Why do Christians.....?

Question

fear their god?
I have never heard of any non christian group here say that they fear theirs. (Except for Atheists, they fear NOTHING ;)~)
I mean no offense, but it seems that if your god is supposed to love you, why fear them?

(and if I am wrong about the other non Christians, please correct me, I just have never seen it.)

Blessed Be )o(

The only reason I ask is because of the saying, God Fearing Christian

Answer 1

I think the God of Abraham is scary to everyone. Have you read his book?

Answer 2

Pretty simple, you would just have had to take a psych 101 class to understand.

There are two basic motivations, Fear and Desire. All religions use both of these motivations in some form or other.

All people are motivated by both of these at some time and all people are motivated primarily by one of these. Some are primarily Fear motivated and some are Primarily Desire motivated.

People who are Fear motivated tend to reject things that cause them to be afraid, which is why so much emphasis is placed on the Fear motivations in Christianity. People are afraid of them, otherwise there would be no emphasis.

Fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, and here is why:

If you fear only God and you desire only God you cannot be manipulated to go against God's rules.

Pretty simple, basic psych stuff.

Answer 3

Languages have many ways to discuss what we think about God. In English we have words such as 'awe' and 'respect'. We've translated the words from other languages, and 'fear' may have changed meaning over time. A powerful God, living outside of time, in constant communication with all His human beings- this is so far beyond our brains and understanding. So when we don't understand, don't control, don't have any way to predict - this can lead to an emotion somewhat like 'fear'. But I feel a great sense of love, a great sense of safety and a great sense of security.

Answer 4

The fear is a fear of rejection. Fear is a normal and healthy response to imminent or percieved dangers. Christians are taught that to disobey their God through sin can bring permanent consequences, and in the context of whatever culture they find themselves in, that might be true whether they believe in that god or not, since most "sins" come under the broad umbrella of self-serving or anti-social behavior which might profit them in the short-term, but at the expense of their neighbors or cultural community. Basically, their fear is not of their God, but rather a fear of the consequences of their own "dangerous" behaviors. God simply serves as a "personification" or vehicle of those consequences.

Answer 5

Not all Christians fear God. I only fear the punishment from wrongdoings much like a child fears punishment from a parent.

Answer 6

I love G-d.
He is merciful and good to me.
Fearing the L-rd is much like a child doesn't want to disappoint her parents.
I have to disagree with your blanket statement about atheists having no fear.
My close friend is an atheist. She used to be my roommate, she had terrible fears of thunderstorms. She had paralyzing fears about her health, and she had severe panic attacks that would make her sit in the parking lot of the ER just "in case."
I never knew what the "In case" meant.
But then again, maybe you're right, maybe it was the "nothing" that she feared.

Answer 7

I am not afraid of God. The Bible says that God is love, and that their is no fear in love, but that true love drives out fear.
I do, however, fear God, in the sense that I respect Him.
There is more than one defintion of the word "fear"
fear:
1. a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil, pain, etc., whether the threat is real or imagined; the feeling or condition of being afraid.
2. reverential awe, esp. toward God.

Answer 8

The Bible says the fear of the Lord is wisdom. (Job 28:28) I believe what fear means is to have great respect for God's power.

Answer 9

The fear is not a fear like being afraid of someone or something. The fear is translated as respect. "God fearing" is a mistranslated word that came out of the KJV mostly that truly means respectful. It's not the same fear that we think of today.

Answer 10

To "fear" God, is to realize just how powerful and mighty He is. He created everything we have and take for granite, He is powerful enough to destroy everything in an instant, yet He doesn't.
Have you ever watched video of a tornado? The feeling you get when you watch something so powerful, and more importantly so NOT in your control; that's what "fear" of the Lord means tro me any way. I'm not the least bit afraid of the tornado on the TV destroying my house, yet I awe at its incredible power.

Answer 11

Fear=Reverance