Does a Fear of God Equal Belief in God?
57I have noticed an incredibly high number of Hubs dedicated to religious beliefs. While visiting the Forums, this observation was re-affirmed by the topic about the abundance of posts made in the Religion forum. This, coupled with a conversation I had with a friend the other day, made me want to jump on the Religion-Hub Bandwagon.
After sharing this Hub about Atheism (and the two subsequent Hubs to go with it) with my friend, we began talking about religious views and various belief systems. It culminated with him saying, "The fact that I'm scared to say I don't believe in God just means that I do."
|
Connect the Dots
Price: $4.95
|
|
The Origin Of Species: 150th Anniversary Edition
Price: $3.89
List Price: $6.95 |
|
The Bible, the Qu'ran and Science: The Holy Scriptures Examined in the Light of Modern Knowledge
Price: $5.99
List Price: $12.00 |
|
Bible, the Qu'ran and Science: The Holy Scriptures Examined in the Light of Modern Knowledge
Price: $4.31
List Price: $8.01 |
Life & Death
I used to be a firm believer in God. As a matter of fact I was a hardcore born-again Christian. I went to church, I read my bible, and I tried to convert as many people as possible. I was young, blind, and very impressionable. I believed what I was told without ever thinking for myself. It just seemed like the thing to do, and with a decent group of friends edging me along, I fit in and it was easy.
But as I got older, and became more self-aware, I started to observe what was happening around me. The very people who were guiding me towards a life with God, were some of the most hypocritical people I had ever met. They would tell us kids one thing, and not ten minutes later would be doing the exact opposite.
The older, mentor type kids were there for show. Not all, but most had that holier than thou attitude. They believed that because they were older and "knew more" in the way of Christ, that they were better than the rest of us. It became quite apparent that this was not the way I wanted to turn out.
Gaining confidence, I slowly broke away from the church. At each turn, I found more and more reasons to walk the other way. Science class sunk in, and a more diverse group of friends helped me peel back my blinders. No longer, did I think that there was only one way to live. I realized that there were and are many different belief systems, and that one of them cannot be solely correct.
They are beliefs, and if someone is telling me I am wrong about something I believe in, well they are a fool. I once made someone cry when I told her she was going to Hell because she didn't believe the same thing I did. How idiotic! Unfortunately, this is the way most religions work. If you do not live as their holy book tells you to live, then you will perish in eternity. For shame.
Anyway, as I mentioned, science class began sinking in. I understood the concept of evidence and soon realized that there is no evidence of God, Jesus, or really anything in the Bible for that matter. Logic took hold and I started to lead a more practical life. It was simplified and less stressful. No longer did I have to think about every single word that came out of my mouth in fear of promoting a sin. No longer was I careful about what I listened to on the radio, or what I watched on TV. These things were so trivial, and had no real impact on my thought process; that it actually annoyed me that I was so far behind on pop culture. (Now, I see that pop culture is also a load of bull that I want no part of, and have sworn off entirely.)
But, even through all of the self-realization, and the gradual falling away from "the light", I still felt a sense of guilt. I wondered what would happen if a life with God was actually the way, and I had completely walked away from it. If God did exist, what does that mean now? I lived in constant fear and half-hearted regret, and that is not a good way to exist.
My Resurrection
With a strong sense of realism, a college experience, and a uniquely developed mind I looked at the world in a new light. I opted out of faith and into fact. My logically oriented mindset helped me shape and form opinions that could be backed up with evidence rather than a theory. I didn't feel like I was sheltered anymore.
This is why that when my friend made that comment, it got me to thinking about myself. I wish that I had never been exposed to religion. I wouldn't have had such a long and drawn out internal struggle. I never would have made that poor girl cry for the worst possible reason. I never would have built up such a bitter feeling toward the church, but most of all, I never would have developed a life lived in fear.
Even now, through all of my perfectly sound reasoning, I have what feels like marionette strings tugging at me every so often. Never will I turn my back on logic, fact, and evidence, but the seed of the Word is always planted in the back of my mind. Hopefully someday it will fade altogether.
