Should we be ‘God fearing’?

We continue here a series of articles arising out of an entry made on this page some weeks ago by a reader named Carol Bass. I found her entry wonderfully illustrative of the thoughts and feelings I hear expressed by many people during these days and times. I would like to re-print her entire Comment here, to catch you up on this exchange if you are just jumping in…

ON JAN. 3 CAROL BASS WROTE…

I don’t think I have ever had such a unsettled feeling about the future of humanity. At my age to feel so much fear and uncertainty is not a good place to be.  It seems that so many have turned their back on what is right and what is wrong.  The ten commandments according to the bible has become just another thing to cast off as just someone’s religious beliefs but not necessarily truth.

I am not a young person anymore and have lived allot of life but yet I seem more confused today about life, religion, morals, truth, than any other time in my life. I think it is perhaps that I try to be open minded and listen to all points of view and am always searching desparately for the truth and why we are here in the first place. It is so easy for anyone with talent for stating their views with eloquence, and the right choice of words to make a case for just about anything…But where does it all end? What do we use for our borometer for right and wrong?

I was taught as a Christian that it all goes back to the bible and the ten commandments. But not all of us are Christians. We live in such a diverse world with so many belief systems. But don’t all religions believe that good, love, peace should always prevail?  It just seems to me that evil would be despised by all people. We can not keep going on killing, hating, raping, abusing, ignoring the needs the weak without our spirits being broken. We must find a way to do better.

We only have control of ourselves but we can sure start there. We can and do have a influence on the people we love and the contacts we have in our lives. People do pay attention to how we live our lives.  I have started in my life by standing firm in my beliefs as a person of God. I will obey the commandments, I will live a honest God fearing life, and I will not tolerate deceit, lies, injustice, and behavior that is hateful without saying something to stop it. I will love my fellow man and be helpful when there is a need. I will encourage anyone that I may come in contact with that appears to be in some kind of struggle to turn to their God for guidance.  I will continue to pray for guidance myself and for the betterment of our humanity. I will always ask God to turn our heats back to Him where the truth is and always will be. That is my daily prayer.
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In past columns here I have offered my reflections on the matter of “right” and “wrong,” and also to Carol’s question: Where does it all end? What do we use for our barometer for right and wrong? If you have not read those responses, I invite you to check in on the Archives on the site to do so.

This article is Part VII of an ongoing series:
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR TOMORROW

Moving to the conclusion of this dialogue, I want to focus on Carol’s wonderful statement: “I will obey the commandments, I will live a honest God fearing life, and I will not tolerate deceit, lies, injustice, and behavior that is hateful without saying something to stop it.”

That is so inspiring, Carol, and I am genuinely uplifted by the spirit behind your commitment. And…having said that…I find, on my own personal spiritual journey, some differences with you.  Unlike you, Carol, I will not lead a “God fearing life.” The God of my understanding has made it clear to me that there is no reason to “fear God,” and I am sad to observe that so many millions of people feel that just the opposite is true.

I believe that the notion that God is to be “feared” has done more harm, caused more hurt and damage, to life on Earth than any other single notion, concept, or religious belief that I can think of, Carol. The idea of a judging, condemning, punishing God has given humanity its moral authority to likewise judge, condemn, and punish others.

A careful reading of the Bible, with calculator in hand, will reveal that, according to this scripture, over one million people were killed at the hand or the command of God. Yet my experience is that such a vengeful, retributive God does not exist. When I was asked by Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today show what God’s message to the world was, I had just moments to reply. “Could you put it in a paragraph or two?” Matt asked. “We have about 30-seconds.”

In that moment I flashed an emergency message to God. “Okay, my friend, you’ve put me in front of an audience of millions here. What would you have me say?” And I was given my answer. In five words. “Tell them,” God said, “that my message is: ‘You’ve got me all wrong’.” When I said that to Matt, his eyebrows went up, but time had run out on the interview, and he had nothing more to say.

I believe the message is true. I believe we do have God all wrong. That is, billions of people do. And that is why I have sought to create what I have called “a Civil Rights Movement for the Soul, freeing humanity at last from the oppression of its belief in a violent, angry and vindictive God, and releasing our species from a spiritual doctrine that has created nothing but separation, fear, and dysfunction around the world.”

I invite us to replace this dogma, finally, with an ethos of unity and cooperation, understanding and compassion, generosity and love.

