Why do people believe in God? Fear or Trust?

Question

What do you think about religion?

Answer 1

Trust
I love my God, God is not a Religion, but man put his label on it to separate himself from others

Answer 2

I believe because of trust.

A lot of people, when they are cornered by the missionaries convert out of fear. They are told that if they don't believe they will be doomed to eternal torment.

Others cannot leave a faith because they have fear in what will happen if they do. They are unhappy in their religion, they know it's not true yet they stay because they have been so swamped with ideas of eternal torment they fear making a desicion on their own. To walk away, possibliy condemning thereselves forever.

I believe that there are many who stay in religion out of fear, and that this is encouraged by churches and ministries. The first thing that is told to you by a missionary is that you have sinned and need Jesus or you will burn in hell. Think about who that would effect people, especially if people were asked if they had down anything wrong in their lives. They are already condemned.

These attitudes make for a very shallow and unreal religion/faith for the followers. This is one of problems in the church today. There is no true following for many of it's members, instead they just fulfill the requirements, church on Sunday etc. to award themselves heaven. They have no true understanding.

Religion in itself really isn't bad. It's what people chose to do with it. When it is used as fear to cow followers and force them into a superficial understanding, then yes it is bad. But that does not make religion on a whole bad.

Answer 3

I would only believe in God out of trust. But the only thing driving me to be a Theist is fear. However, I will not believe out of fear, so I get over the fear and stay Atheist, until God (if He exists) shows Himself to me. If I never find God, then I will burn in Hell (if it's real).

EDIT..

"...you can't fear something you don't believe in".

When I was a kid I was afraid of monsters in my closet, even though I knew my fear was irrational, and that monsters do not actually exist. We can fear things that we are certain do not exist, because we do not KNOW they don't exist.

My fear comes from the fact that since I don't believe God is real, I am said to burn in Hell (IF I AM WRONG). That is a scary thought. I am not afraid of Hell because I believe it exists, I don't believe it exists. I am afraid that I could be wrong. That is it, that is the root of my fear.

But as I said, I will not believe out of fear. I'm not going to become a Theist because I could be wrong. I will not say "Oh, maybe I'm wrong, well, better safe than sorry, I'll convert!" I will only convert if God (if He exists) shows Himself to be real.

Answer 4

I guess there's a lot of people who fear God, but God isn't very attracted to that kind of surrender. He likes love best. Since trust is on the way to love, it's a good start. I definitely trust Him. God is so merciful, and kind.

Although I think some people have a concept that God is a mean jealous smiting God- I don't believe that. Even to those He "smites", He gives them eternal liberation.

Answer 5

Brent Y wrote: "Fear. Given history, anyone who trusts god is an idiot."

"Given history". You gotta love that as a candidate for the Broadest Generalization prize.

Given Brent's phenomenally broad-based knowledge of "history", he is no doubt aware that more people were killed in the name of atheistic Communism in the 20th Century than were killed by the Catholic Church from its beginning to the present day, BY FAR. In fact, "BY FAR" is an understatement.

Anyway, I don't think the answer to your question is either fear or trust. I think people believe in God for the same reasons they believe, or disbelieve, anything else: based on the evidence presented to them. They either consider it trustworthy and credible, or not.

Fear would not bring you to belief in God, because belief has to come before fear: you can't fear something you don't believe in. Same with trust.

Then again, unlike some of the other illustrious and knowledgeable commentators on this forum, I'm an idiot.

Answer 6

I believe in God because I have feelingly and knowingly experienced communion time with him. But nobody can have this personal relationship for you. For me it has little to do with fear, but more with an internal knowingness... and experience, too. Not to trust God is very silly, in my opinion, after all without God there would be nothing. Trust? Yes absolutely, literally.

Answer 7

People believe in God out of fear. In old times, people were scared to die, and had no means of knowing what will happen after you die. Since you cannot survive after you die, people still don't know today. They use religions to make themselves feel comfortable with their life, and make them feel more comfortable about dying. Now that we have technology that explains more than fairy tales and lies, people stick to the stuff that have been going around for years.

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations, but after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.” -Buddha

“All religion, my friend, is simply evolved out of fraud, fear, greed, imagination, and poetry”. -Edgar Allan Poe

Answer 8

it's just a feeling. I believe and trust in God. I feel that God created me so why would He leave me alone. He has to be looking out for me.

Answer 9

I believe in God. It is trust, faith and the fact that He loves me so much that makes me want to believe.

Answer 10

The bible says "even the demons believe" . So what do you mean by that ??? I serve God , I love Him with all my heart, He is my friend, my father, He is everything to me. It is not about fear, it is more about love and respect, and having a relationship.

Answer 11

I love God because He first loved me, and sent His Son to die for me. Like one song puts it,
"I don't know why, why He loved me at all,
yet He loved me so."

As far as religion, if you mean (as the Bible points out) feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, meeting the needs of the orphan and widow, and visiting those who are in hospitals and prisons, then I love it.

This kind of religion is the only kind the Bible approves. It doesn't get us into heaven (only Jesus can get us into heaven), it just makes life easier for everybody.