So...does this fear of saying that you don't believe in God mean that you actually do believe in God? I'm not really all that sure. My friend says it does, but I would rather believe that it doesn't. I would argue that the fear is not of God himself, but of the repercussions that we have all been told would happen to us if we did not believe.
After all, how can I believe in something that has not been proven? Until it is, I will live my life as practical as possible with my big toe dipping in the water of faith. Just as I am open to the possibility of UFO's, Bigfoot, and the Lochness Monster; God, Jesus and the rest of the Bible will have to put forth some evidence to drag me back in for good.
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Very Interesting thought process going on here. I know the bible says somewhere that the "demons believe in God and trembled NT. You can believe in God, but not be a child of God. I have attended many different churches and understand what you mean about some thinking they are better than everyone else or telling people to do one thing and they do another. Our belief system, what ever it may be, will change as we mature if we have an open mind.
Thanks CA. An open mind is the key word(s) in your comment. My open mind has led me to form opinions and experience things that I otherwise would not have.
That is one of my real problems with religion. A devout Christian, Catholic, or Jew are never open to alternatives, which is so illogical it blows my mind!
Fear of God
First, thanks for the links to my hubs. I would do the same for some of yours, like this one, but haven't figured out how to do it yet.
It's great you were able to open your mind in spite of your religious up-bringing. Your story isn't that unique for atheists. But it's good to be reminded of what we had to overcome to be an atheist.
Have you read "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins? In chapter 9, he gives his opinion on religion & children. The first time I read it, I thought it was very heavy handed. But after reading it again, I better understood his point. If only we lived in a perfect world.
I have not read it yet, but plan on it. Seems pretty good.
For linking...if you go to any Hub, there will be a "Share It" button somewhere near the end of the Hub. Click on that and then there is another button that says "Link To This Page". Click there and you will be able to copy and paste!
Another good idea is to read this page... http://hubpages.com/_CFRefers/tour/affiliate/gear
Hmm, all I have to say is...who friggen knows.
You show me one person who knows one way for sure or not and then maybe I'll make a decision. It's the beauty in life; nobody alive is any more certain than anyone else. In the end, I think I'm really happy with that simple fact.
Well said J. Nobody can really know anything for sure about the history before we were around. But evidence helps me make my decision in what to believe, and since science has proven a lot of things, I definitely believe most of it!
I hope you understand, this is a brilliant article. This article proved that the "follower" mind of a religion can overcome by free thought and debate to become an "individual" mind.
This is the only thing I disagree with: This is why that when my friend made that comment, it got me to thinking about myself. I wish that I had never been exposed to religion
Be happy you were exposed to religion. If you weren't exposed, would you know what you know now? Our history is our greatest learning tool. If you have regret, you will allow previous influence to corrupt free thought through irrationality.
By discovering your individuality, this is our greatest freedom. One can live their entire life in the follower mindset. Individuality to me is proof of God. The mind can see whats "not there" through debate in free thought. This to me is a "sixth sense".
If you rely on science for evidence, you are limiting free thought. Science is only seeing what "is there". Throught free thought, you can see whats "not there".
Great Article
Marine, thanks for your comments! I agree with you. I should have worded it differently. Rather than saying, "I wish I had never been exposed to religion." I should have said something like, "I wish I had not fallen into religion."
I'm not sure I follow your "individuality is proof of God" comment. Care to elaborate?
I rely on science because it does prove to me what is there. What isn't there is whats up for debate. Yes, I can be open to the idea of something that is not physically there, but I cannot wholeheartedly believe it without solid proof.
Thank you for reading! I hope you come back to this and comment again!
I'm not sure I follow your "individuality is proof of God" comment. Care to elaborate?
This is just "one" of my "individual" beliefs that a God exist. In saying this, my individual belief can be changed if "I allow it". I value others perspectives to find the "logic" of my individual belief.
