FEAR FACTOR MONGERING

Have you ever tried to go to sleep with the predator of fear tormenting your mind, if you have you know the incredible power it has. Even when we can rationally discount it, fear still forces its fear upon us, like a relentless bitter wind. Those who motivate people know that fear is a great motivator. They know nothing works better to make people send in their money or volunteer their time and energy or persuade them to accept a certain viewpoint then the fear of wrath if they don’t.

Fear permeates life to a fearful degree. It’s what makes some people go to work in the morning and to lock their doors at night.  It makes your heart race when a policeman is on the side of the highway with his radar pointed on you. Advertisers use it and so do friends and family when they want you to do what they think is best. Religion uses it to “win people to Christ” and to get financial support!

What do we fear? We fear the unknown. We fear being unknown. We fear not having enough. We fear getting caught. We fear not being accepted by our group. We fear our spouses will stop loving us. We fear growing old or life-threatening diseases. We fear for our children’s safety. We fear what other people think of us. We fear what people won’t do. We fear what people will do. We fear crime. We fear losing a loved one. We fear death. We even fear fear itself!

No wonder it’s not easy to sleep some nights and no wonder we are bombarded with the symptoms of worry and stress that cause many medical problems. Fear is so powerful that human institutions such as; the military, learning institutions, employers, social clubs, etc., use various forms of it to keep people under control. The religious institutions are no different, in leading people to believe in a combination of rewards and punishments to keep people inline. Fear-mongers can easily exploit people’s fears to make them do what they otherwise wouldn’t choose to do.

Sometimes fear will even lead us to make right decisions. The fear of getting caught might win over our temptation to break the speed limit. The fear of divorce may induce us not to have extra martial affairs. The fear of hell causes people to adhere to religion. But, a decision based on fear, only brings temporary change and when the threat of fear is gone people revert back to their old ways.

FEAR ROBS people of PEACE and causes WORRY which causes people not to TRUST or lose their TRUST in God!

A LOVE RELATIONSHIP ensures a LASTING RELATIONSHIP, a FEAR RELATIONSHIP ensures a TEMPORARY RELATIONSHIP!