Fear of God's wrath is a lousy reason to be religious

Life is difficult. This is something almost everyone can agree on, believers and atheists alike.

But only religious people add to life's difficulties by imagining God inflicts pain and suffering on those who don't comply with whatever commandments their religion believes in.

I was a Catholic briefly as a child. I readily admit that I've never learned why confession is, or at least was, a big part of being a Catholic.

I simply remember that as part of my first communion, I had to confess my sins to a priest.

Being so young, I wasn't much of a sinner. So the best sin I could come up with was not going to mass regularly. The priest told me to recite some Our Father and Hail Mary prayers, which apparently absolved me of my sin and any retribution from God.

Fear of upsetting God is common in religions. When a guru or other holy person is considered to be God incarnate, or at least good friends with God, devotees fear upsetting them also.

Today I came across three separate references related to this notion of fearing God's wrath from very different sources.

This is part of Chapter 18 in Armin Navabi's book, "Why There is No God: Simple Responses to 20 Common Arguments for the Existence of God." That chapter is titled You'll become a believer when you are desperate for God's help.

Desperation often is born out of fear.

The idea behind this is that it's easy to be an atheist when your life is going well, but once you experience hard times, you'll believe in God or at least hope that he is real.

While this claim may be true for some people, it's certainly not a universal truth among atheists. Moreover, the existence of "deathbed conversions" and similar experiences does not prove the existence of God.

They only suggest that people are at their most irrational when frightened, in pain or delirious. The intense fear of death may drive some to accept illogical or irrational views out of desperation for comfort or a way to relieve or lessen their intense anxiety.

...Then, it's not that someone is desperate for God; they're desperate for some kind of comfort and emotional belief. The idea that fear could drive you toward the belief in God only goes to suggest that religious claims are commonly fear-based and not rooted in actual logic or evidence.

Here's a quote from a story in the February 28, 2022 issue of The New Yorker: After the Fall -- The Taliban fought for decades to retake Afghanistan. How will they rule? The Taliban are big on instilling fear, using the Muslim religion as justification for harsh measures.

He [Ibrahim Haqqani] spoke with the assurance of an all-knowing parent: "Severity is a global principle. Whenever there is chaos in a country, strict measures are put in place, and when things become normal again the strict measures can be relaxed." 

He went on, "God is patient. If a tribe takes the wrong path, denying the Quran and such things, then God gives them severe punishment. This is God's way and the world's way." 

Lastly, this is a passage from Johnjoe McFadden's book about William of Occam and the rise of modern science, "Life is Simple: How Occam's Razor Set Science Free and Shapes the Universe." This is how people looked upon things in medieval times when plague was ravaging Europe.

The first epidemic burned itself out within four or five years but, over the following decades, outbreaks of the plague continued to devastate Europe with grim regularity. Looking for someone to blame, frightened rulers and citizens targeted the Jews and thousands were murdered.

Many others believed that man's wickedness was the cause of the divinely inflicted suffering so, in a bid to appease an angry God, donned sackcloth and ashes to wander from town to town to gather and mutually scourge each other with iron-tipped whips.

Yet flagellating, penance, prayer or purges did nothing to placate the fierce God. None were spared.

...With death around every corner, the scholastics abandoned scientific speculation and took to their prayers. It would be more than a hundred and fifty years before anyone else in medieval Europe took any serious interest in science.

Comments

[um]

>>But only religious people add to life's difficulties by imagining God inflicts pain and suffering on those who don't comply with whatever commandments their religion believes in.<<

Cruijff the dutch soccer player was not only wel known for his play style but also for his one-liners. One of these Cruyffian one-liners was: "dis-advantage has its advantage"

Imaging God can be done also in two ways, one that is not advantageous for the believer and the other is.

Facing misery many did and do find strength, solace in their faith and brings forward good qualities in terms of helping others.

It would be strange if that would not be the case in a dual world were good and bad are to be balanced.

[spence tepper]

While it is certainly appropriate to acknowledge the downside of belief in God, it is certainly inappropriate not to mention those systems of faith and belief, and / or personal practice, that are the source of inspiration, and solace during tragedy.

One thing is certain. We live in a world that is very uneven. And for those who live in relative comfort to ignore those who are suffering is indeed a terrible thing and adds to the world's sufferings.

But those who, for whatever reason, understand that we are all brothers, and act to help,they are the light of the world and lessen the world's burdens.

