Fear Monger
I came across the description “fear monger” while reading some of your comments on a previous blog. A monger is “someone who purchases and maintains an inventory of goods to be sold”. So I guess a fear monger is someone who sells fear.
I was captivated by a story told long ago. It has stayed with me:
A family was driving down a dark and lonesome road on a foggy night. As their car approached an expansion bridge, out of the murk emerged a wild-eyed man waving his arms frantically and shouting unintelligibly. The driver slowed down, but was not inclined to stop because the stranger scared him. However, the animated stranger proceeded to stand in the road, in front of the car, refusing to move and continuing the histrionics. A couple of times the driver tried to ease his car around the man, but each time the stranger moved in front to block the way. Finally, the father got out of the car to face man who would not let him continue. The family watched the events unfold, behind locked doors inside the car. They saw the stranger speaking animatedly to the husband and father, hearing his frantic message, “The bridge is out!”. Then they saw the two men embrace in tears and joy. The wild-eyed, insistent stranger was now their friend, and he told his story. The bridge up ahead had been knocked out. He had narrowly avoided catastrophe, and he was trying to stop cars from plunging into the icy river. However, two drivers had swerved past him as he pleaded for them to stop, and disappeared into the precipice. He was determined to stop the next car, no matter what it would take. His insistence and perseverance saved this family from certain disaster.
Was this man a “fear monger”?
07.19.05 (9:55 am) [
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posted by:
CBar (
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post date:
07.19.05 (8:36 am)
Great story!! & real truth to what we as Christians are to be doing, trying to lead others away from eternal death.
posted by:
preceptlady (
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post date:
07.19.05 (11:14 am)
Excellent point and Excellent Article. You have succeeded again to make them think. *applause* I don't think he was a "fear monger", I'm thinking he is more of a savior to those headed toward death.
posted by:
surrogate (
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post date:
07.19.05 (4:31 pm)
Cute story, but if you're trying to make the point that people ought be "scared" into being saved to avoid hell, well beliove what you want, but since you're a smart guy, do some research as to how and why what is in the Bible we read today is in there, and read everything that's avaiable that was left out, and WHY it was left out, then get back to me.
Jesus simply didn't put the emphasis on all that rubbish that some of his followers did, for their own reasons; much of which ended up in what is thought of as the Bible today.
Why does it matter? Because too many people who think along the lines of "salvation" as the be-all and end-all of life start to think that since they got "it" - that they know what's best for the rest of the world, and the fact that they are gulible enough to fall for such silliness is in and of itself proof that they are the last people that should have any say about other people's lives. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's an insult to Jesus to make him magical, and I despise it.
posted by:
guru21 (
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post date:
07.19.05 (10:12 pm)
Nice story, but my dictionary describes a monger as: a dealer (except in a few instances, such as ironmonger), a person who traffics in a petty, or discreditable way, or in unpleasant subjects, eg a gossipmonger (Old English mangere, from Latin mango, -onis a furbisher, slave-dealer, from the Greek manganeuein to use trickery.
It would be true to say that your wild, frenzied man was both a fear-monger and not a fear-monger. He must be seen from the perspective of those who chose to ignore his warning, and those who didn’t.
Those who went over the edge chose to regard him as a wild man with nothing useful to say, or even someone who was tricking them to stop so that he could rob, rape, murder or steal.
We live in a world which is full of deceit, with tricksters all around. It is wise to be cautious and to investigate things for oneself and not rely on blind faith alone.
Those vehicles which ignored the wild man’s pleas had the blind faith that they were being tricked because they had seen such trickery before. The one who was saved stopped and questioned despite his doubts.
I feel that the message here is not so much a Christian one, as one for the whole of humanity of whatever faith. Stop. Listen. Understand. That wild man getting in your way may be a Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or whatever, all at the same time. The point is not to disregard the message out of hand.
posted by:
Fairmoon (
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post date:
07.20.05 (5:53 pm)
i'm pretty tired right now, and i guess after reading the other posts that i sorta missed the point. but what I was going to say is that I don't think that guy is a fearmonger, because he wasn't intentionally trying to make these people afraid.
When i hear fear monger i think of people who lie and make stories sound worse then they really are so others become afraid. Fear can be a powerful thing if you're controlling it. I was thinking along those lines, and the guy in your story doesn't fit that desciption.
perhaps that's my own tangent.
