The Witness Of Religion In An Age Of Fear, By Michael Kinnamon

I personally do not believe in a monotheistic God, but I do have a spiritual sense of some great benevolent “otherness”, and I do consider myself a spiritual person. In this piece I will use “God,” and “the divine” interchangeably to represent and speak about this spiritual presence. In The Witness of Religion in an Age of Fear, by Christian theologian Michael Kinnamon (2017) he advocates for a, “shared interfaith witness” (p. 47). This is a powerful and thought-provoking position he is taking. He writes that all the major religions, at their best, have the capacity to assist humanity in overcoming fear. Fear being the deepest root of most of the evil in the world, the basis for hatred, violence, war, and terror. He makes a convincing argument
that especially in this time, people of faith and religious leaders should take a stand, encouraging their communities to work together to constructively address fear. As we find ourselves existing in an “age of anxiety” (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 37), he comments on our country as, “in the grip of a collective apprehension that can distort public priorities and decision-making, to the great detriment of many of its citizens” (p. 5). Kinnamon (2017) comments “fear has shaped the national narrative” (p. 26). This narrative is driving more aggressive policies which are not conducive to preserving democracy or human rights. How can religious perspectives assist in this very divisive time? In their essence, all religions share teachings that speak of fear and love, of awe in the divine, as well as fear of God. All these aspects, however different they may seem, are seen as being embodied within the divine. It is possible that this paradoxical nature of the divine, embodied in many of the world’s religious traditions, may hold the key to assisting humanity in this anxiety-ridden and fearful time.

In his book, Kinnamon often explores the theme of what we lose when we are governed by fear.
Kinnamon (2017) writes, “Fear is an emotion that does not recognize the full reality of others it is fundamentally narcissistic and thwarts compassionate identification with those ‘outside’” (p. 83). Fear is a divisive emotion, that removes us from seeking understanding or finding appreciation for those which we consider “other”. Making the distinction between real threat and our culture of fear-mongering induced anxiety is important. Some fears are of course warranted. However, our current society is living in an overly fearful state that greatly impacts the way that we see our world. Contributing to increased military surveillance, fear of immigrants, Muslims, Terrorists, and the mistrust of strangers and outsiders. Even as our country is one of the safest and most prosperous in the world Americans are some of the most fearful people (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 15). Kinnamon speaks of the contraction and withdrawal into ourselves, which occurs when we seek to protect ourselves out of fear. Fear can keep people from engaging, and from living generously and hospitably (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 35). A quote by Thomas Aquinas which exemplifies this, “when we fear so excessively that we allow the avoidance of evil to take precedence over the pursuit of good” (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 36). Further evidence of this being when nations become excessively fearful of terrorism or attack, the loss is especially
great. Torture can be condoned, fear and hatred of the “other” can lead to harsh and violent policies. Kinnamon discusses in depth the Israeli-Palestine conflict as another example of what happens when a culture becomes dominated by fear and anxiety. He says, “much energy and creativity that could have gone to improving the quality of life is channeled into security” (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 80). So it seems that our life experience is diminished on many levels when we live in a heightened sense of fear, and our standards change when we feel threatened and become overly obsessed with worldly security (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 59). Conversely, many religious traditions advocate for placing security in God or the divine, not in possessions, or physical security.
I found myself at times deeply moved by Kinnamon’s discussion. He offers a wide variety of information, citing, social studies, philosophers, theologians and religious texts. This blends together to create a convincing presentation, but I still found myself in doubt. In a certain sense, I felt triggered because in my mind I hold the notion of much “othering”, hate, violence and separation being caused by many religious traditions. How can it be that the very same religions that have been the cause of many hate-filled crusades, inquisitions and deaths, be the very thing we need at this time to combat fear? It appears hypocritical to me. I also found myself frustrated by the “fear of God” theme evident in a number of religious traditions that Kinnamon explores. The idea of a vengeful God is off-putting to me and not conducive in my mind for developing trust and love. It smells too much of sin and punishment, of a vindictive nature in the divine, that is not inspired by true love or compassion. I think that this element in many traditions is a perversion of humanity, a manipulative tool used to control. To keep people in line with the fear of God. However, as I continued to read, I found more accessible the concept reframed as “the fear of God, which, paradoxically, ensure that earthly fears, even the fear of dying, will not rule us” (Kinnamon, 2017, p.28). It seems Kinnamon in a number of examples is saying that placing one’s fear in God is the only true salvation from fear.

