Is the installation of fear a valid teaching practice?

Question

and if so why do we not have more "Fire and Brimstone" speeches from the pulpit?

Answer 1

Yes, "Fear of the Lord" is a gift from the Holy Spirit ... but it is not effective if you cannot "Relieve" that fear. Other wise you end up with a "Precher" like in the movie, "Poly Anna" (Disney)

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Amazing Grace
How sweet thy sound
That saved a wrench like me.
I once was lost, but now I'm found.
'Twas blind but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear &
Grace my fear relieved.
How precious did that grace appear the hour that I first belived.

Answer 2

Although the technique has been employed throughout history as a means of mind control, I doubt that it would be recommended by psychologists as a preferred educational device. In times past, I think that much preaching of "fire and brimstone" was, in fact, done from the pulpits. Perhaps, church leaders have somewhat abandoned the instillation of fear in this more enlightened age; however, it seems to me that many of the theists posting here on Qs & As use threats of damnation as their instruments of choice for converting nontheists to the Christian way of thinking...

Answer 3

Fear teaches nothing. No one has ever learned from fear. Avoiding something out of fear marks us as cowards and we are encouraged to overcome our fears in every aspect of life. To truly teach, the how and why need to be presented with respect. Think about a small child, you can tell him not to hit his brother or else you will beat him savagely but as soon as you can't prove it, the little brother gets hit. You can teach him that hitting hurts and help him sympathize with his brother and then even when you aren't there, the brother doesn't get hit. We learn only through respect and honest information.
People (animals etc) may avoid something out of fear but ultimately, they will find courage and once the fear is found to be meaningless, the lesson is lost.

Answer 4

In the late 1980s, TV commercials in the U.S. asked, "What goes through the mind of a driver who is not wearing a seat belt in a head- n collision?" Then they showed a crash dummy having its head crushed by a steering wheel in a collision, and said, "The steering wheel!" Those were scare tactics, but no one complained because they were legitimate scare tactics. That’s what happens in a head-on collision if you are foolish enough to not put on a seat belt. To warn of hell is fearful, but it is absolutely legitimate, because the Bible says that it is a fearful thing for a sinner to fall into the hands of the living God.

Preaching the reality of hell, without using the Law to bring the knowledge of sin, can do a great deal of damage to the cause of the gospel. A sinner cannot conceive of the thought that God would send anyone to hell, as long as he is deceived into thinking that God’s standard of righteousness is the same as his. Paul "reasoned" with Felix regarding righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come (Acts 24:25). This is the righteousness that is of the Law and judgment by the Law. Felix "trembled" because he suddenly understood that his intemperance made him a guilty sinner in the sight of a holy God. The reality of hell suddenly became reasonable to him when the Law was used to bring the knowledge of sin.

Imagine if the police burst into your home, arrested you, and shouted, "You are going away for a long time!" Such conduct would probably leave you bewildered and angry. What they have done seems unreasonable. However, imagine if the law burst into your home and instead told you specifically why you were in trouble: "We have discovered 10,000 marijuana plants growing in your back yard. You are going away for a long time!" At least then you would understand why you are in trouble. Knowledge of the law you have transgressed furnished you with that understanding. It makes judgment reasonable.

Hell-fire preaching without use of the Law to show the sinner why God is angry with him will more than likely leave him bewildered and angry—for what he considers unreasonable punishment.

Answer 5

No, it's not valid. God does not rule by fear. But, when disasters and tragedies happen, people flock to churches, so I suppose some preachers see that and figure preaching fear is a good tactic to keep bodies in the pews.

Answer 6

People don't want to hear the truth anymore. Installing fear may get a person into the kingdom but it doesn't keep them there. Love is what keeps them there.

Answer 7

Love is a better motivator, & God is love his subjects follow his directions out of Love not fear. The fear of God means being fearful of offending him or bringing reproach on his name like you wouldn't want to do to a member of your family

Answer 8

It seems to me preachers are trying to be politically correct so that they do not step on the gays/lesbians toes, the big business men/women corporations etc.... that way all the people who want to appear to be moral and upstanding citizens can come to church, empty their pockets and have a good feel good session.

Answer 9

It can be, but it ought to be based upon actual dangers (like those mentioned by chekeir), not imagined ones. "Masturbating will cause insanity or cause you to grow hair on your palms" may produce the desired effect, but it is based upon a lie.

Answer 10

Fear?
Where will we be without fear? imagine people finding out that there was really no WMD, or all those terrorist alerts were fake?