Do people think *Fearing GOD* is a bad or good thing?

Question

By definition: Fear is feeling of anxiety: an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence or anticipation of danger.

When I was growing up most people including myself *feared* our parents you knew you had to be home at a certain time, or you had homework to do, or chores etc...This is what kept you in line..doing what you were told because your parents knew what was best for you. They love you,

Today's society Kids have lost thier fear of parents, they have been told your parents cannot discipline you, so you have a generation of children who do not respect there parents, teachers, or GOD....
Do you agree that teaching Fear within reason causes people to want to do good?

Answer 1

When God uses fear it is talking about respect, God does NOT want His children to be afraid of Him only respect and trust His Love enough as it says in John 14:15 IF you Love me [then] keep my commandments. God bless free bible lessons www.itiswritten.com talk to me also [e-mail]

Answer 2

To answer your question, they haven't lost fear, they have lost respect. When you have a healthy respect for something, you will do what is needed to keep that respect. When you fear something, your doing things for the wrong reason, and are more apt to just walk away from that something. I think that you can still teach your children to respect, but most parents don't take the time to do this. Your children (while not always the case) will reflect what you teach them. Isn't this the same with religion? Do you respect the person teaching you the gospel, if you do, your more likely to follow suite. If you lose respect, your more apt to just go your own way, because you don't care about this situation anymore.

If you are a devoted christian and you find out the priest you have been listening to for the last 20 years actually murdered a nun, wouldn't you start to question what this man taught? The reason i am using this example, is I live in Toledo, Ohio, and this happened recently. This can shake anyone faith if they didn't have a strong base. The foundations that we have been set by the people we see as the parents, the teachers, the family, are the ones we rest everything else on.

In the immortal words of Yoda "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Answer 3

Looks like two questions:
1. Fearing God, No! Fearing God, when He is good, omnipotent, and forgives all -- it does not make sense.
2. Fearing parents.... no but today's generation needs to respect their parents and rules. I've seen four year olds order their parents around, and the Parents LET them! Maybe parents need to to learn how to discipline and obtain respect.

Answer 4

Supposing you want to buy into religion: if you are a good person, then your will should match the biblical ideal of good, and therefore eliminate the need to fear god.

Remember all those Germans that didn't want to kill anybody, but were afraid to speak out against state?

Behavior controlled by fear is behavior controlled. Life is denied when you act in a way for any reason besides your own will.

Answer 5

I think that what you are saying is right... it is a good thing to Fear the Lord. It shows humility and respect. After reading the responses some people have been giving, it seems that they are taking your question the wrong way... God is omnipotent and omniscient (all powerful and all knowing) and we come nowhere close to His glory and thus we must fear the Lord because we are unworthy of Him and His Goodness. God Bless.

Answer 6

I don't fear God in the sense that He might strike me with lightning at any given moment. My fear for Him is respect similar to that you have of your parents. I don't want to disappoint Him and my love for Him makes me want to live a good life. My life is blessed because of Him.

I think too many times fire and brimstone are preached as a scare tactic . . . .God's love needs to be preached more. If so many churches had not posted rules on what you must and must not do to stay out of hell and focused more on what a blessed life you can have with God, there would probably be more Christians. jmo

Answer 7

Yes. I read somewhere that he who fears God fears no man. A healthy fear of God is ... healthy!
I am not in terror of being sent to Hell. He has made me His child by grace, because of what Jesus did for me.
Yet I still have a respectful fear of Him, acknowledging that with a thought He could puff me out, yet resting in the knowledge that He doesn't want to. A love/fear relationship.

Answer 8

It’s only a bad thing when the person does not understand the meaning. Fear of God means profound awe and reverence.

Look it up.

God takes away anxiety, He doesn’t cause it. Anxiety is caused by fear and confusion and those things NEVER come from God.

Answer 9

Just like you would not blame your injured foot for being the cause of pain and therefore cut it off. Because you are fully aware that it's your foot, a part of you and not an enemy doing you harm, you take care of your foot and heal it. We must outgrow what really doesn't serve us. A being who is awake will do no wrong because it is completely aware. I do not see that fear of God as motivation for being good is true goodness. Fear of punishment by an outside force is delusional and is a primitive motivator.

Answer 10

I don't "fear" for God because I have love, respect and reverence for Him. There is nothing to fear.

However, if I wasn't walking with Him...I'd fear what is to come.

I understand what you asking but I don't think you have to teach fear. I think when we learn love and respect we are much more "willing" to do something instead of doing it out of fear.

Peace be with you and Happy Resurrection Day.