Sweden: The Newest Front in the War on Christmas
Listen, people, this is no laughing matter. According to the Post, Vandals Burn Swedish Christmas Goat--Again.
Bill O'Reilly tried to tell us, but we wouldn't listen. Thank God the new front has opened up there rather than here. Perhaps this "flypaper" strategy will keep all the atheists in Sweden, leaving God-fearing Americans free to...er...fear God or whatever.
Incidentally, does anybody know why fearing God is supposed to be a good thing?
Listen, people, this is no laughing matter. According to the Post, Vandals Burn Swedish Christmas Goat--Again.
Bill O'Reilly tried to tell us, but we wouldn't listen. Thank God the new front has opened up there rather than here. Perhaps this "flypaper" strategy will keep all the atheists in Sweden, leaving God-fearing Americans free to...er...fear God or whatever.
Incidentally, does anybody know why fearing God is supposed to be a good thing?
posted by Winston Smith at
3:17 PM
6 Comments:
Fearing God is good because it keeps you in line. After all, Christians (apparently) only do good because of their fear of Hell-fire.
Well, that's a theological question, WS. ;-)
The best place to start is not to take the English translation to "fear" literally. There is a strong dimension of "awe" and "wonder" about it.
Solomon says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Non- theologically, we can view it as the beginning of humility.
Its opposite can be found in Nietzsche, who said that fear is the beginning of morality. "Will" replaces fear, and all things become possible.
Theoretically. But Kierkegaard identifies "existential angst," something that "will" does not contemplate. His proposed solution of faith will not be found appealing, however, his vocabulary is useful for the non-theist, either for his own purposes or to understand the theology.
ask and ye shall receive...
Thanks, Tom. Very enlightening.
So you're s'posed to fear God like you fear anything sublime...the night, the ocean...but moreso I guess.
Interesting.
This discussion, while nice, actually misses the point. Making the religious battle the main front in the War on Christmas is kind of like saying pre-invasion Iraq . . . er . . . forget it.
"Fearing God is good because it keeps you in line. After all, Christians (apparently) only do good because of their fear of Hell-fire."
As I grew up in the Baptist tradition this was of course the prudent thing to do but as I began to consider this policy I became confused, mostly because of the rampant hypocrisy evident in the ranks of Christians.
I think the more appropriate policy is that "you" (all you heathens, apostates, atheists, backsliders and heretics)should fear God, as all us "saved" and real Christians are above that sort of thing.
So it is really more akin to fearmongering by using the angry, jealous Old Testament God.
All of us elitist Christian types, we get the forgiving New Testament God.
Sweet, WS. It made me think that even the best of sailors have a proper fear of the sea, and never consider themselves masters of it.
But they do love it with every fibre of their being, and are miserable when separated from it.
Thx.
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