Is "Fear" My God?

It might seem like a strange question.  People who consider themselves religious normally label their god with a name, not an emotion.  But even for the non-religious, the question is relevant.  What is the guiding force at work in one's life?  Is it fear?

Fear has many guises.  Terrorism is simply an extreme result of an irrational fear, whether it be a fear of those who believe differently, those of a different race, culture, or political affiliation.  But terrorism is just one, glaringly obvious result of being guided -- nay, obsessively compelled -- by fear.

For everyone out there, I'm sure there is at least one person you've met who was stubborn and set in their ways.  It could be stubbornness in something as simple as what kind of food they prefer to eat, or something as subtle as how they parent.  What causes a person to be stubborn in the first place?

At its core, stubbornness is fear of change.  That can mean fear of doing something differently than one is comfortable with.  Fear of the potential outcome of doing something differently, either good or bad.  Fear of losing control.

For someone who is extremely stubborn and set in their ways, the guiding force in their lives is fear.

Now, let's ask this question.  Are you a "fundamentalist"?  That is, do you strongly hold to a particular set of beliefs, to the point that even exposure to a different perspective, or evidence that one's cherished beliefs might be wrong (or at least incomplete) causes you to react passionately?

This could be religious fundamentalism, political, environmental, scientific, or any other kind of fundamentalism.  But if the "fundamentalist" label fits you, then what are you really afraid of?

Now, on the surface there's nothing wrong with holding strongly to a particular set of beliefs.  But if those beliefs lead to harm to others, either directly or indirectly, and yet one is unwilling to change those beliefs or consider other possibilities...is fear the underlying motive for those beliefs?

I have met many deeply impassioned people in my life.  Most of those impassioned people, unfortunately, have been so deeply opinionated as to leave no possible room for a different viewpoint.  Whether that be with religion, politics, or even science or history, I've come to the conclusion that on some level, these people were afraid of something.

It's time to lose the fear, though.

I don't mean to say that we should simply throw away cherished beliefs.  But rather, it should be perfectly okay (and not deeply offensive) to consider other viewpoints.  At the very least, to respect differences of opinion or reserve judgment on a matter that one isn't knowledgeable about.

I feel that I have to write this as a preface to what will come next, because I want to set the tone that other viewpoints will certainly be welcomed.  (On the other hand, other viewpoints with an agenda will be questioned to discover the underlying motive for those viewpoints, although they will still be treated with respect.)

Next time, I'd like to discuss the first deeply controversial subject for the new year:  whether belief in God renders one incapable of fully accepting any other source of truth (such as science, other forms of spirituality, etc).