America, one of the world's most religious nations, also happens to be the world's most charitable.
Fear of God is nothing compared to fear itself. But the love of God has dispelled the fear of many.

[TENDZIN]

"But only religious people add to life's difficulties by imagining God inflicts pain and suffering on those who don't comply with whatever commandments their religion believes in."

This is why people object to the promotion of atheism -- it promotes nihilism.

The core moral code of Western religion is the 10 commandments. In brief, respect others' property, don't kill, don't steal, respect one's parents, don't lie, and love God (the organizing force of the universe).

We don't come out of the womb as perfectly rational and moral beings. Humans have always required formation of moral character. Hence humans, or rather society, have depended upon religion to bolster civil laws that encourage order and social harmony.

[Spence Tepper]

If people were afraid to offend their children....
If the rich were terrified by the knowledge of even one other human sleeping without a roof over their head...
If the happy couple suffered an anxiety attack by the sight of even one single orphaned child...
If the business executive were frozen by fear knowing the poverty or the work related injury of even one employee...
If the only way out of terror is to act with decency and kindness..

Then fear has its place.

Lacking these, fear of God is a poor but serviceable substitute....

[Spence Tepper]

If one neighbor could not sleep at night, kept awake by the knowledge of the suffering and agony their neighbor must endure... Even their neighbor in a foreign land....

Then the fear of God is unnecessary...

But not until then.

[Spence Tepper]

If a woman or man cannot even eat a bite of food, worrying over the plight of one elderly person who has no one to eat with...

Then the fear of God is unnecessary...

But not until then.

[Spence Tepper]

If every politician were sickened to the point of illness and incapacitation by the sight of one innocent person's death as a result of the use of even one single bullet....

Then the fear of God would not be necessary.

BUT NOT UNTIL THEN.

[July]

Fear of God is the insanity of man.

How can you fear what is supposed to be pure love. Love is the opposite of fear. God is an energy consciousness. It does not judge or inflict harm on anything.

“God’s wrath” is man’s insane projection of guilt. God doesn’t “wrath”. These concepts remind me that we haven’t evolved much. Human consciousness isn’t much more advanced than a Tolkien tale.

[umami]

https://www.upworthy.com/how-two-guys-fixed-church-with-wd40

'I don’t think there’s anything in the Bible about always asking for a second opinion after getting a quote. But it’s sure to be a lesson taught at Grimsby Minster for the foreseeable future."

[July]

@umami

Nice story. Very cool. Government agencies usually require at least 3 quotes.

That article made me recognize the irony of church bell towers for the first time.

[July]

We need to rethink our concept of God.

God as most people think of God today is basically just a projection of our own insecurities. It’s not real.

[Spence Tepper]

Fear arises from lack of faith.
Fear arises when we are at risk.
Fear arises when we sense we are wrong in a situation where reality will not bend.
But faith is the hope that we can overcome our own weaknesses by aligning to a higher power, with the help of a great Friend.
It is one thing to question the faith of others, but isn't that also a statement of our own lack of faith and the fear of going it alone?
The problem of fear is entirely erased in the presence of a greater power for good.

People do not fear God. They fear their separation from God. And that fear is well placed.

[July]

I would argue that a lot of people do indeed fear God. Most people are taught that God is wrathful and judge mental and makes it rain down fire and brimstone on the wicked. I would say that’s what an authoritarian psychopath is like. That’s the exact opposite of God energy.

[July]

The first sign you belong to a cult:

You believe you are “chosen”, and you believe that God has a chosen group or people.

[Uchit]

Thats beautifully put July. All cults need a following, a group, with expansion plans and possible world domination - isn't this what the devil has been trying to achieve. Take RSSB and the cultish narcissist guru , Gurinder singh Dhillon. It totally relies on a false manufactured image, with a dash of fear and guilt to glue people into the RSSB group. The organisation is hierarchical where if you fit the copy and paste archetype of the guru, ie egotistical, unimaginable greed, superiority complex, and are useful to GSDs interests, then you will be promoted up the ranks very quicky. The whole cult is built on lies , and fear of god, which the simple innocent are easily blinded and sucked into. In reality , as July says, god doesn't need anything, you have free will to exercise the highest choice. Gurinder Singh Dhillon, your days are numbered. People are waking up to your lies and deceit and fear tactics for your own self gain. How else do you explain the billions you have received, the political connections and influence and power to feed your insatiable ego. Karma will be served.