In this article, you prove that your "follower" mind became an "individual" mind. This was not taught to you. You discovered this through your individual free thought of logic. In my logic, this proves that the mind can "see whats not taught", or "see whats not there".
"Yes, I can be open to the idea of something that is not physically there, but I cannot wholeheartedly believe it without solid proof."
"proof" is only proof in the individual mind. Lets say your proof used to be "faith" in religion. When you "believed" "faith", you had "proof" through mind that bible was God. Proof through mind can be as powerful as proof though physical objects.
If we only relied on objects viewable by science, would we ever progress if we only relied on what is viewable and nothing that isn't viewable? Do you not have to see the unseen before the seen?
Example: In space travel. If we would have only relied on our currency and no theory of the unknown, would we have ever made it to the moon? We possibly would have been content with what "we knew" without using free thought to see what we "didn't know". Space travel was the "unseen" which became seen through "theory" it was "possible".
I don't know if I made sense, Thanks for the great article and frying my head on a saturday morn. Great Job.
Thanks for responding again! I understand what you are saying now, however I don't know that I fully agree with proof of mind being as powerful as proof through physicality.
Faith is not proof, it is an act in which one engages that gives them something to hold onto and believe in. For example, I have faith that I will get a job, but until I actually do, I have no proof of that. When I do land a job, I can believe in it because there is a physical act of going to the job and actually doing something with physical results.
I do agree with you that we must see the unseen before the seen...somewhat. I do not have to believe in the unseen, but I can be open to the possibilities. I and all scientists, (I'm not one, but that would be sweet) am open to any and all possibilities in space. That is not to say that I believe there is life on Mars, because it has not yet been proven. I have faith, however, that we will find life on another planet at some point in the future.
Faith and proof are two seperate entities. I don't know that I can be convinced otherwise, but you can keep trying! I like your comments. Good convo.
"I have faith that I will get a job, but until I actually do, I have no proof of that."
This statement you made is proves you must have faith/thought to lead to physical proof. The "faith"/hope is the "beginning" to the outcome. Without the mental aspect, would you ever make it to the physical aspect of getting the job?
Example: A person who has no "hope" or faith of getting a job could give up on themselves. The person could turn to drugs for lack of "faith getting a job". How would they ever arrive to get a job without believing they could get a job?
If you have to have faith or hope to lead to "proof", how can they be seperate?
Touche.
I guess after thinking about this for a few minutes...faith, to me...is a waste of time. It does not and has not led to anything concrete.
My free and open mind is all that matters in the great world of unknowns. As long as I am open to the possibilities, there is no need to have faith in them. Having faith in something not proven is like drinking from an empty cup.
I want to spend my life experiencing what is around me, and not living for the chance that something good will happen after I die. There are too many rules, restrictions, and guidelines to worry about to enjoy a life that way. The mere "hope" of making it into Heaven seems so trivial. Why should I life my entire life for something that has never been proven!?
"Why should I life my entire life for something that has never been proven!?" I thought faith is believing in something without proof.
"Why should I life my entire life for something that has never been proven!?"
I do not believe the bible, so I am not set on my belief on the afterlife if there is one. It is up to the individual to develop the individual belief of the "unknown".
I look at life this way. If there is an afterlife, I want the chance of having things good. I will treat all people good, I will not judge others, I will not be corrupted by the materialistic, I will not be mislead by society influence, I will forgive, I will refuse to hate. If there is a "heaven", I should make it there. If theres not a heaven, I will have no "regrets".
Well put. People should be and do good because it is hurtful not to. That is the only reason for behaving this way.
I suppose if there is a heaven and this is the way to get there, then we are all set, but this is not what religion teaches.
Thanks again for all the comments!
This is why is believe religion is a contradiction to my belief of God. I believe this because religion prevents or limits free thought and individualism. Thank You for your perspectives.
You are absolutely right about that. This has been enlightening.
