"You can never bring about the Kingdom of God by means of fear. It is not the Kingdom of god if it is brought about by fear or coercion."(R. Rohr "Radical Grace 283)
Fear is the commodity of the moment when it comes to public discourse in my opinion. I'm growing a little weary of hearing "I'm afraid of....." and then fill in your favorite strawman.
Religions are not free from fear baiting tactics. Christians have used the threat of hell for years. Of course as we lose our credibility in the world the desire to hold onto control will often be more about coercion than it will be anything that Jesus valued.
Christianity is of course not the only faith tradition to use fear and coercion. And atheists are no better.
Using fear and coercion regrettably still works, but for me most of the time, it is pretty much a cop out for those who refuse to think.
Blessings,
Ed
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