Are you afraid of a higher power?

[Judas]

all religion is based on fear, people wouldnt beleive in anything if they werent scared of it.


how can you not fear god, after his (her??) recent actiuvitys with the tsunami, he randomly kills hindreds of thousands oof people for fun, and you still follow him?? how can you seriously beleive in a god that does this?

 

[Rex]

all religion is based on fear, people wouldnt beleive in anything if they werent scared of it.


how can you not fear god, after his (her??) recent actiuvitys with the tsunami, he randomly kills hindreds of thousands oof people for fun, and you still follow him?? how can you seriously beleive in a god that does this?

First off this is not the debate forum so ease down a bit.

2nd off, "ALL" religion is not based on fear. Your assuming, and religions mean different things to different people. Punishment doesn't have to be a factor.

This is a place to learn, not make assumptions.

 

[fromthe heart]

all religion is based on fear, people wouldnt beleive in anything if they werent scared of it.


how can you not fear god, after his (her??) recent actiuvitys with the tsunami, he randomly kills hindreds of thousands oof people for fun, and you still follow him?? how can you seriously beleive in a god that does this?

DEAR JUDAS...God didn't take those lives. This thing was a natural consequense of life that's ever changing...our planet changes all the time...There is a huge wave a whole lot bigger just waiting for the east coast of the US when the Canary Islands let loose from it's next major quake. Fear the events sure but there's no reason to fear God over it.

To answer the original question...am I afraid of a higher power? If I don't do what's required of me I should be. If you did something your parents felt was horrible would you not fear what your parents might think or do? Logical consequenses will occur when a certian action is taken.

Of course this is my own personal opinion and not meant to make light of your own.

 

[Judas]

DEAR JUDAS...God didn't take those lives. This thing was a natural consequense of life that's ever changing...our planet changes all the time...There is a huge wave a whole lot bigger just waiting for the east coast of the US when the Canary Islands let loose from it's next major quake. Fear the events sure but there's no reason to fear God over it.

this is what i dont understand, people credit the creation of the world to an all powerful god. then this god must be responsible for everything.

 

[michel]

Lintu, I am amazed to hear you describe my own feelings and beliefs to a tee. I empathise and sympathise with you because to be as we are is to be in a 'no win' situation.
I don't know if you feel the same way as I do in the respect that I believe others can be forgiven their sins, but not me, because I 'should know better'; on the face of it that sounds absurd, but if you understand what I mean, it will not be absurd to you.
I still believe that, ultimately, I will be 'accepatable' in the eyes of my 'God', but that it will be a steep hill to climb.
If this makes sense to you, perhaps you can let me know, so that we can 'chat' further?

 

[anders]

Fear in god is not gods doing. Fear in god is man-made institutions doing. For a taoist there is no fearing tao. If your standards are too hard for you to live up to, change them. Or accept that perhaps they may be unneccessary. The tao shapes us, we do not shape the tao. So what we do, in a way is shaped by tao, and/or god. He who has little, can gain. A bowl of rice starts with one kernel. A journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. How can one eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Do not focus on the end, for you are here now. When you get to the end, than you can focus on it.

I agree completely, except for my spelling tao as Dao.

 

[t3gah]

alternating electric current can kill. so I guess I'll have to answer, yes.

 

[Stewart]

For those of you who believe in a higher power: are you ever afraid of this entity (or non-entity)?

I don't feel I should be afraid. I can't fear something I can't comprehend. Fear, typically, is irrational.

 

[Melody]

For those of you who believe in a higher power (or those who don't and want to weigh in, of course!). Are you ever afraid of this entity (or non-entity)? Do you feel like you just can't be "good" enough? I find that a lot of times I feel like I can't possibly live up to the moral standards I've set for myself and believe that I should follow, and that I will be punished for being so weak. I believe in a merciful supreme being, but I can't help but think I don't deserve the mercy

I grew up with the Catholic religion and would have to say that I was taught that God was something to fear. Everything was about sin and punishment.

Now though, I realize that He is a God of mercy, love and compassion and, while it is right and correct to be in Awe of Him, there is no fear.

That is the point (at least for Christians)....we can never be good enough and we don't deserve the mercy. It is God's Grace and our belief in Christ that redeems us....not anything we do or "deserve".

Melody

 

[Runt]

I personally don't believe in a God, but I think if there were one, that it would be so alien compared to us, so utterly incomprehensible, that fear would be a somewhat appropriate response. This is because a "higher power" would be so utterly... unknowable...that it would frighten me not to know how exactly I relate to it. Does it notice me? If so, does it have any opinion about me? Are its thoughts and feelings enough like humanity's that it is capible of feeling love, or displeasure? And if it can feel these things, which one does it feel toward me, and my species, and all of creation? And will it act according to these feelings, and if so, how?

There are so many different possibilities, some of them frightening, that I am glad I don't think there is some higher power lording over us all.