We have revealed a "huge" debate in our conversation. 2 individual minds can find common ground. 1 individual mind and 1 follower mind may never find common ground because of the "followers" limit of free thought due to overwhelming influence. This example proves that there is no need for "religion" to find common ground. It proves religion to be destructive to common ground. It also proves, there is not a need to sacrifice "individuality" / "freedom" to develop a general logic though debate and free thought. Thank You, great job. I didn't realize how much we wrote until I recently scrolled up.
I would like to hear your perspective on abortion?
haha...well maybe sometime in the future I will write a Hub about my thoughts on abortion. We'll see.
I'll take that as a "yet to be determined" ?
PS: The Celtics aren't looking so hot.
Well I have a stance, but I don't think about it much so I don't know how I would go about it just yet.
And no, the Celts need to step it up a notch, as do the Bruins! They are really letting everyone down.
i have a couple of things i would like to say/ask:
what is the difference between having faith in something and having hope in something? (i feel like there should be a difference). why is it some people have to force religion on their kids and there friends and what not. i think that if people believe in a god, they should keep it to themselves and not try to force there opionoin (wow way to know how to spell that randy) on others.
i myself am an athiest and have not read the bible. but i do know that the bible contradicts itself many times.
in this world there are many gods and alot of things that don't seem to make sense and it is pretty hard to figure it out with science. i feel like it seems odd that people are fighting over religion and that people are dying just because they don't believe in something the other guy does. religion is thrust upon everybody these days. i am probably not even typing about the the right thing anymore lol. i think this is goign to turn into my first hub.lol
Randy...you know your computer has a backspace key right? haha Just kidding buddy.
I agree that people should keep their beleifs to themselves. If they did, there would be nothing to fight about! It is okay to express your feelings on a matter, it is quite another to try to persuade someone to feel the same way...which really is the goal of most religions.
i just didn't really know how to spell it. but it is insane that people will kill others just because of someone nobody knows is real...
I think that hypocrite people don't represent anything but themselves. They exist in every religion, culture, gender or race. They should not affect our sense of reality or believes. At least, this is what I think!
Hello Shame....you are right on. Thanks for the comment.
"i myself am an athiest and have not read the bible. but i do know that the bible contradicts itself many times."
Randy, I place no judgement on you or your belief. This is your right of freedom. Not to persuade you in any way, I believe in "A God", I do not believe the bible.
For the reason I do not believe the bible is the reason I will read the bible until I flip the last page. To say you do not agree with something you haven't read is not logical. This is my point of reading the bible, even though I believe it is a contradiction to my Individual idea of God. If you make yourself read something in which you do not believe, this could enlighten you to understand why people believe it. If you do not debate your belief, can it truly be individual belief of free thought?
C.
Thank you for your open and transparent. I appreciate your honesty and sincerity.
Randy,
You wrote: "i myself am an athiest and have not read the bible. but i do know that the bible contradicts itself many times."
Um...humbly and respectfully...I agree with Marine that a person cannot know there are contradictions in a book if s/he has never read it.
While I have never read the Bible, my father has (when he was an atheist and was looking with a very critical eye). The way he explained it to me was that in the new testament God was described as a being that simply could not recognize evil, he just can't see it basically, and if he cant recognize it then it can't come within his glory. So, because he loves us, he wants to be able to recognize us when we die, otherwise we will live for eternity without being seen by our father. Anyone who has ever worked with abuse/neglect children (my job) knows that nothing screws a person up more than being ignored by those who should be caring for you. In order to give us a fighting chance to be seen by Him when we die, he gave us a list of things that are considered evil... by the universe (i guess), and a consistent pattern of which will lead us to be evil and not be able to enter his glory when we die. He is pleading with us to listen so that he will be able to see us when we die. Hell is simply an existence without God's recognition. I think Christians say "you will fall from the light of God," basically you will be out of his sight and glory for ever.
In the old testament God is a very spiteful being. He wants your undevided devotion or he will smite you. Even if you do give him your undivided devotion he still might mess with you just as a test (i.e. Job, Abraham).
The Catholics also created a notion of God's judgment that said he would punish those who disobeyed his commandments. In fact they went so far as to say it was okay for His workers on earth to go around punishing people here. This was known as the Inquisition.
