A religion based on fear teaches fear
Dec 12th, 2008 by spaceagesage
Certain religious teachings I have very little use for any more are good at creating fear:
- Fear of having my own inner worth and wisdom
- Fear of moving and flowing to the direction of the Holy Spirit
- Fear of making my own decisions about scripture
- Fear of making mistakes that could condemn me
- Fear of Satanic influences circling like a lion around me
- Fear of not being like everyone else who is of God
- Fear of not being good enough or righteous enough
- Fear of “those people” who are not of God
- Fear of my worldly or carnal nature that likes to take the low road
- Fear of … well, just about everything a pastor or church leadership has outlined as bad or ungodly.
In short, religion often creates fear of God’s wrath, fear of our own inner compass, and fear of the ungodly.
Unfortunately, this fear-mongering attitude in any religion does three things:
- Shows God as merely punitive, controlling, and angry
- Sets up judgment, arrogance, anxiety, guilt, rule-keeping, and intolerance as a way of life
- Seeks to make God a weakling who can’t take care of his own
Hmmmm … that’s not the Christ or Christ-like life I’ve learned to embrace.
But I must admit, I did fall for all those fears earlier in my Christian life. And what a sorry person I was for it.
Liberty in Christ to me now means letting go of fear:
- It means taking a stand for what is right by living it, not by cramming my perspective down anyone’s throat
- It means trusting, embracing, and following Source, Creator, God (which for me is the three-in-one Christian Godhead of God the Father, Christ, and the Holy Spirit.)
- It means God really can take care of himself, his people, and his plan, so I don’t need doubt or worry
- It means not worrying about how “good” others are, but rather letting God’s goodness radiate out of grace-filled and gracious actions
- It means constantly reaching for that spot where I really can be the change I seek in the world
- It means always believing “let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me”
For me, being Christ-like or following Christ makes a positive, uplifting, and insightful impact on the world.
We can have peace if we let go of wanting to change the past and wanting to control the future.
~Lester Levinson
— More on this (and sin, and obedience, and other fun stuff about spiritual versus religious) in upcoming posts! —
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Agreed — and on a similar vein, I really notice how Christianity seems to repress individuality, the whole “deny yourself and follow Christ” attitude. Now that line makes me think of drones — mindless robots/followers. Ach.
ari
Hi Ari,
Actually the denying yourself part works for me in many ways, and I do follow Christ, but it is an individual response to a relationship with Christ, whereas the mindlessness and robotic response comes from a Christianity and an established human authority that is becoming increasingly institutionalized, sanitized, and homogenized. Hang enough weight — like guilt and fear — on people, and they become easier to control, too.
Hi there Lori – I totally agree. The bit (of what you said) that really stands out for me is “fear of our own inner compass” – it appears to me that mainstream religions teach people to listen to something outside themselves (e.g. God, the scriptures), rather than to their own inner guidance (which as far as I am concerned actually is God’s guidance, because we are God – oh how I could go on about this!)
Cheers – Robin
The important thing for me, as I think about my spirituality, is the importance of what “grace” means. Knowing that Christ came and died for me (and you, and everyone’s sins) – and that it is by grace alone that I am redeemed – this is what matters. Fear, no, is not what I want from religion. We have a loving God, and knowing that – it is through love, not fear, that religion helps me to grow my relationship with my Maker.
Hi Robin,
I believe my goal is to be one with God, which is a different concept than yours, but either way, you can’t grow just by listening to others.
Hi Lance,
I agree — grace and love are powerful and transformational. I’m glad to read they are at the base of your faith. I agree wholeheartedly that God is a loving God, but I’ve been exposed to church abuse, and I’m hoping to explore in my upcoming posts that the definitions, strictures, and institutionalized mindsets in some religious thinking keep us from fully embracing and understanding grace and love.