If man was made in God's image...

[jetson]

..then why do we have so much fear?

I found this in an old blog about Easter, but this sentence stuck out, so I thought it would make an interesting discussion.

It seems to me that humans are instilled with plenty of fear.  It could be argued that fear is the strongest motivator of human behavior.  I'm not going to dive into the science necessarily, but if you disagree, let me know.

So, does God have fear?  If not, then why do we have so much of it if we were indeed made in God's image?

[Nick]

If we did not the lions would have eliminated us long long ago.

[The Gawd]

If we did not the lions would have eliminated us long long ago.

"Open and shut case Johnson."

I would agree. Humans are probably one of the least equipped to defend ourselves in nature. We're too slow to flee, to big to really hide, not agile enough to climb, too weak to fight. We have plenty to be afraid of.

But this question leads right back into SPAG. He didnt create us in his image, we created him in our image. However to answer the question; I'd say he has fear and he reacts like animals do when they fear... by lashing out, by puffing up his feathers in hope to scare the opponent, like some bird species, or puffing up like a blowfish. In hopes that no one ever does test him lest we find the soft underside and he becomes a meal.

[Brakeman]

I think Jetson knows that there is no god and that he didn't make us in his image and that our natural fear has a naturalistic answer. I think he's wanting to explore the theological issue of this god created image of himself not matching up.

The christian construct God fears irreverence as attested to his constant need for praise and control.
Man's "fear of god" is amazingly low or christians wouldn't do so much evil and sinning. They would be paralyzed with fear of offending god. Have you ever heard of the fear described by minion servants of tyrants and kings? They quake because they know their fear is justified. Humans do not quake because deep down they know god is a puss or non-existent.

[jetson]

Brakeman, you're on to something.  It seems to me that the modern "debauchery" and "heathen" behavior that we see reflects our collective apathy over the wrath of any god.  If we assume a normal distribution across societies in the U.S., then there will always be more self-professed Christians giving God the finger, than any other group.

Society no longer cares what God thinks about anything.  And that, IMO, stems from the fact that God has abandoned modern man, I'm guessing, say just over 2,000 years ago?

Anyway, correct Brakeman, this is a thought experiment from a heart-hardened atheist!

[Nick]

He must have all of the emotions.  He is suppose to love us, he definitely gets pissed off (flood, plagues of Egypt, etc.), so I guess fear must be one also.

[The Gawd]

But society never gave a hoot about what god said anyways. NEVER. Even back in the garden they were given ONE order and Eve said to hell with it and ate the fruit plus gave some to Adam.

[Frank]

..then why do we have so much fear?

Because we fear other men.

[Nam]

Biblegod has jealousy, wrath, anger, whiney little baby, etc., why not fear?

-Nam

[Saurus]

Man's "fear of god" is amazingly low or christians wouldn't do so much evil and sinning. They would be paralyzed with fear of offending god. Have you ever heard of the fear described by minion servants of tyrants and kings? They quake because they know their fear is justified. Humans do not quake because deep down they know god is a puss or non-existent.

But what about confessing your sins? Maybe that's what takes some of the fear away from the Christians as preachers keep telling them that if they confess, all is forgiven.

This quote:

When I was a kid, I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised, the Lord doesn't work that way. So I just stole one and asked Him to forgive me." - Emo Philips

It seems to sum it all up pretty nicely. I guess Christians have lost a lot of respect for him if all you have to do is say "sorry" and you suddenly get your ticket back to heaven. 

[jetson]

But society never gave a hoot about what god said anyways. NEVER. Even back in the garden they were given ONE order and Eve said to hell with it and ate the fruit plus gave some to Adam.

That's a good point.  I would say we feared the wrath of God more back in the ancient days than we do now.  Maybe the Christians who get the most upset about the downward spiral of modern society should ask themselves where the hell God has been all of these years?  Back in the day he was frothing at everything that moved.

[Brakeman]

God seems to have some serious issues..

[curiousgirl]

I'm an agnostic atheist, but in response to the OP, I've actually asked Christian family members questions like that and the answer that they gave me is that God would not fear anything, and that is how he originally created us (as fearless creatures). Then they say that we experience fear because we sinned. Christians are unaware that they are suffering from SPAG when they answer questions in that manner. Their quick answer for anything negative is that it exists due to our "sin," and they presume to know the mind of their own god by assuming that fear is a consequence given by him.

[Garja]

This looks like a good a place as any to mention this.

I really have a problem with the whole original sin bullcrap.  Even when I was a believer I had trouble with this.  Most cultures, and certainly my own morality tells me we should judge a man/woman by their own merits, not by their parents, and CERTAINLY not by some fictitious assholes 6000 years ago.

[Quesi]

Well, the god of Abraham does self-identify as a jealous god.  And jealousy is usually rooted in fear.   So I think that Curiousgirl's Christian family members are mistaken. 

Jealousy is an emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions such as anger, resentment, inadequacy, helplessness and disgust. It is not to be confused with envy.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jealousy

Great post, Brakeman. 

[curiousgirl]

Well, the god of Abraham does self-identify as a jealous god.  And jealousy is usually rooted in fear.   So I think that Curiousgirl's Christian family members are mistaken. 

I agree with you regarding my Christian family members.

I think that Biblegod SPAG got so bad that the negative emotions of human beings (jealousy, wrath, etc) were projected onto a fictitious being that is claimed to be omni-benevolent by the same Christians that call him jealous. Humans are so emotionally complex that some of us dreamed up this god who can experience a full spectrum of emotions, so that these people would have some higher power to relate to.

Anyway, I really think that when my Christian part of the family claims that fear is a consequence of sin, they are doing so because their own guilt for whatever actions they regret makes them feel the need to be punished by some fictitious omnipotent being who they claim is more fair and just than they are. I just think SPAG is the deepest reason for why Christians tend to describe Biblegod in a certain way.