Is (a) fear of God after death (b)the opinion of others or (c) self-respect, the abiter of your life?

Question

And whatever it is, is it a shifting target?

Answer 1

a) & b) are shifting trargets. They have no scaffolding of the self & shift with whims & fancies & false comforts or flagellation. (Religious overtones on the last.) To my knowledge, fear has never motivated TRUE feelings or moral compass. The opinons of others, while we can gain insights now & then--are not codes to live by. The only possible choice I can see is self integrity, i.e., respect for oneself.

Answer 2

No matter what, All is Well on the grand scale of one`s spiritual life. Self-respect is a major factor as to whether one has the joyous experiences here and now. It doesn`t matter much how one achieves this, IMO. This does not mean that one can go around expressing the self-respect in a bullying and dominating way because this infringes on the possibilities of others and will at one point attract negative experiences such as fear, guilt and paranoia.

The name of the game is Love and Joy. What leads to IT or enables its flow creates physical, mental and spiritual health.
What prevents it from flowing freely, the opposite, and with this opposite a lack of self-respect which leads to a life of hell on earth. This leads to many efforts at shifting to a better position, just like we do while we sleep.

Answer 3

I guess this question is only for God rejectors because it doesn't include d) love of God.

For most people, self respect is the product of the real and imagined opinion of others and so b) and c) are essentially the same.

All honest God rejectors will admit there is some possibility that their Creator exists and so it is smart to build up a defense. Take Bertram Russell for example. He said that if he found himself (after death) in front of God, he would answer God with something like, "you didn't provide enough evidence of your existence". So Russell spent a lifetime trying to build a case against a belief in God.

Answer 4

when we know our self, we come to respect it; when we enjoy self-respect, others respect us and have good opinions about us. and when we know and love ourselves, we come to know God little by little, and when you know God you do not fear him before or after death, you become one with Him.This should be absolute peace and calmness. All this doesn't happen overnight but during a life. The target is all the time actually the same, though apparently shifting.

Answer 5

(a)Fear of such a powerful force as God is certainly relevant in my life, yet, as a Christian, I do not fear the judgment to come. My faith is the final arbiter.
(b)If I am to influence for good the folk I meet, then their opinion of me has to be an important motivator in my life.
(c)If I get a "plus" for a and b, self-respect follows.
Yes, it is a moving target - I'm always trying to improve.

Answer 6

It has been a shifting target. Now it firmly stationary on self-respect.

When I was younger I was influenced by others opinion more than my own. As I've aged that pole has shifted. I still consider others but the main consideration is self-respect.

Answer 7

my play book is on c, i don't give a hoot about what others think, why fear something that has nothing to do with u, so that leaves self respect for me, and the target is always the same in a different form survival

Answer 8

I think it is (b) the opinion of others. If God exists, and I believe he does even though I'm an Agnostic, then he alway knows what's in our hearts and minds anyway. Mostly organized religion serves to control others and to keep society stabilized, humanitarian and civilized. This isn't always bad, as if we lived in chaos with no rules, it would be a nasty life. Our relationship with God (each one of is) is entirely personal. You can talk to others about it, but you can't force your beliefs on others.

Answer 9

In a way, the fear of God for me diminishes after death. I've already done whatever wrong I am going to do, and so his punishment, however God decides to mete it out, can't be any worse than death. In death, I have no family, no friends, and no life. He can't take any of those from me anymore, so, what do I have to fear? Death? I am already dead.

Answer 10

For me, its most certainly a shifting target. But its not so much the opinion of others as my desire for the world to be a good place. It may sound simple and trite, but it sincere. I just try to treat others as I'd like to be treated.