Loving and Fearing God

[Perry Winkle]

Some religions dictate that God is to be feared. The people I know who follow these religions claim to both fear and love God.

It seems to me that unconditionally loving someone you fear indicates a dysfunctional relationship.

Why wouldn't you cast down, or leave, a God you were compelled to fear?

Is it learned helplessness?

[DanaC]

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

[Perry Winkle]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

Perhaps "respect" and "devotion"?

[it]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I think in this context the words 'fear' and 'love' have slightly different connotations. They're drawing on older meanings, in which the two sit together more comfortably.

well in the hebrew bible the word isn't "fear" its "yare", which sort of means "to awe"... so you'd be right.

but i am not sure if this kind of semantical differences are releavent for people who grow up on the english spoken version of their religion. if all your childhood you hear "to fear god" and you know that word 'fear' by how it is used today, wouldn't the way you think about it (and thus what you believe) be built around that?

[DanaC]

I suspect those would be more accurate than the more common current usage of love and fear yes. Adoration as well, again in its original usage.

[Perry Winkle]

I was raised Catholic and I've always misunderstood this. I wonder how many people put up with abusive relationships because of a similar misunderstanding.

Probably a crack-pot theory. But this is the Internet and I don't feel too stupid postulating all sorts of garbage.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by DanaC

I suspect those would be more accurate than the more common current usage of love and fear yes. Adoration as well, again in its original usage.

Yeah, I think awe would be close, but I was a Vatican II guy so who knows?

[DanaC]

Well, there's also the fact that we have changed what we mean by love nowadays to be something much softer and less about power and authority. Love of a father for example would have been expected to include fear of that father as the source of discipline and authority. A loving parent would be expected to instill fear in their children. Not fear of the person so much as fear of the punishments that parent could and should inflict as a way of teaching the child to fear properly.

It was, don't forget, the opinion of most people for a very very long time that children were born with an inherent tendency towards going bad. It had to be beaten out of them and good character beaten in.

[Happy Monkey]

Old Testament God works with the modern definition of fear. But the New Testament God invented hell, which is worse than anything that Old Testament God ever did, so the modern definition of fear works there, too. Not too lovable, except that He demands love, so if you fear him you'd damn well better love Him!

[Pete Zicato]

Originally Posted by Happy Monkey

Old Testament God works with the modern definition of fear. But the New Testament God invented hell, which is worse than anything that Old Testament God ever did, so the modern definition of fear works there, too. Not too lovable, except that He demands love, so if you fear him you'd damn well better love Him!

Not sure what you mean, HM. Lots of references to Hell in the OT.

[JBKlyde]

The fear of the lord is the begining of wisdom.

Perfect love drives out all fear.

Two quotes from the bible that will do you well. Look to the sun for your answers on this subject. It makes the earth warm, gives energy and drives out darkness. Get too close and it will melt you like a Popsicle. The closer you get the more you fear. The more you fear the more respect. The More respect the more you begin love. The more you love the less you fear.

It may start with fear but it ends in love. Fear is not the end of this.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by JBKlyde

It may start with fear but it ends in love. Fear is not the end of this.

So God is like when you fall in love with your rapist!

[Flint]

Originally Posted by Brianna

So God is like when you fall in love with your rapist!

So when they say we have a God-shaped hole in our heart, they really mean we have a rapist-shaped hole in our arse?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Brianna

So God is like when you fall in love with your rapist!

It's more like the Stockholm Syndrome. More gradual.

[sexobon]

Originally Posted by Perry Winkle

.. Why wouldn't you cast down, or leave, a God you were compelled to fear?

Is it learned helplessness?

Para Stockholm Syndrome involving fear of something powerful enough to not only deprive one of this life; but, an afterlife ... eternal life. It also enables the imposition of one's beliefs on others which we routinely see an example of here with one user.