It always takes me leerily aback when someone describes themselves as “god fearing” in their profile. I realize it’s a badge of respectability in the general Bible Belt arena, but I’m not a Bible Belter myself and it carries almost visceral negative connotations to me.
It’s not simply that “godfearers” are most likely to give hue and cry to banning books, burning witches (me being a witch), picketing Planned Parenthood Clinics, and being generally hateful to those that don’t share their beliefs (but dishonest about it, giving “loving” hell warnings), but also the objective translation of the term itself. You believe that your god is your creator (not that there aren’t other definers of what a god might be) and that you should be very afraid of your creator. See, that just sounds all kinds of wrong to me.
Why should you fear your creator? You are an extension of your creator. Surely that’s obvious to anyone of any religion or ideology. So why should you fear your creator? That’s like fearing yourself. You have issues if you do. A lack of confidence or self respect. Or…
Well, I suppose if your creator seemse more to you like a parent to you than Artiste re Art. And I know people who do very literally and with good reason fear a parent or two. In that case it runs along the lines of “I brought you into this world and I can take you out of it!” But that, when taken literally, is very much a dysfuntional relationship that someone really needs to extricate themselves from and recover from.
It’s like, yeah…. I see someone say that of themselves and I automatically think, “There’s someone with issues I’d better steer clear of or they’ll be trying to make their issues my issues. That’s someone who is suffering a dichotomy between “what’s supposed to be” and what actually is.
I feel bad for them. I honestly do. But I don’t want the added issues. I’ve worked through plenty of my own and don’t feel like adding more unneccessarily. Does that make sense?
I wonder what it means to those who say they are godfearing. They must have a more positive interpretation of it if they want to say it of themselves, right?
Ampbreia's space 
Reblogged this on SisterMae and commented:
I am a woman of faith and you know I have a problem with that title I don’t fear God I love God and I don’t fear when things here on earth some to a close wither it be my death or the death of this world as we know it I know by His grace I am saved so why fear Him
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Why indeed.
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I don’t know what it means to be god fearing. I believe in the Great Spirit (or God if that’s what people wish to call him/her) and I don’t think I have any reason to fear. The Great Spirit loves all of us and wants to help us and will if anyone asks for help. To me, that doesn’t sound like a God that should be feared.
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Exactly. I like your thinking on this. It’s so positive.
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I agree with you. Personally I find fear or liking for something that doesn’t exist a bit silly.
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But if you DID actually believe it existed, wouldn’t it still sound a bit silly? Why love what you fear? Especially that thing about it torturing you in Hell forever after a finite life of sin? It seems such a gruesomely overblown reaction to a mere creature’s inperfection. Were we not created as we are to explore all aspects not only of who we are, but who the god we are all extended from is? As I see it, we are god’s reflections of himself. Does he scare himself when he looks in the mirror? I know I scare me sometimes, but still, it’s kind of a silly concept when you get right down to it.
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You ask a very pertinent and important question. This line of thinking will lead to your inner spiritual growth because ultimately you will grow closer to the God of your understanding. I am looking forward to reading more about how you think and reason in terms of your own spirituality.
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Hmmm…. way too much to answer there. Maybe I’ll do a blog on the topic. I’m not religious, you understand. My spirituality isn’t that circumscribed. Don’t know if I’m putting that correctly. Where are you coming from on this topic?
Still can’t get over how much like my 3rd cousin Kenny you look. Bet you really are one of my cousins and just don’t know it.
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I am from South Africa…so if you have any cousins in South Africa then I might be the one :). I have read your description. I am best defined as a mystic. Your religion or lack of one is not important to me. My comment referred to the question: Why should you fear your creator? This is an important question irrespective how you view the creator. Firstly it allows you to look deeper into the world of existence and transcend it to a view investigating your essence. This will lead to inner growth of your spirituality. With spirituality I mean an awakening for an inner life…which can be accessed by atheists alike even though they profess no belief at all.
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Yes I do. My grandmother’s paternal aunt Lilian Walls married an Ernst Blewitt and migrated with him to Port Elizabeth South Africa sometime around 1900. Grandma used to tell me how Lilian had a little cart pulled by an ostrich she used to ride about in and what a large house they live in, practically a castle by Grandma’s estimation. She may have been exagerating about the castle, but she showed me a picture of Lilian in her Ostrich cart once and then lost it before I could get my computer scanner up and running to scan it. *SIGH* There were pictures up of our South African family members up until about 1952 and then no more, probably due to Lilan having died being the only one that kept touch with her family back in the U.S. There were also a couple of my grandmother’s uncles that emigrated there as well, chasing after gold, but I don’t recall their names off the top of my head and they never really stayed in touch. Still, I have reams of historical data and pictures on the family at home. Some of it was on my website AmpbreiaReloaded, but no good looking for it there now. It’s misbehaving BADLY… links not working and other anoyances. Don’t know why I even bother with it, LOL.
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I think God fearing folks are true to their beliefs in God and they respect themselves and their beliefs. I do not see it as fear but as respect.
I am a Buddhist and feel whatever helps you be a better person is good for you.
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I do get that impression, but why use such a negative word for it and then behave so negatively towards others besides, almost as though to thus define themselves? Just bugs me is all. First there are the words and then the actions.
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