Religion spends a lot of time reacting out of apparent fear. Rather than simply and confidently laying out a positive program of beliefs, too often religion is more concerned with raising an alarm over alleged dangers lying in wait all around us.
Not all religions use threats, divine or otherwise, in their attempts to enforce particular moral codes but it’ s certainly a common phenomenon. Shouldn’ t religion focus on the ideals of adhering to moral codes out of a sense of decency and love, rather than out of a fear of hell? Fortunately some do adopt this strategy, many others though don’ t seem to recognize the problem.
Perhaps threats and fear must be attractive to some people because otherwise, these religious groups would disappear.
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I was actually going to make a thread on this, so you saved me the trouble. I don't mean to derail the thread, but here's my take on it:
A lot of people accuse Christianity of using hell as a "fear tactic" to manipulate people into becoming Christian. The only problem with this is that hell really isn't described. All we know about hell is that it's very dark and burning hot--and people might have an unquenchable thirst.
Now, if I were going to invent something to scare people, I'd make hell just a tad more descriptive. Personally, I'd include the following:
--Being flayed alive.
--Being branded with hot pokers.
--Being raped; being sodomized with large, spikey instruments.
--Having one's bones broken.
--Having ants continually gnaw on one's skin; having them crawl up into the body and eating it from the inside out; having them flood into one's mouth and nose and then having them eat the eyes.
--Being vivisected.
--Being subjected to medieval torture devices (such as the breast ripper).
--Having salt, lemon juice, and excrement poured on one's wounds.
--Continually dying of thirst, starvation, and suffocation all at once.
--Having one's fingernails and toenails ripped out with pliers.
--Being forced to eat feces and dirt.
--Reliving the worst moment's of one's life (traumatic, humiliating, etc.).
--Having white-hot spikes jammed into one's soles.
--Being dismembered.
--Being forced into sexual encounters with someone revolting, finding it pleasurable, and then experiencing the shame following it.
--Etc.
And that all would happen at once, forever and ever, hallelujah.
Now, doesn't the Christian hell sound tame in comparison? "Uh...it's dark and hot."
So, yeah. Hell fails as a sufficient scare tactic.
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Yeah, Hell fails for you. But there are a lot of members of your religion that don't know any better. If anything, Hell is the basis for a lot of selfish motivation.
As for the thread topic, yes religions use scare tactics. Religions are founded on the principle that one man, more than any other, knows the answers to the questions we all have about death. It's pretty much a racket.
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So was there a point to Zeal's list of nasty stuff? Seemed like just a weak excuse to make a list of random tortures, most of which weren't really original or funny.
Most aren't, but it's certainly part of it. Even ones that employ fear, like Christianity....you won't find many Christians who believe what they do out of fear. At least not anymore. Maybe during the Middle Ages and such it would've been different.
We're so independant in society these days that if someone tries to tell us that we're going to hell if we don't do certain things, the most likely response is something akin to "Screw that guy. I'm a good person and I don't need a hypocritical priest telling me what to follow." Thus, even if they belive in heaven/hell, the religion has to be packaged as more relevant to current life and less harsh.
You still have "Hell is REAL!!" priests that thump their chests in fear in otherwise docile sects (I've known a couple in my former religious life) but they're in the minority. Most are big on "Here's how you can live the Gospel in your everyday life..." Helpful for believers, but a necessary transition to the now-minded public and "12-steps to a perfect life" mentality that has seeped into the culture.
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Re: Fear as the Basis for Religion?
I never saw it as fear. But more like a warning...fear is more like the reaction rather than the message. Since I'm not a bible quoter there is a passage somewhere in revelations in which it declares let the sinner continue doing sin and the righteous do the right. I feel that's pretty much a choice you've been given.
Using metaphor....when you drive down the road..you see a warning sign. Do you act skeptical and say..."Oh, it's probably already clear by the time I get there. I will just continue to drive in this road" Or do you accept the warning sign and decide to proceed with caution or even take a different route? You're the driver of the vehicle it's your safety and perhaps the safety of others. What's the right call in your opinion?
Maybe to some...for myself I can say that it isn't fear or worries that make religion attractive. It is their deities and universal love and also literature that attracks me.
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Last edited by WanderingDroid on Nov 9th, 2007 at 11:07 PM
Um...I wasn't trying to evoke a response or be creative. I was just saying that, were hell a "scare tactic" used to convert others, it wouldn't be a very good one.
*Sighs.*
Yes, hell is described as eternal torment. But which sounds worse, "dark and burny" or the list of things I described?
Also, there are no descriptions of torture in Revelation. Please do your research before making retarded claims.
__________________ Ask me about my "obvious and unpleasant agenda of hatred."
Feceman, you became far more obnoxious than ever before. You would think someone who had so much Faith in thier religion would be ..i dunno...happier.
We have discussed Hell before.
"Lake of Fire" "Eternal Torment" "Gnashing of Teeth" ...please do not try to minimize the Biblical version of Hell. It is eternal suffering. That is enough of a scare tactic
I always figured that if people actually fully believed their religion, they'd be pious as all hell because they have eternity to enjoy the rewards. The lack of this ascetic existence in mainstream religions speaks to the lack of true faith.
Christianity is a burden, a burden that people like you make heavier each passing day.
"Lake of fire" is a description of hell; "gnashing of teeth" describes the reactions of the people in hell (don't forget the wailing). These are not descriptions of torture.
__________________ Ask me about my "obvious and unpleasant agenda of hatred."
It's the stick and carrot brainwashing used on animals.
Do as I say, you will have pleasure. Don't do as I say, you will have pain.
I agree fear is a big part, however, it is possible to have a religion that makes people believe without the use of fear. Buddhism probably is, but I'm not entirely sure.
correct. i have seen so many people who do things that do not fully relate to their religion. if you truly believed would you not devote ur entire life to the church?
I just thought Feceman was smarter than this. Something must have happened, because he is far more nasty, obnoxious, and disrespectful than ever before.
He is either very angry or simply doesn't care anymore. Either way, his "serious" posts are tasteless.
Fear can be construed as a primary motivation for most things. However, I don't think you can make the argument that its a primary or dominant motivation.
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Nov 9th, 2007 06:26 PM