 

[FyreBrigidIce]

I do not fear the Higher Being. I beleive that in each life the choices I make determine whether I will be reborn to continue learning and helping others in this life or if I will have done everything that I am meant to do and then join those that have completed their journeys and the Higher Being in order to guide those that are still going through their own journeys.

 

[lousyskater]

i don't fear god because fearing god would be like fearing a bully because he's gonna hurt you. now, standing up to a god doesn't seem like the smartest thing to do to most of you, but it's like standing up to the school bully, he may be bigger and stronger and you may have no chance of beating him, but it's the spirit and will that counts, not brute strenght and power. i'm not afriad of pain and suffering. the first half of my life was all pain and suffering.

 

[kassi]

For those of you who believe in a higher power (or those who don't and want to weigh in, of course!). Are you ever afraid of this entity (or non-entity)? Do you feel like you just can't be "good" enough? I find that a lot of times I feel like I can't possibly live up to the moral standards I've set for myself and believe that I should follow, and that I will be punished for being so weak. I believe in a merciful supreme being, but I can't help but think I don't deserve the mercy

A lot of it was being brought up in a "hellfire and brimstone" religious community, and later dabbling in Catholicism (trust me, you don't have to be born Catholic to experience "Catholic guilt"!).

I understand what your saying, as a matter of fact I posted a thread similar to this in the theist group before I read this one. There are two types of fear, one leads to life and one leads to death. The fear that leads to death, is the type of fear, that is without understanding. The fear that leads to life, is one that leads to the knowledge of God.
Knowing God can bring life. And when you really know him either you love him or you hate him. The one thing about God to fear is that he is Just. God is long suffering,
not desireing that anyone should perish, But that all should come to the knowledge of truth. The truth will set you free. But if you dont hear his word, what he has been trying to tell us, then we remain in darkness, there is no life in us. Its all about Faith, but not
blind faith.

One of the first mistakes we make is that we can somehow please God by our "own" efforts. God needs nothing from us, on the contrary, we need everything from him.
Knowing that we need everything from him is the beginning of life. Trusting in him
for our needs is life. We dont live by bread alone but by every word of God.
The word of God reveals who he is and who we are. Faith in his faithfulness,
in his righteousness, in his his power is what changes us

And we must be changed, for if we remain as we are, we will die. If we resist his will for us ( and his will, is that we "trust" in "his" abillity) then we will come under his judgement. And his judgement is in truth. Not according to the way we judge.

We must be transformed ,according to his will by his own power,and this on our part
is by faith, and faith comes by knowing him, and knowing him comes through Christ.

Christ is the door, the way and the truth.
He that teaches you to love your enemy, would he refuse you if you came to him.
Jesus said abide in My word and you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.
The word is life. Christ was the word in the flesh. Not the word written on stone.
God is not looking for people to reject but for those who he might save, through his word.

 

[MagickIsFun]

Why be afraid? The Lord and Lady love us and protect us from harm. They are with us from the begining and they will be there at the end. We can talk to our respective dietys wheter it be the christian god or any other god(s) or goddess(es) and they listen to us and help us through our problems. talk to Him/Her/Them just to talk. thank them for all He/She/They gave us and live life to the fullest.

 

[anders]

I acknowledge no higher power than Nature and/or the Dao. As long as I follow its/their laws, I have nothing to fear.

 

[Mercury]

no, i do not fear god. i believe god fears me.

 

[michel]

The idea that one must fear God is one of the big problems I have with the Christian Fundamentalist movement. Love is not emphasized, fear is and I think that is so very wrong. I do not fear God, and do not believe there is any reason to do so.

I agree - in principle; I do not fear God, I revere him. As you know I believe in reincarnation; I've got a nagging impression it's going to take me for ever............:jiggy:

 

[Thief]

It's natural to fear Something....bigger, faster, stronger, more intelligent and greatly experienced.
It cannot be pushed aside, circumvented, subdued, tricked or cheated.

With the power of creation in Hand........stacked deck.

Deal with it....if you can.

 

[psychoslice]

No I am not afraid of the so called higher power, for I am that higher power, its only when I see myself as a puny speck called man that I feel afraid.

 

[LuisDantas]

This may be the most extreme thread necromancy I ever saw!

For those of you who believe in a higher power (or those who don't and want to weigh in, of course!). Are you ever afraid of this entity (or non-entity)?

If I did, it would be evidence that I do not believe it to be the Creator God. The Creator God is supposed not to be a bully, after all.

In any case, no, I do not.

Do you feel like you just can't be "good" enough? I find that a lot of times I feel like I can't possibly live up to the moral standards I've set for myself and believe that I should follow, and that I will be punished for being so weak. I believe in a merciful supreme being, but I can't help but think I don't deserve the mercy

That is just not a helpful feeling. One of the most significant religious teachings I ever had is said to be from the Lam-Rim tradition and emphasizes how much of a priority it is not to have a troubled mind.

A lot of it was being brought up in a "hellfire and brimstone" religious community, and later dabbling in Catholicism (trust me, you don't have to be born Catholic to experience "Catholic guilt"!).

Indeed, social reinforcement can be very troublesome.