Should we fear or respect God?

Question

About the Virginia Tech shooting today...
My mom was saying that the man who killed those students was sick in the head. I responded that if he was a student, that he was probably an outcast, that he got bullied and tortured by other jocks and students and was probably very, very miserable. The conversation then went on to God. She said that the man didn't fear God, and that we should, and that the older generations feared him and implied that it was right. I then said that you shouldn't fear God, (doesn't God say to his people, "do not be afraid, for I am with you,"?) you should respect him, just because you have to praise him doesn't mean that you should fear him, but give great respect. She said that that was wrong, and my generation should fear God, not just respect him. Is my mom right or wrong? What are your point of views?

Answer 1

RESPECT GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dude, he's the one that gave us life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

The question is irrelevant to the situation... neither to the shooter or the victims. The shooter was probably sick in the head, but not necessarily bullied by peers. Apparently he was Asian, which could mean that he was caught cheating on a paper or something and dishonered himself and his family, and decided life was not worth living and went on a rampage (which would have been psychologically driven, b/c there is no reason to make 100's + more people miserable and/or afraid). At most we should respect God, I dont see god as a vengful being he wouldn't make this guy go shoot people, some of which who probably both respected and feared him (definately affected people who do both). I personally think at most God is just a bystander watching and hoping that we do what is best with what we have... the only way he can influence us is through our faith and willingness (wantingness...) to be united and stand together, which is why I think we should respect him... he wants what is best for us but he WILL(CAN) NOT punish us. If he was punishing us by every single bad act then I would definately not respect him because of all the bad stuff that goes on now(happened today).

Answer 3

You would have a healthy fear not a morbid fear as happens with an enemy, but think of God as your father and you do not want to do something to hurt him because you love him. God has given mankind everything good.He is not responsible for badness. And as the Creator you should also have a healthy respect for him like again a human father. You look around you at all the beautiful creations and know that God created all..

Answer 4

Sorry if this sounds like a cop out. But, in a way you are both right. We should respect God and that is what it means in the Bible when it says the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. However, if a person truly stops and thinks about the magnificence of God and His mighty power and that someday we will meet Him it does cause one to feel some fear. So, I think that is what your mom means. We are very small compared to God which can be frightening, however He does love us, so we in turn should love and respect our Heavenly Father. Today is a sad day so why not give mom a hug.

Answer 5

we should fear AND respect God. You are right. The man was sick in the head and did have problems that couldn't be cured. He needed help, but didn't get it and instead the poor children of Virginia tech had to pay for his depression. Only God can take lives and make lives. He did a sin but even though it was so huge in God's eyes it was not and God still loves him. And we should love and forgive him and pray that he went to heaven and not hell. We should not hate him, many people are like him but do not do the things that he did. God loves us even though we sin so we should pity and forgive him and love him like God would.

Answer 6

Yeah. I just found out about the Virginia Tech shooting o.O

Last thing that was as big as 9/11.

I find that your mom is right.

He was sick to the head, and that he was bullied and tortured by jocks but did you know that it also involved a girl. Go figure!

She is also right about him not fearing god because he put wordly matters before God and he does not fear God.

I like how she compared it to older generations for that also shows how we should fear God.

haha. whats funny is we are studying odesseuys in English and all I can think about is the theme "all men must fear the Gods =P"

Anyhow.. You seem to be confused about fearing god and loving him..

How can you fear someone that you love?

My mom told me that you RESPECT him.

So thats how that ties in with love and fear. respect =]

Answer 7

Fear just teaches mindlessness. If I had my time over again I would teach my kids about every religion, path, point of view and let them decide - let them think it out for themselves. I guess as a young Christian mother I put my fears about God onto them, though I have done what I could to change that over the past few years. We all change and grow and we shouldn't indoctrinate young minds until we've got it straight ourselves - which is probably never!

Answer 8

I do not believe you should fear God at all. He is our spiritual father and creater and we should have the highest respect for him (right up there with our parents). I disagree with your mom because families were very religious back in the 1960/70's or when ever your mom was born. And just to correct you on one of your statements he does not require that we must praise him but he simply asks us to love him as he loves us.

Answer 9

Respect for God is always a good thing to have. But the scriptures also say that "fear is the beginning of wisdom". You are both right. You should never live in fear of God. But fear will bring you to the altar where you begin to learn to love Him. With that comes respect.

Answer 10

If you think about it, fear and respect can really fall in to the same category in this situation. Instilling fear in someone is one way to get them to respect you. People are afraid of what will happen to them if they go against Gods ways, in other words they respect his ways. But I have to agree with your mom, people like this don't think about what will happen to them because they're sick or mental or something, either way they're not thinking about where they're going after they die or who killing innocent people will affect. But all together this whole ordeal is messed up. I feel so sorry for the families of the helpless victims that have to go through this.

Answer 11

I think we should "fear" our higher power, but not "fear" as in the type that makes you afraid or your knees tremble. Rather, fear as in "reverence" or "awe" at what you know he is capable of. That kind of "fear". The same way you'd "fear" your Mom when you were a child and had done something wrong. You knew your mother loved you, but you also knew if she found out about misbehaving there would be consequences to pay. Not that she'd literally kill you, but that there would be a price to pay for your unruliness. Same thing.

Answer 12

Well, when you fear you show respect. Like when you are at school and the teacher says not to talk during class. So in respect for the teacher, you do not speak during class because you fear what will happen if you do. With God we respect his word by honoring it and obeying it because we fear his wrath if we do not obey his word. So in essence, if you do not fear God, how can you really respect God?

Answer 13

I think your mom is both right and wrong. She is right because she is entitled to her own opinion, but I do not think God creates all these things to happen. He has given mankind freewill, and mankind often abuses that power. I have been bullied myself, and sometimes I get unhappy about it but it does not mean I should hurt someone else.



