FEAR.
Fear is a good motivating force for conformation in the short term, but a poor sustaining force for transformation in the long term!
Fear is used as a societal tool to keep people in check and under control and it works to some degree for a time, but because of complacency, after the fear of the enforcement of the consequences for breaking out of control is lifted because of conformity people tend to step out of the checks and control boundaries again because fear brings conformation not transformation.
In a fallen world, led by the god of the world, because of people’s own self-interests which become a groups self-interests when people form into a group because of self-interests, fear is the only way to keep societal groups in check. When living becomes all about us, our rights, our goals, our comfort, or our religion many tend to feel justified to resort to tactics that without the fear of retribution would run-a-muck and cause great hurt to people.
The history of religion’s motivation that is practiced to this day is the fear of God and His judgments. It has been the most used motivating factor to gain converts and to keep the faithful in check and it is still considered the best way to bring people into relationship with God.
I find it ironic, that the best way to get people to know God and experience His love by accepting his offer of salvation, is the horror of not accepting His salvation. To use that tactic as a selling point to get people to accept the gospel is manipulative to say the least. Yes, Jesus warned us about the consequences of sin that befall those who refuse His offer of salvation, but He did not uses the fear of the consequences to get people to follow Him.
Fear is not a changing factor, it is a controlling and conforming factor as long as our fear can be heightened by the consequences of stepping out of being controlled by breaking the rules and regulations set for keeping people in check.
Fear will not lead to lifelong transformation, it leads to momentary reformation because of conformation due to the fear of retribution for non-conformance!
Jesus offers TRANSFORMATION by entering into a love relationship with God, not CONFORMATION because of the fear of retribution!
Fear is used as a societal tool to keep people in check and under control and it works to some degree for a time, but because of complacency, after the fear of the enforcement of the consequences for breaking out of control is lifted because of conformity people tend to step out of the checks and control boundaries again because fear brings conformation not transformation.
In a fallen world, led by the god of the world, because of people’s own self-interests which become a groups self-interests when people form into a group because of self-interests, fear is the only way to keep societal groups in check. When living becomes all about us, our rights, our goals, our comfort, or our religion many tend to feel justified to resort to tactics that without the fear of retribution would run-a-muck and cause great hurt to people.
The history of religion’s motivation that is practiced to this day is the fear of God and His judgments. It has been the most used motivating factor to gain converts and to keep the faithful in check and it is still considered the best way to bring people into relationship with God.
I find it ironic, that the best way to get people to know God and experience His love by accepting his offer of salvation, is the horror of not accepting His salvation. To use that tactic as a selling point to get people to accept the gospel is manipulative to say the least. Yes, Jesus warned us about the consequences of sin that befall those who refuse His offer of salvation, but He did not uses the fear of the consequences to get people to follow Him.
Fear is not a changing factor, it is a controlling and conforming factor as long as our fear can be heightened by the consequences of stepping out of being controlled by breaking the rules and regulations set for keeping people in check.
Fear will not lead to lifelong transformation, it leads to momentary reformation because of conformation due to the fear of retribution for non-conformance!
Jesus offers TRANSFORMATION by entering into a love relationship with God, not CONFORMATION because of the fear of retribution!
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