Do you think Christians & Muslims want to NOT believe in God, but their fear gets in the way?

Answer 1

Yes yes yes!! Woops, sorry, that was a bit too enthusiastic... but I know what you're talking about. I felt that same fear before I really let go and realized that I was afraid of nothing but a myth.

It's strange to hold two opposing concepts in ones head and regard both as true. I can't explain it, but at one point I honestly believed AND didn't believe. Part of me, the part that had been indoctrinated and conditioned to fear, still wanted to cling to the idea. The stronger part of me, the quiet, rational side, kept pushing and prodding and gently overtaking the fear with acceptance of reality.

Now I know there's nothing to fear. Nothing can scare me back into it now that I've accepted reality "as is". Not Pascal's Wager, not a near death experience (which wasn't fun at all), not tragedy, nothing. No matter what happens to me or anyone else, no matter how wonderful or regrettable, there exists no gods.

And yes, to come back to your question, I think there are many who still believe out of fear. Why else would they consider Pascal's Wager to be a persuasive argument??

Answer 2

Do you really think that fear is the only motivating factor? If you put fear in any other relationship, that alone is almost never sufficient to hold a person's loyalty. There are plenty of evidences of that. Just go to a police station when they are interviewing witnesses who are afraid of repercussions to testifying. Given the right circumstances, people are easily turned. No, fear was never a way getting people's loyalty.

There are much better ways of doing that. You can get loyalty out of people through a sense of duty, but even that is often not sufficient, as people, when threatened will often turn.

Love is the strongest motivator of all. People who love their country make the best warriors. Husbands and wives who love each other will never separate. People who truly love God will give their lives for Him. Fear has nothing to do with it.

Answer 3

You guys never seems to get it. For most the motivation for being a Christian is not fear, it's gratitude. When someone realizes the great life savig things that God has done for them, out of gratitude they want to worship him.

Notice I said that is the motivation for most, not all. Some out there are very rebellious, stubborn, prideful. Even if they knew there was a God, they refuse to worship him, seeing that as a step down. However in the back of their minds, they have this nagging fear about God. For these individuals fear becomes the motivator. They think about Hell and damnation. They do not have a fear of God like most (awe), they have a fear of God as in afraid. Now to the next part.

This fear of God is what atheists always exhibit. They think that Christian have this afraid type fear of God, because that is what they themselves have. Whenever you hear an atheists talking about Christians being afraid of God, you can bet your last money they are the ones afraid. Guess that's the price of rebellion, you get afraid when the master is coming home.

Answer 4

Fear of what? If we did not believe in God then we would have nothing to fear. BTW, the Christian fear of God is based on loving Him.

Answer 5

EXACTLY! Well at least for me. For the longest time (years... decades??) I only stuck with Christianity because of the fear of hell and God's wrath.

Then I realized-- What makes one culture's god(s) any more realistic than another culture's god(s)? Nothing!

Of course going to college for foreign languages helped a bit too. It would have been entirely impossible for the Bible to be translated word-for-word by countless different people over thousands of years.

Answer 6

I am Christian and fear had absolutely nothing to do with my conversion. But why is it so many people think that about us? Is it the stupid fundamentalists? My personal belief is that God is Love, not fear. I love all of humanity including people of other faiths, agnostics, atheists, homosexuals, and you the asker specifically. Many other Christians are also taught to believe this way. Peace to you all

Answer 7

i think they do want to believe in God, and not because of fear

Answer 8

A big "Yes" on that one! I know people like that, and I myself felt that way. The fear is that by doubting God you will end up in Hell.

Answer 9

I am Christian. I believe in God. I would never, ever, ever want to NOT believe in God. I suspect the same is true for muslims.

Answer 10

Please read my words carefully:
If you see footmark in the sand, you'll say that someone passed from here...
If you see a piece of dog sh*t on the ground, you'll say that a dog passed from here...
So what about the enormous universe, the sky, stars, planets, earth and all the beauty in it, doesn't it lead to that someone made it?!!!

Some people say that everything is created by itself after the big-bang... I won't ask you about what caused the big-bang, but I'll ask you a simple question:
If you take all the letters of the alphabet, multiples of them, and you threw them randomly on the floor. Do you expect (by a chance of one in infinity) to get a poem like shakespear's??!!

Can't you see how organized our universe is, the planets, the eco-system on earth, look even in your own body... Can you control your heart-beat? Can you control your breath while you're sleeping? Who stopped your eye-lashes from growing after reaching a certain length? Who told the baby turtles to move towards the sea and not to the earth after they come out of their eggs? Who taught the bird how to make nests?

My friend, think with your heart and brain. If you're still lost, think about the following:

Do you know how to play safe?
Your point:
If there's no God and you do all what you want in life, then nothing will happen to you after life. But if there was God and you were mistaken, then you'll blame yourself FOREVER...

Believer's point:
If there's God and I followed His commands in life, then I'll be in Heaven after life FOREVER. But if there was no God and we're mistaken, then nothing bad will happen to us after life...

Now you know how to play-safe, in case you're not convinced?