in Europe. The virus H5N1 and SARS could have killed one fourth of the world population if our present medical knowledge could not cope with the spread of the virus.

Churches and temples in fact are organizations. Like political parties, they have their own goals and the party members have faith in their parties and their leaders. The way to run a church or a temple is similar as running a political party. Power struggle among the leaders of the church exists just like that in a political party. Churches of different religions claim their God is the only true God. In the history of mankind different kinds of wars have been started by different kinds of religions when their conflicts of interests could not be compromised.

Human beings were supposed to be created by God but according to Christian belief we are born sinners because our first parents Adam and Eve had committed the Original Sin. Our first mother Eve, disobeyed God and she ate the fruits from the Tree of the Kowledge of Evil and Good. After having eaten the fruits both Adam and Eve felt shameful for they found that they were naked. God does not want mankind to have any knowledge at all. Do we want our children to have more knowledge than ourselves? Shall we be jealous at our own children if they are more intelligent than us? On what ground that we should be born sinners ?

King Lee