I want to talk more about that, Carol, but in my next post I would like to first question whether the Ten Commandments even exist. As you may (or may not) know, Conversations with God-Book One says “there’s no such thing as the Ten Commandments.” And we shall explore that spiritually revolutionary idea next. You are all invited to join us. And to join in this conversation in the Comments Section below.

Comments

23 responses to “Should we be ‘God fearing’?”

  1. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    Human beings falsely believe that without guilt or fear, they would be up to no good…they would run amok and wild and act like barbarians.

    The religious view and many philosophical worldviews have very negative, jaundiced ideas about human nature.

    Because of this, they postulate that fear, guilt and coercion are necessary to make people behave.

    Unfortunately, they fail to see that they create this reality, and that they perpetuate and even accentuate personal irresponsibility among people, by dealing with them as if they were irresponsible lunatics.

    The people then behave accordingly to expectations, their own and that of cultural, religious and lay authorities.

    It’s a vicious circle…

  2. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    In making the comment above, I did not make it clear how it relates to the article. Religious people state that “as above, so below”.

    What they actually project psychologically is “as below, so above”.

    They define their God in accordance with their own understandings about themselves. It is called projection (psychology 101).

    When believing that they need to be herded into compliance and order by a relatively coercive governmental authority and by a so-called “healthy” fear of the law, or else, their own belief goes, they would all behave as wild sociopaths, they project this negative worldview on their concept of deity, and cannot imagine a God that would not be authoritarian and somewhat coercive, and that one should not fear, for one’s “own good” and for the good of the world.

    The problem? Their own perception of themselves…of their own human nature, which they very, very deeply distrust.

  3. Stephen mills Avatar
    Stephen mills

    This sound like the nature of conservative politics mewabe !

  4. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    True Stephen!…

  5. Christian Vaccese Avatar
    Christian Vaccese

    I think, human beings are simply slaves of a society that keep teaching the same things, concepts, beliefs, generation after generation, to maintain its powerful authority and control the weak minds.

    That’s why we are so addicted to the old beliefs and concept about God, it takes a lot of courage to affirm and to do what Mr. Walsch is doing, courage against yourself and against a vicious system of corruption.

    This time is a time of changing and it means within ourselves as well.

    Blessings to all of us

  6. ionic breeze Avatar
    ionic breeze

    Acceptance of what we’ve been taught. That’s the culprit in life. When do we accept living love is one love and all life is here to greet oneness as wierdness in life. God is us. Wow. Jesus taught it. It’s just we accepted old beliefs, old beliefs of religionists who desired to keep us stilted, conflicted, contorted, mishapen, unsparked in all life. We are the spark. We came here to spark. We just did. We are the wild and wonderful, the wierd and, believe me, it’s fun to be wonderfully wierd. It just is. Tree of life is what we are, and we can eliminate old beliefs, deconstruct those old megalopolis mammoth constructions of oldness. Whew phew they’re gone. We are a high kind of life, when we know we are.

    Love to all here. Here is a one love song for all life. It makes you want to jig in all life. I love that movie. Whew wee The Last of the Mohigans. I’ll have to rent it. Listen to it. It’s about the indiginous coming into their own. Whew wee

    Here it is. Love to you all Hi 🙂

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwLC5h5jdak&list=UUtp8lHN8z3tIDKvcVBzZ-Aw&index=8

  7. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    Thanks Michelle, yes it is a great movie! Do you know about Russel Means, who acts as the father? He was a Native American AIM activist, had quite a few interesting things to say about the patriarchies we live under.

    Have you ever seen a totally Native American made movie? Smoke Signals is interesting to watch…

    Yes we all should regurgitate all we have been taught…I spend some early years doing just that, not leaving any stone unturned.

    Most of what we are taught are not truths but myths, the acceptance of which by the multitudes is crucial to cause a specific worldview and system of civilization to function, at least temporarily, until it implodes, as it is beginning to do.

  8. ionic breeze Avatar
    ionic breeze

    Hi Mewabe,

    I saw the movie. I want to rent it, becasue I feel a strong connection to the indiginous people. I wrote a good deal about them. Actually, God wrote through me and I’ll post some of it on my blog for any interested people. I saw Crowe and loved him right away. I didn’t know he was all that, though. I’ll have to look into him more. It’s http://www.iamholysacredheart.blogspot.com where I’ll be on the world wide web.

