Did fear contribute much in the long run of religion? Was it there right from the start? Is fear one of the things that is keeping it together now? Could it even be posible that fear was one of the main things that helped the creation of religion?
I would agree with you on how fear could possibly influence the creation of a religion, but on the otherside to counter fear there is hope. What religion does is give us mortals hope because without hope the world would be a lot worst than its current state. In our everyday lives we see or experience horrific things. We then search for something out there that will re-enforce the idea that there has to be something better out there; that things can and will get better. Religions such as Buddhism and Christianity may or may not be true but one thing it does is give people hope. What if there is no heaven or a god?? What if reaching enlightenment was just hoax and what if there is no karma??? People will then do unspeakable things to themselves and to others just because there will no longer be any meaning to life itself. Whats the point of helping people when you get nothing out of it?? and trust me we all want something out of it. When you expect people to follow rules and morals, they expect compensation or a grand prize. Being a good person isnt easy, but it keeps people from tearing each other apart. Order cannot be obtain if there is no authority figure and God is that authority. Here's a simple example: Picture a kindergarten class room with about 12 kids and no teacher. These kids get to do what ever they want in the classroom. Hours later the room becomes a mess. Several of the kids are fighting and the classroom is in total chaos. One of the kids felt that it was wrong to be causing so much trouble,so he decides to convince others to stop. They ignored his plea and even started hitting him. Then an adult comes in and warns the class that everyone will be punish for what they did. The teacher laids out some ground rules and everyone must follow these rules or they will face punishment. The authority figure creates fear in these kids and placed order in the classroom. the child who tried to convince others to behave did not have the power to do so. Thats where an authority figure such as God comes in. No human can touch God because God is the all mighty creator of the universe. He can make or break you. This fear of the authority figure keeps us humans in place. Maybe the idea of a heaven and a god is just part of our DNA because we are constantly seeking answers. I really dont know but I think this is a interesting topic. I hope others in this forum will express their opinions on this fascinating topic.
I believe that the start of religion does not include fear. I think religions started because people wanted a way to explain the world around them and what the purpose of life is. Many different religions are created because many people believe in different theories. Fear comes into play when people start doubting religion. The followers of a religion, lets say Christianity, will say that there is heaven and hell and one can only go to heaven if one believes and lives by God. Then one will be afraid of going to hell and decide to follow that religion.
Wow this is a pretty old thread ... and only generated one reply.. -lol Believe it or not; in the East, there's this saying, "Fear not for there is naught to fear but fear'. Fear corrodes our abilities for clear perception. If we are not afraid, nothing whatever can hurt us or disturb us. However, fear is something very common because we tend to fear the Unknown. Fear is almost always necessary... Fear spurs us on when otherwise we should be slothful. Fear gives us added strength with which to avoid accidents. Fear is a booster which gives us added power, added incentive, and makes us overcome our own inclination to laziness. For example; a pupil might not study his school work unless he feared his teacher; or feared appearing stupid in front of his classmates; or feared failing the exams. There are basically two types of Fear; conscious and unconscious Fear.. One might be afraid of the dark; spiders; rats etc.. There's also another type of fear hidden in our sub-conscious. Often we will do things under some hidden compulsion, or we will refrain from doing sth because of a hidden compulsion. We do not know why we do a certain thing, we do not know why we cannot do a certain thing. There is nothing on the surface, we act irrationally and the fear is hidden from our awareness. Fear does not have to be conscious to be active, it is most active when it is in our sub-conscious because then we do not know that it is there, and not knowing that it is there, there is nothing we can do about it. Throughout the lifetime of all of us, we have been subjected to certain conditioning influences. For example, a Christian will have been taught that certain things are "not done", certain things are distinctly forbidden. Yet people of a different religion, brought up differently, are permitted to do such things. So in looking into the question of fear, we have to examine the racial and family background. One must not submit to Fear without rationalization. For example, why do certain religions teach that there is no such thing as reincarnation? One obvious example is this; in the days of long ago the priests had utter power and they ruled people by terror, by the thought of eternal damnation. Everyone was taught that they had to make the best of this life because there would be no other opportunity. It was known that if people were taught of reincarnation, they might tend to slack in this life and pay for it in the next. The counterpart of Fear is Understanding. Because no man can fear that which he entirely understands. Fear is the most common element in religious beliefs, political beliefs and in one's personal loves. Cultures, governments, cities, towns and small groups are all swayed and governed by their attitudes towards these predominant characteristics. Whilst fear may be necessary in helping to 'create' a religion or more accurately spreading and practising the particular religion; it is best to contain fear itself by trying to understand/rationalize for fear can corrupt and corrodes one's beliefs.
^Well he did give a reasonable comment there and not to dig it just to increase post count so I think it's OK right?
There should be a guideline to what is considered old. And how come the "old" topics are not deleted if no one is allowed to reply?
The guideline is personal judgment of the poster and mods. As for the thread not being removed, some prefer to read than to reply. People are allowed to reply, and in the case it isn't spamming, as with this, then it will slide.
I think fear was not part of the creation of religion, the need to explain the world was. Why was there rain, clouds, sun, people and different animals etc. However, when a doctrine is formed (at least its early forms), fear is often used to convince people of the truthfulness of the doctrine/religion. Fear is not the basis of religion, but fear is the basis of ORGANIZED religion.
Yeah, but I personally think the Greek myths got their editing problems of their own... I've read of a version of Pandora's box where in fact there is NOTHING remain in the box... but man put HOPE in the box in its uncertainty...
Well... like all fables, there are various versions of such old stories... The most "popular" or well-known ones are always the censored ones... Have you even heard of the TRUE story of Snow White? Now that is disturbing... I only read the Chinese translated version of it but it includes some really off-limit subjects and themes...
Fear is a Emotion. Religion is is a set of beliefs and practices that one follows. As such...emotions are involved.
