Why do people worship their favorite imaginary deity out of fear?

The Bible has lots of stories where people were forced to worship the God character out of fear. They were frightened that he would kill them if they didn't comply with his demands to be worshiped. He did kill hordes of people who rejected his demands and he is always threatening to kill all of humanity unless people cater to his every whim.

Are you fearful of incurring his wrath?

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karysma · 36-40, F

I sure am not worshipping God out of fear. I used to go to church and during the service would step out and have a cigarette before returning. That's not fear if you ask me. I worship God for who he is and the jail he's freed me from. I suffered depression for more than a decade but he saved me. I owe him my life.

kentex35 · 100+, M

@karysma some of the places I've prayed from seem.. oh how could you ish but He's everywhere what kind of fake could I possibly think I could get away with. We're in it together to the end. We both have a sense of humor. No atheists in a fox hole.

karysma · 36-40, F

@kentex35 I mean when you're one with God then where you go he's there watching you 24/7 so really it's no use being fake. He knows you at your best and at your worst and loves you even when it's hard to.

Diotrephes · 70-79, M

@karysma

It's great that you were able to recover from the dark spot in your life. But from your description, your worship service fell far short of the standard specified in the Bible.

karysma · 36-40, F

@Diotrephes That's the thing. It wasn't about the service it was my heart. God doesn't force himself on people. If you reject him he stays patient waiting till you're ready to open the door to your heart.

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kentex35 · 100+, M

@Pikachu look at the ceiling in the basilica in the Vatican that one guy reaching over to the one with a beard sticking his finger out what do you think he's thinking? Pull my finger is what he's thinking!
No one is getting out alive might as well have a sense of humor.

karysma · 36-40, F

@Pikachu Haha yeah he's always there watching. Besides he knows before you even think it. The Israelites met the scary side of God while we met the tender one. Either way he's the same God.

But if I had to choose which time I'd have preferred to be born I'd have chosen the time where mana rained from the sky and the red sea parted. How cool is that 🙂

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Pikachu

@karysma

The Israelites met the scary side of God while we met the tender one. Either way he's the same God.

Well that's what you have to remember.
The god you think of as loving and patient is the same god who murdered every first born son in Egypt with the stated purpose of showing the surrounding nations how powerful he was.

How cool is that

lol it would be great to actually see god's hand and hear his word. I like the Pentateuch more than later parts of the OT for just that reason. We're seeing god actually interact with people.
But don't forget that those times involved wandering for 40 years in the wilderness, getting immolated by god or swallowed up in the earth by god...among other judgements. And it didn't have to be you who was guilty, you might just belong to the same family or even tribe as the guilty party.
Personally that's a bit of a wide target for my taste.

karysma · 36-40, F

@Pikachu It would have been scary. I'd have been stoned for being stubborn or something 😂.

I mean I might not be in a desert in a literal sense but it sure feels like I'm there and desperately waiting to hear from God what to do next. Let's not forget that I don't have 40 years since Christ could show up any minute now.