why do most religions breed fear?

Answer 1

Greetings!

Quite simply because the Primal fear of Death within us is the most powerful emotion. Thus fear of not having an afterlife works well for religions, while fear of the now life works well for governments.

Good Luck

Answer 2

For the same reason the news networks portray violence, war, and terrible news in general. It gets attention. Also, you need to look at what the religions are really saying. They typically spend more time speaking of Heaven and of how one should act than they do speaking of Hell and creating fear. People in our society tend to only focus on the fear that may be generated by scripture (from any given religion). Finally, I think they also breed fear because each religion says God is on our side, and if you are not with us, then you may not have God on your side. It's the ultimate comeback that religions have come to rely on too often. I personally, as a man of faith, think that religion needs to come up with another tactic to attract attention.

Answer 3

Fear of change and growth. Control. Power.To launch into the unknown and think freely and be alone, can be frightening. Most of us are more comfortable in a group and the feeling of belonging. Religions I think can fall into the "Country Club Mentality". Safety in numbers, to have a sense of belonging and to be with those 'like' us. Many in the world seem threatened by differences and the fear manifests itself in judgment and persecution, the 2 aspects that really do not have a place in a spiritual heart.Many religions use this to keep the differences in the world 'out' of their belief system. It is quite possible to have religion and not have spirituality.To let go of the handle and let the spiritual self go in order to soar, discover , to learn is what religions should support. Questioning and learning are not poison however many religions discourage those that seek answers outside their individual belief systems.

Answer 4

It's unfair to say that all religions breed fear; although fear can and is used as a method of control and manipulation. The same thing can be said about insurance agents, car salesmen, realestate agents, credit card companies, and just about anything you can buy a warranty on. In life there are few guarantees and religions often offer solutions to the unknown and unexpected.

Answer 5

The question assumes that most religions DO breed fear. What research have you done into what different religions believe? Yes, some are fear-based, but not all.

The site below is a good one to begin your research in:

Answer 6

The most frightened individuals tend to associate themselves with the strictest religious groupings. I often used to wonder why that is and now I think I have the answer: in order to offer a person a sense of control over his or her destiny. Follow the rules and all will be fine. Err, and bear the consequences. And if you think that you have followed the rules but still, **** happens -- look again, there must be a bylaw you have violated. So, to answer your question: they breed fear in order to fight fear.
(plus the obvious reason: to scare people into submission, frightened people are easier to manipulate)

Answer 7

So-called religions, religious doctrine, and government legislation as well... were/are all written for the sole purpose of keeping people in check, so to speak, and given that most people are extremely gullible, they tend to believe the words of the seemingly intelligent, yet clever, and quite greedy puppet masters, of whom throughout history have influenced the manner in which people live via instilling fear into the gullible/illiterate minds, thus the bottom line is all about control with fear in order to gain power and wealth...

Answer 8

Because religions were born out of fear, fear of the unknown and the uncontrollable. People needed explanations for what was happening. They needed to understand. The only way for the first of our ancestors to do this without the advances of science was to create stories and myths. These were passed down generations and some of them finally became their beliefs and their religion stemmed from those beliefs.

Answer 9

What happens after death is the unknown and people fear it.

Most organized religions focus on after death as if they have the answer to overcome this fear and get buy-in. If I can find an organized religion that isn't driven by money I'd be interested in joining. Until then... I'll stay home and fear the unknown alone!

Answer 10

Without making people afraid from authoroties, religions wouldn't survive up till this day! Religions use fear as their primary ally to force people to stick to their man made rules so that the world would stay under their hands.