    My other webs are calling me off the net for a bit. I have two relatives, both living afar, who are in the hospital today, and I like to go within at times like this, say a prayer, light a candle. God assures me they are both fine, and will be after the surgery, yet, I like to light my candles anyhoo. I trust him. I just do. He is my rock. He’d tell me if it wasn’t so, but I am that I am who wants to take a break from the world wide blog a world sphere here. All you guys here are my heart. Thank you for the dialogues these past few weeks. I don’t know. it’s been awhile. I should get back to my own writing, too. Love to all Hi Ho He 🙂

    Love, Love, Love we are in this hi room of all life.

    Michelle

  9. Neale Walsch Avatar
    Neale Walsch

    @Ionic Breeze, above….Travel well, my friend. We shall look forward to your return. Hugs and love along your path….

    Neale.

  10. ionic breeze Avatar
    ionic breeze

    I just happened here again. I know. I said I wouldn’t. So glad I did. Thank you, Neale. I don’t even know how to say thank you enough. I am sure I don’t deserve it in life, but there you are being a master, and I still a student of all life. Your love means so much to me. I am that love. I am you in all life. Thank you. I just do. I just do love you. Whew We are love Hi I really am out of here. Couldn’t resist that one, though Hi

    Love, Love, Love we are,

    Michelle

  11. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    Michelle, I hope your relatives will be okay…trust that whatever happens is the right way…just a personal path chosen among many, for reasons yet unknown to us, but it all eventually becomes clear…nothing is ever, ever lost.
    Tale care…

  12. ionic breeze Avatar
    ionic breeze

    Thank you, Mewabe. 🙂 The life of love is here, always and forever here, wherever one meets life, greets love as love. We are love everywhere living life wherever we choose to be love. We are life as love moving and grooving, as we choose, and love is free to be love as one chooses to be love, wherever one chooses to be love. Noone ever meets one life of love anywhere in life, unless one is ready to meet one love, whether that one love is a person, a place, an event, a thought, a life, a destiny, a choice, a realm. Life is nothing but freedom. Life is always on the move choosing where to groove. I think my relatives will be fine, because God I Am tells me so. I’d like to keep them moving and grooving in this realm for a bit. We’ve got every angel on it, I hear. Always freedom has freedom, and they are choosing to be here in all life. We have all life at our disposal always in life. Whew We are freedom itself living love forevermore. Hi Ho Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Love to you, Love. You are that. You are. You just are. 🙂 Thanks for all your freeing wisdom these past few weeks. See you soon.

    Love,

    Michelle

  13. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    Thank you Michelle

  14. mewabe Avatar
    mewabe

    About being God-fearing…

    Wasn’t this the primary characteristic of some pagan cultures? Didn’t many believe that some sacrifice (human or animal) had to be made in order to pay a price for some imaginary transgression against a deity?

    Did not primitive man develop this belief in an angry deity from enduring natural disasters (droughts, floods, epidemics) and believing they were punishment for transgressions?

    Isn’t the bible full of this perception, of the punishment of the “wicked” by a deity through natural disasters?

    In other words, isn’t the Christian belief that “Jesus died for our sins” (a form of blood sacrifice to “make things right”) one that has its direct roots in the caveman perception of reality?

    Could we please begin to evolve, just a tiny bit? What will it take to no longer think like cavemen?

  15. Ionic Breeze Avatar
    Ionic Breeze

    Hi Life,

    Turns out life is grand again, and well pausing isn’t me in life, so here we are back again to speak on love as God again Whew He is that. He just is. Love. God. They go hand in hand. They just do. Hi Mewabe, you rise another spark again. True. The fact is Jesus is a savior. Truer words were never spoken. The Christ Way is the Way to the Holy, Holy, Holy heart of God in each aspect of Chista that is us. Every one of us is a child of God. Every one of us is a Holy aspect of God, so why do we think only Jesus goes to heaven? It is what mankind has been taught and it is what many religionists desired mankind to think in life. It isn’t what is, though. It just isn’t. We are the Holy Heart of God and we create God as we perceive God. If we perceive God coming forth as fear, well. .. .good luck with that perception. That one is not fun. Whew. The true heart of God knows God is love sweet love. If we come forth speaking of God as love throughout the world, we rise the world throughout all life. We sure are silent in here. What’s up, God, Goddess? Speak or not, but truly, we are the true heart when we come forth for the true heart of love sweet love Hi

