Scare Tactics

So, it's almost Halloween time, so I figured that tonight would be an appropriate time to ask, "Does God really want us to fear Him?" Naturally, I know that "fearing God" and being a "God-fearing people" doesn't actually mean being afraid of Him, but that still doesn't answer the question. Does God want us to be afraid of Him?

Of course, one would hope not. I don't think any good parent should try to motivate their children through fear. Yet, certain descriptions of hell and of the "great and dreadful day of the Lord" seem intent on causing at least apprehension, if not fear. There are times when I think that God wants to literally scare the hell out of us, or at least scare us away from hell.

Yet there is, perhaps, some merit to this tactic. Frightening a person is more humane than actually punishing them. If people can be scared into choosing to repent, then that's a step in the right direction, even if the step was made with less than stellar motivation. Perhaps God tries to scare us with (potentially exaggerated) descriptions of hell so we don't continue down the path toward it and find out how bad it is for ourselves. So, as unsavory intimidation is as a method of motivation, perhaps God uses it to help us avoid a fate far worse than getting scared.

I'd prefer it if God didn't use scare tactics, but if they help keep people on the strait and narrow path, perhaps it's worth it. Scaring people doesn't seem like a good thing to do, but if the choice is between scaring them and letting them suffer for eternity, the choice seems pretty clear.