God Fearing
Back in the day, there was a popular religious phrase that people used. People didn’t ask whether someone believed in God but rather asked if you were a “God fearing” individual. In the age of public relations and individual empowerment, theists no longer use this phrase.
Today, people don’t like to be afraid. When most people fear something, they usually have a good reason for such a fear. Terrorism is a good example. After 911, people were afraid of terrorists. Does that mean that terrorists must love us? Of course it doesn’t. That doesn’t make any sense. But that is how believers viewed God.
If you don’t worship the cloud that God floats on, he will smite you and damn you to Hell to be tortured for all eternity. You should be afraid and you should worship him. That was the way people viewed God not all that long ago.
Today, this reasoning doesn’t resonate with most empowered Americans who don’t like to be afraid. The stick doesn’t work on the modern American in the same way, so religion tends to use the carrot a lot more now. God is love and he cares about you and will reward you in Heaven with an eternal paradise of bliss. Oh, and when you get to Heaven there will be trillions of dollars waiting for you and a porn star (because 72 virgins just doesn’t cut it here in the States).
Personally, I like the “God Fearing” phrase because is shows the bronze-age thinking that has gone into these religions. I’m a more modern American and when someone threatens to send me to be eternally tortured, my first instinct is to fight back. I think many religious people feel that way too and that is why you don’t hear people asking if someone is “God fearing” anymore.
Filed under: God Fearing, Religion
