TALES OF THE CLOSET MONSTER

I keep coming across people who are very afraid.

Not of anything real mind you.  Just afraid.  “Oh, god, help me!” afraid.  Superstitiously afraid.

I don’t understand it.  One guy is constantly praying for and asking his followers to also pray for protection while they sleep.  Protection from what?  The closet monster?  The under the bed monster?  The boogie man?  Bad dreams?  Demons?  Things that go bump in the night?

Another fellow had to beg god for travelling mercies for an 8 mile trip the other day.  Oh yes, those 8 miles were fraught with danger and demons behind every bush we passed.  While it’s true that most accidents happen within ten miles of home (simply because, statistically, that’s where you spend the majority of your life) all the things that can hurt you are natural, not supernatural.

It seems obvious that these people have been trained to be afraid.  I don’t think they’re doing and praying these things out of habit because they put so much sincere effort into this behavior.  Far too deliberate to just be a habit.  So why is there so much fear in their lives that they need to beg god for protection just to sleep or go somewhere?

Frankly, if christians really believed their bible, they shouldn’t be afraid of anything especially the unknown.  There are verses which clearly show that the father, the son and the holy ghost all take up residence inside the believer, they actually make their home with you.  That right there is more than enough overkill to mean a christian never has anything to be afraid of.  Not to mention (although I forget the exact number) there are more than enough Be not afraid’s to cover the entire year and every bad situation known to man.  And to top it off, Jesus says he will never forsake you.  How can you beat a combo like that?  Apparently, it isn’t enough, however.  So you’re also told that Satan is a defeated enemy.

I used to try to teach this sort of thing but I was met with vehement opposition.  One man went so far as to declare he needed his fear, that he couldn’t survive without it.  The concept of a fear free life was so alien to him that he refuted everything I said and completely ruined my presentation.  I was completely unprepared for his outburst, I thought I was bringing some very positive good news.  It never occurred to me that anyone would reject it.

Unfortunately, like so many other biblical teachings, there is an exact opposite teaching to being fear free.  Not only are you supposed to love god with all your heart, soul and strength but you’re also supposed to fear him.  Look up the phrase “fear and trembling” for how you should approach your loving father.  “Fear him who after the killing of the body has the power to throw you into hell,” says Jesus.  The old testament god was so terrifying his own people were afraid to use his name; according to Jesus that didn’t change.  In fact it got worse, the old testament doesn’t teach an eternal hell for unbelievers.  The fear of hell is a new testament teaching. 

God’s name is not god or Lord.  Those are words used to represent him but they are not names.  What do you suppose the commandment not to take his name in vain is all about?  It isn’t about swearing.  If Yahweh or Jehovah were actually correct interpretations of the name there would be quite a few churches (particularly charismatic and Pentecostal) full of dead people because they dare to toss around the name so casually.

The fear of god is the beginning of knowledge.  Some fear is useful.  The fear of being burned will keep most people from sticking their hands into a fire.  The fear of punishment can prevent some bad behavior.  Some fear isn’t so useful.  The fear of rejection can keep you from meeting the person of your dreams.  The fear of failure can keep you from trying something new.  So what does fearing god do for you?

It creates a lot of stress for one thing.  You’re supposed to love him and believe he loves you but you’re also supposed to be afraid of him because he could be displeased and throw you into hell.  God is love but fear his wrath.  God isn’t willing that any should perish but not believing in Jesus will send you straight to hell.  You’re supposed to call out to god for salvation but what are you saved from?  That’s right, you’re saved from god’s wrath.

You supposedly have free will, god’s great gift to mankind, but you are a sinner by default, you have no choice.  You’re born that way, you were conceived that way, it’s in your blood.  Your only option is to believe in Jesus so you don’t suffer the consequences for your sins.  Unfortunately, even after you do that, you’re still sinful by nature so you could still wind up in hell (unless you’re an once saved always saved believer), you don’t actually have much of a choice in the matter.  Constant diligence and repentance.  Stress.

In fact, the only way god can stand the sight of you is by looking through the Jesus filter. 

You’ve probably seen the emails passed around that end with something of the nature of pass this on if you really love Jesus.  If you don’t it means you don’t care about souls.  If you won’t confess me before men then I won’t confess you before the father, says Jesus.  If you won’t post this you don’t love god.  If you don’t put your money in the offering plate you don’t love the lost, said Sumrall.  I’ve seen this type of thing quite a bit lately.  What is it playing on?  Fear.

Fear that god will not approve of you.  Fear that god knows you’re not doing enough for him.  Fear that you don’t read the bible enough.  Fear that you don’t pray enough.  Fear that god knows you masturbate.

Where does all this fear come from?  It comes from your fearless leaders, your fearless christian leaders.  People so full of fear themselves that they spread it around all over their followers. 

I got off the fear boat a long time ago.  I realized it wasn’t a healthy kind of fear long before I realized my faith was worthless.  Seriously, if god is for you who can be against you?  And yet I still see christian leaders trying to instill fear in their followers, from the small little cell groups to the big overpopulated megachurches.

Yeah, it will get results but ultimately it’s a lousy motivator. 

This entry was posted on 8. November 2009 at 04:51 and is filed under interpretation, communication, listen, hearing, emotion, education, religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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