Can placing fear in God alleviate fear? To answer this, I am most compelled to explore the relationship between awe and fear, and how this may be the key held by different religious traditions to open the hearts of humanity. I was particularly intrigued by this in Kinnamon’s discussion. He explores that the Hebrew word for “fear” which is yirah, can also mean “awe” or “reverence” (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 30). My thinking deepened upon reading this. It made me wonder about the nature of fear and awe placed together. Both are similarly intense feelings, but they seem antithetical to each other, on the opposite ends of a spectrum. Perhaps they are more similar than I previously had thought. But, how can the divine embody both? Kinnamon in exploring references to fear of God in the Qur’an writes, “To know the greatness of God is to stand before God in reverence and awe. A person who experiences such awe, such fear, does not flee from its Source, but to it” (p. 53). According to Kinnamon (2017), “we do not fear God because God is cruel but because God is holy” (p. 30). Humanity has a propensity to either be in fear or in awe of the unknown. God and the divine representing the most sublime of the unknown, therefore inspire the most profound fear-awe. Kinnamon (2017) continues “fear of others is a symptom of constricted life; fear of God, however, is the basis of an appreciative life” (p. 30). Here I began to see the fear of God, which I first found distasteful, as actually a beautiful way of approaching the world. Towards the end of the book, Kinnamon (2017) writes, “fear cannot be the ground of healthy religion-- unless by fear we mean awe in the presence of that which is transcendent. Our religious vision must be built on love and hope” (p. 83). When fear is ascribed to the divine, perhaps it allows humanity to trust in fear and discomfort in a new way because it is a part of that which is transcendent. Seeing everything that is manifest in reality as a part of the divine releases an immense amount of anxiety around the unknown. This inspires me to reflect on a passage by one of my favorite poets, Rainer Maria Rilke (1923):

The person who has not, in a moment of firm resolve, accepted — yes, even rejoiced in — what has struck him with terror — he has never taken possession of the full, ineffable power of our existence. He withdraws to the edge; when things play out, he will be neither alive nor dead.

To discover the unity of dread and bliss, these two faces of the same divinity (indeed, they reveal themselves as a single face that presents itself differently according to the way in which we see it): that is the essential meaning… (Rilke, 1923)

What Kinnamon is emphasizing about religion and what Rilke so poetically explains here, are the same. The secret key to living life in a less fearful way is to live everything, fear, love, and awe, however scary it may be. There is something to be said about not trying to avoid fear, as Rilke’s observations show avoidance keeps us from, “possession of the full, ineffable power of our existence.” “Othering” fear itself, only seems to further anxiety. The avoidance of fear can look like, a nation increasing its military, violence and hatred of the “other”, or accumulation of wealth and worldly possessions by individuals to create a sense of security. But as Kinnamon (2017) notes, “the more we have, the more we fear the loss of it” (p. 35). Fear is an inevitable aspect of life, just as love is, and living well requires both. The world’s spiritual and religious traditions help us to “be” more authentically present with these intense emotions. Creating the internal spaciousness to be more flexible in life, allowing us to not be so terrified by the unknown and in resistance the what we perceive to be “other”. Moving out of the normalcy of fear and anxiety into a more expansive perspective that allows for growth, change, and collaboration to occur.

What Kinnamon demonstrates is that at their heart, most religious and spiritual traditions have the power to draw people into a sacred space, one where fear is transformed into awe.
A liminal space where love, trust, and grace reside, which counter worldly fears. A quote which is illustrative of this from Rabbi Hanina: “Everything is in the hands of a Reality that is beyond our control, except for our willingness to stand in awe of that Reality… our attitude can make the world a very small, constricted place or a place of wonder” (Kinnamon, 2017, p. 30). The transformation of fear seems to occur here when our trust is placed in awareness of the divine which embodies fear, awe, and love. Realizing these emotions as also divine, brings them to bear on life in a new way. This way provides a new understanding of the numinous, which can help us hold all life in reverence and appreciation, even that which brings us fear. Many of the spiritual and religious traditions that Kinnamon explores espouse awe or reverence for the divine as a means of appreciating the exquisite intensity of life, and not fearing it. In this way, a religious perspective can pull us out of times of fear and doubt, to realize our common
humanity.