FM
posted by:
graceshaker (
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post date:
07.21.05 (1:03 pm)
the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom - but his children call him papa.
posted by:
PastorDave (
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post date:
07.21.05 (3:39 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
I'm not comfortable picking and choosing what is worthy to be in the Bible and what needs to be kicked out. The message of Hell is not attractive and may not be palatable, but it is clearly there. Can't get around it. The choice is to believe or not to believe.
posted by:
PastorDave (
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post date:
07.21.05 (3:42 pm)
Reply to: guru21
Seems to me it would be a real tragedy to rationalize and excuse oneself into dismissing a clear Biblical teaching, and then find at the end of the way that is was true.
posted by:
PastorDave (
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post date:
07.21.05 (3:45 pm)
Reply to: Fairmoon
I've checked out your site, read your posts. I am quite impressed with how fair and kind you are with your comments, when obviously we have much difference in matters of belief. I enjoy the exchange of insights.
posted by:
PastorDave (
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post date:
07.21.05 (3:45 pm)
Reply to: graceshaker
Good word.
posted by:
surrogate (
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post date:
07.21.05 (4:00 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Sure you are. You pick and choose. You follow all Levictical law? I doubt it. It's easy to decide what is metaphor and what isn't. We live in a wolrd God created with natural laws and physical laws that HE created. Men and women tend to live somewhere between 50 and 100 years. Gravity exists. Days are twenty-four hours long. I do belive in hell, by the way, and heaven too! They are both what we make of the wonderful gift we've been given by our creator. Earth. People who spend most of their time worrying about the unknowable, and controling other people's behavior do a disservice to God and his gifts.
For instance, if you think Job lived in a Whale's belly, and that to be a faithful Christian, you'd have to belive in that, or a virgin birth, or Jesus physically assending into heaven after being dead for three days, then it becomes an excuse (for too many people) to ignore what is indisbutable, which is that love is better than hate; that living people are MORE important than the unborn, that no nation means ANYTHING to God. - That killing - whether as revenge for crimes, or in war - is an abomination.
posted by:
PastorDave (
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post date:
07.21.05 (4:14 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
Good points. I do not take all of the scripture literally. Ture, I must trust the Spirit's guidance to discern what is metaphor, and what is intended for temporary application. But I do not believe the teachings about Heaven & Hell are metaphor.
By the way, I do believe God uses "progressive revelation" of His will and His ways. He works with people within their limitations. Thus, the Levitical laws, mass annihilations of the Old Testament, commands to kill withches, etc. I do not accept such as literally applicable to today. And Jesus did not teach such things. He spoke much of love. And, He spoke much of Hell.
posted by:
surrogate (
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post date:
07.21.05 (5:47 pm)
Reply to: PastorDave
Find me a place where Jesus describes Hell.
In reading your second paragraph, it's obvious that, in fact, you believe what you need to belive to justify your beliefs, which is fine, as long as you recognize the circular logic. My problem with "born agains" is that they tend to use the fact to - perhaps unconciously - lose sight of the big rules for the little ones. Jesus, for instance didn't just "speak much of love." He said that it trumped everything else.
So, for instance, when we know that he spoke of divorce seven times, and homosexuality twice, how is it "loving" for Christians to be so strongly opposed to Gay marriage for example? - even wanting to create a constitutional ban on the practice, when you'd think that, if they were really prioitizing the way Jesus did, that they'd be working three times harder for a constitutional ban on divorce. (To me, it's a cloaked form of hate to keep people who love each other from expressing it any way they choose.)
I mean, look, we're all hypocrites to some extent, but too many charletons are getting away with too much evil in the name of a man who, I think, would, uh... 'smite them' in two seconds given the opportunity. And not enough mainstream clergy people are calling these guys on the carpet. Why? I think it's fear; (which is understandable as hell.)
posted by:
Fairmoon (
reply)
post date:
07.22.05 (6:59 am)
Reply to: PastorDave
i wonder if we really got into it our beliefs would be so very different. i wonder if on a very deep level we might believe the same things, but just use different terms when talking and writing about it. You too are very kind and fair with your comments and it's clear to me that you believe the "jesus is love" idea, not the "roast in hellfire" stuff (correct me if i'm wrong, please). If that's true than in a basic way we believe the same. I believe jesus is love, but also so is Buddha, Goddess, etc... :P
i too enjoy our chats.
FM
posted by:
PastorDave (
reply)
post date:
07.24.05 (1:34 pm)
Reply to: surrogate
I discern you are a student of scripture, and you know that Jesus had much to say about Hell as a place to avoid, a place of punishment, a place in contrast to Heaven. I can quote to you chapters and verses, and I am sure you can refute them with alternative theology. But you know it is a teaching of the Bible. You can either accept it, or do like Thomas Jefferson did, and cut it out of the Bible. I don't necessarily like the concept, but I acknowledge it's reality.