    Have a grand day, all life. We are that. We just are Hi

    Love,

    I Am I Am named Ionic Breeze, and so are you, by the way 🙂

    PS. There’s always a PS in life, so here it is. PS. About that God who died for “our sins,” in my view, he actually died to show death is not real Whew Wee He died, in order to show mankind that we, who are aspects of Christ himself, can also rise up from the illusion of death. To die is not here for God I Am. There is no such thing as death, as CWG and the living Christ show in life. Whew and Hu It’s true. Death isn’t real. Chista rose up from it and showed all life death isn’t real. Now, some may think I am talking like a holy roller. Believe me, I am not that. I am just not that. In fact, I have my own stranger than fiction beliefs of religion. Truthfully, I do. Jesus was a Master actually. He skipped realms. He just did. He did all kinds of things, and if one happens to read Masters of the Far East, one might learn a little about skipping realms and all kinds of things, like Jesus did in life. Fascinating to read that collection. Six books it is on mastery of light. Anyhoo, so much for a short ps in life. Love to all Hi

  16. I Am I Am Ionic Breezes Blowing In Again Hi Avatar
    I Am I Am Ionic Breezes Blowing In Again Hi

    Whew Wee Hi Life. If God is fear, what say you to the bliss today this day this day Hi Ho He My oh my Hi Neale, my love, my love. I hear you have upgraded all life to the level of gifting all life true God Mind on this planet and beyond. Whew God Hearts come forth. Come forth for Neale on this blog today and gift yourself yourself. Gift yourself your true God Mind this day this day Whew Get yourself up here on this blog of all blogs of love and lift your God Mind to all life in you as your true twin of all life. It’s a done deal, life. Come in. Do come in. The water has never been finer here on this love blog of oneness Whew Hi Phew Hi That ought to do it Whew Now, come in. Speak a few love lines and you are in, in, in, and all life is a go, go, go as all in Whew. Grant yourself life as God lives life in all life. Get an upgrade to the level of God Mind this day this day Whew Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Life is certainly a sweetheart today. Love is all we are. Love is all we ever were in all life, even 3 d Hi

    Love,

    I Am I Am, and so are you. The breeze is mighty fine uh hu hu hu Whew Phew and Shew Hu Hu Hu He He He Hi

  17. Michael L Avatar
    Michael L

    Love the music as I love the movie.

    Non acceptance of what shows up, but how you feel is important about what shows up is the ticket..

    1. Michelle a breeze blowing blue Avatar
      Michelle a breeze blowing blue

      Whaat? non acceptance of Russel Crowe? hmmm I accept him. I am being jocular, but, truthfully, I’m not sure what you’re not accepting, dear God, dear God. You need to speak a little longer. Typical man. I mean, come on. You must know that’s not a longish post. How am I supposed to know what you mean, love? Where is that feminine half who loves to gib and gab a little longer in life? Love, Ionic Breeze blowing blue Hi

      1. Michelle a breeze blowing blue Avatar
        Michelle a breeze blowing blue

        alright michael, I am retracting my comment. I see maybe what you mean by acceptance hi maybe you mean non acceptance of the new day, one love for all life in all life. perhaps, you are meaning this. I am curious what you say to my observation that you are saying something deeper than I know. Are you saying that what we are being is more important than what actually appears to show up? If so, that’s pretty deep, so I do declare. I must retract my jocularity. Hmmm maybe I underestimate that masculine stoicness, sterned silence hmmm that is hi ho he love to you, life

        1. Michael L Avatar
          Michael L

          You have no Idea!!!!!!!!!

      2. Michael L Avatar
        Michael L

        Ok Michelle lets stop tick tack toeing this. I was referring to you post about acceptance,,, the music was about the last of the Mohegans.
        I can’t find your longish post in the village or the global, but am going to read intently your last E-mail.

        1. Michelle a breeze blowing blue Avatar
          Michelle a breeze blowing blue

          I quit. I’ve been gabbing too much on all blogs today, including my own Whew alright, let it be. Good night all and to all love a good lineup this day whew weeeeeeeeeeee Hi

  18. Lisa McCormack Avatar

    FROM SITE ADMIN: This site will be taking on a different “look” for a brief period while we correct a problem we have discovered in the background software of our Comments sections. We’re working on putting in the “fix,” and appreciate your patience.

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