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vedic_kings
30 September 2006, 09:57 PM
Hi guys:)

I have a question.

I do not understand the fear of God, that Christians have, what does this mean?

saidevo
01 October 2006, 08:43 AM
Namaste vedic_kings,

The two primary attributes of God are Absolute Love and Absolute Justice. God does not discount or disown any human because of His immense Love, but at the same time, He is Just, so He will not interfere in the karma phala (the fruits of karma) experienced by the soul.

Since orthodox Christianity has no theory of karma, they believe in God's Judgment after death. Also every human is assumed to be a sinner right from birth, and therefore, must fear God, who in turn will love the human.

We Hindus have a phrase bhaya bhakti that we teach to our children for the attitude they must form towards God. Bhakti yoga has many bhavas, but since children are not matured enough, we teach them to fear God and behave themselves. The attitude of fear works in two ways: one, it motivates them to be good and do good. Two it makes them revere God. This is why parents often tell their young kids that if they don't behave themselves the Swami will nick their eyes! As they grow older, the children adopt their own natural bhakti bhava and relate to their personal God.

In the life of a normal Hindu, it is actually bhakti that directs the karma yoga path. This is especially true for Hindu women. Employed Hindu men usually have very less, if any, time for relating to God through bhakti. In many cases, however, as a normal Hindu reaches the vAnaprasta stage, he begins a spiritual self appraisal and finds out that it is time to set foot on the Jnana yoga path by vicharam (inquiry) and dhyanam (meditation).

Tomoz
02 October 2006, 03:30 AM
Hi guys:)

I have a question.

I do not understand the fear of God, that Christians have, what does this mean?

Hi there Vedic Kings! When we speak of 'fear of God', we mean a respect for and honouring of God, and an awareness of his inconcievable greatness.
We don't mean fear as in being scared of God. On the contrary, the Bible says that when we become Christians we recieve a spirit of adoption or sonship, rather than fear (in this sense meaning being scared) and that there is no fear in love.
The Hebrew word translated as 'fear' (in Old Testament) means respect and honouring, which we need to do with God.
The Greek word translated as fear (in New Testament) means being scared, which we don't need with God.

Sudarshan
02 October 2006, 07:24 AM
Hi guys:)

I have a question.

I do not understand the fear of God, that Christians have, what does this mean?

It is with regard to non christians. Those who are not christians indeed have to fear their God. This is standard propaganda.

Which looks very distant from what Jesus baba teaches:-

John said to him, "Teacher, we saw someone who doesn't follow us casting out demons in your name; and we forbade him, because he doesn't follow us."
But Jesus said, "Don't forbid him, for there is no one who will do a mighty work in my name, and be able quickly to speak evil of me. For whoever is not against us is on our side. For whoever will give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because you are Christ's, most certainly I tell you, he will in no way lose his reward.

(Mark 9:38-41)