It is my belief that all organized religion was created by groups of leaders to control the masses. The following is how I think it came to be.
Way back before people could read or write, they told stories to explain why things happened. Lighting? Zeus is throwing lighting bolts again... who is zeus? well he is that bright dot up there in the sky. The stories most likely began with farmers trying to pass information on to their children about when to plant and when to harvest. The stars don't change much from year to year, and for thousands of years they were the only thing that could be studied, and boy did people watch/study them. But a story would most likely go something like this "when 'god 1 star formation' meets 'god 2 star formation' in the sky that is when it is a good time to plant crops.
Now from those simple stories you began to get 'wise men' or 'shamans' in a village who would really have time to study the stars because they were old and the farms made enough food for people to begin to specialize. Soon the majority of people lost the knowledge and relied on the shamans (again no one can read, so if it is not passed down verbally then it is lost). This began to give these shamans power, they could say it was the "gods" who were angry and needed to be passified. Then you get the large cities and true civilizations, Egypt being one of the first true empires. Here the "shamans" became "priests", and the pharohs had millions of loyal subjects they had to control. what better way than to tell them that you are one of these gods they've been hearing about for so long, and look all the "priests" confirm it (for the right price). After thousands of years, there is no one left who really knows. Even the priests and pharohs have lost the truth, and are convinced that what they say is true. Then along come the Jews. Maybe there was a real Abraham and maybe not, but the Jewish faith changed everything. Now instead of many gods, there is only one God and he rules from heaven, and he is spiteful, so if you don't do what he says you die, and maybe he turns you in to a pillar of salt or maybe he has his chosen people convince the ruling government to crucify you. The point is that now, where the Egyptions, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans all had dozens or hundreds of gods all with their own priests demanding tribute, you have ONE God who's priests get ALL the tribute and power.
Here I will skip over Jesus. Suffice it to say I do not believe he actually existed, for as far as I know there is NO evidence of it outside the Bible. This despite the fact that there were many well known historians in the area at the time, none of whom mention a man wandering around doing great miracles.
Skipping a few hundred years into the future you get to a point where the Roman empire is about to fall. They have been in decline for a long time. So the emperor calls together all of the great leaders and priests from around the known world, and he says let's combine our forces. Let's make a religion that will control the world. They do. They take many pieces of many different religions, including the Jewish belief in one God (so much better to get all the tribute and power than to divide among many gods). There were many 'messiahs' around the time Jesus is supposed to have lived, so perhaps there was one who had a pretty good following. The only thing that matters is that the new religion would say Jesus was the son of God and would tell the world he was the one they had to follow and believe in so they could get to heavan. Oh, and the punishment for not buying into this new religion? Burned at the stake, drawn and quartered, etc. And for more than one thousand years this new religion, the Catholic Church, had absolute control of the known world, and anyone who so much as batted an eye towards the faith, was horribly murdered. It got to the point where nearly everyone truly believed, because free thought had been utterlly bred out of them... from peasant to king all were subject to the pope, God's hand on earth. Eventually other religions sprung up with slightly different beliefs, Protestants, Lutherans, Muslims, but they all missed the point that from the beginning it was all a made up illusion forced on the world to maintain power and wealth.
And so the point is that when someone says they believe in God because they fear God, what they need to remember is that the fear is a knee jerk reaction, wired in to our brains for more than 1500 years. It is not fear of God, it is fear of the Church who killed anyone who did not have that fear.
Sorry this is so long, religion is one I've been thinking about for so long.
Yes, we Christians are hypocritical and many times very bad. But it does not knock out God from His throne. Then you are not hypocritical.Does it make you better? Christian needs and have amnesty. Then they do not have to be afraid of God. Believing in God and fear of God are two different things.
Even we know something (a little) still nobody proved scientifically there is no God. God is Creator of matter and time. How do you want to prove God? It is sily. Do you prove builder by seeing building?
Tricia Lee says:
8 months ago
I'm pressed for time right now, but I will definitely get back to this hub.