What is as powerful as God? The Word! (Communication, kindness, etc).



God gives us free will to live our own lives, because He knows we will learn what we came here to learn, through the good times and the bad.



In other ways she is kind of right because we are all a part of God, and humans often do stupid things. But I do not think we should fear Him. A parent would not want their children to be fearful of the one who created them.

Answer 14

The answer is yes.



The Bible does talk about having a relationship with God, but you can't forget that God is the Almighty, and although God is not evil, He could do the unimaginable and in the sight of God, Biblical people always feared God.

Answer 15

To fear God, doesn't mean to fear the monster around the corner!

If you hurt one of his many children and expect him to pat you on the back,,You don't fear him.

There is alot of peaple like that.

Anyway

To fear him means , to respect him enough not to do things wrong. Now he knows we will do things wrong. But to respect him, is to say,,,Sorry father!

Or to fear him is to , know that he is watching you when your about to, or are doing something not good.

"Do not be afraid ,for I am with you!"

No No No

If your about to take a test,,Don't be afraid of failing.

Do you best and He will be there .

Do you respect your Mom?

You may not always agree with her,

But I'll bet you respect her.

Answer 16

The Bible indeed teaches to not only fear God, but to respect him, and worship him. That is a proper response of faith.



The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. -Proverbs 1:7

Answer 17

Psalm 111:10 " The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom : a good understanding have all they that do his commandments; his praise endureth for ever ".

Answer 18

When God said fear Him, He meant respect. I'm fifteen and I too believe that we should rise up as a generation and proclaim that God is ruler of all. Give Him the credit and praise Him, we would be much better off.

Answer 19

Definitely fear god. Not because of what he will do to you, but because he is almighty. Allot of us claim to know the Bible, and we don't. all this evil in the world, people killing children, mothers killing babies, and students killing people that they don't even know. Jest decide to die, and take lots of strangers with you. Your Mom is right people don't fear God. If they did, this would not be hell. Which I believe it truly is.

Answer 20

Some people have a hard time knowing why they should fear God. One might think since God is good, why fear him. However if you did something you knew your mother would not approve of, you'd be afraid if she found out. Same thing applies -- we are his children, we should fear him.

Answer 21

You are both right. You should both fear and respect God. You should fear Him because He is all-powerful and He has the power to send you to hell, but you should respect Him because He is just, and He will not give you further reason to fear Him if you do.

Answer 22

Well, when you respect God for what He is, you realize His Power...I mean, who's gonna tell God He can or can't do something....it's scary. Even if His wrath wasn't directed at us and we were just there it would still be scary. We aren't perfect and He is, so yes, I think we have reason to be afraid.

Answer 23

Proverbs 1:7



"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline."



In Love

Answer 24

It's a balance. We should fear God (he is all-powerful), but we must also respect Him. We should fear disobeying Him, because it will cause a rift in our relationship with Him.

Answer 25

You do need to fear God. When He says "do not be afraid, for I am with you" means He will protect you from evil. Think of God as your father who will get mad at you when you do wrong. Just as you are afraid of your parents punishing you when you do not obey them. There is no respect where there is no fear.

Answer 26

Respect is a result of fear.Now if you dont fear God than you fear people.You should fear god not people

Answer 27

Both. We are to fear God in the sense of respect. If we are sinners we should fear God because He will send us to Hell. If we are Christians we should fear God in the sense to not forsake our salvation and become sinners again. My son fears me if He does wrong, but if he needs me or is scared he doesn't fear me he runs to me. Fear out of respect.

Answer 28

Both

Answer 29

We sgould Fear, trespect and Love GOd with all our heart and soul once you do you will never ever regret it

Answer 30

It means to fear in a respective way. If you honor him with a good respect, he will honor you.

Answer 31

No, you SHOULD fear Him. He created you, and He can destroy you. You should do more than just have a "healthy respect" for Him. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

Answer 32

Both depending especially on situations.

Answer 33

true and reverent fear is the very meaning of respect

Answer 34

Yes. And yes. You should fear the fact that he has power and authority to send your soul to hell and respect he offers mercy by Jesus our Lord .

Answer 35

Only God's enemies sholud fear Him.



"fear" in Hebrew or Greek also means "reverence".

Answer 36

We should love Him for He loved us first, and we should hold Him in awe and respect for He is an awesome God.

Answer 37

If you have respect for someone... you don't have to fear them, because you trust in what they do or what they say. So no matter what happens you know they are making the right choices for you and for themselves.

Answer 38

The Church obviously had no problem killing during the dark ages, infact justified it by using the Bible.

Answer 39

decide for your self, not what ur mom thinks. i would say respect. check into a religion caled christain science. theres a book called science and health, by mary baker eddy. it might help give u a new perspective on things

Answer 40

Which one?

Answer 41

Ignoring the details to the question... my personal belief is that you shouldn't fear a deity.

Answer 42

Ever think that God just gets tired of our crap down here and every once in a while he wants to remind us who's in charge?

Answer 43

Neither... There is no God, so we need to take a different tack. What needs addressing is *morals* & *mental health* issues, *neither* from a biblical POV - *that's* been unsuccessful for centuries.

Answer 44

We should respect God and Goddess.



Blessed Be, Amina

Answer 45

Both!@~

Answer 46

Both!!

Answer 47

Both!!

Answer 48

Fear pissing off a diety.

respect the restraint it shows.

Answer 49

both beside loving him too.

Answer 50

both

Answer 51

your both right to believe what you want. i believe you are both wrong.

Answer 52

fear lax gun laws

respect life

God is a delusion

Answer 53

Neither...He doesn't exist.