Fear and love in the day of COVID-19

Fear is not all bad.

It has, in fact, vital roles. For instance, it can move us to marshal resources in the face of crisis. It can cause us to pause before doing something potentially destructive to others or self. It factors into our fight or flight decision-making.

At the same time, though, I’m sure you agree that excessive fear is dangerous. It can lead to misperceptions and destabilize our interactions. It can contribute to depression and cause us to focus on easy, often-scapegoating solutions to complex problems.

These days, there is plenty of fear. Coronavirus. The stock markets. The election.

Those are in addition to the usual fear or anxiety-producing events like finding or losing a job, changes in health or health care, and relationship difficulties.

There’s much to unpack about legitimate and illegitimate fear, about the causes and products of anxiety, and about the social and mental constructs that filter and shape our perceptions.

For today, though, let me offer a word of comfort by simply reminding us that the phrase “fear not” is one of the most common in the Bible. It appears some 366 times. That’s a “fear not” for every single day of the year, even during a leap year like this one.

Fear not is in the Bible’s first book (Genesis) and its last (Revelation). It rolls off the tongue of Joseph to his brothers, Moses to his followers and Jesus to his disciples. It is sung by the psalmist and pronounced by the prophet.

Fear not is a frequent refrain when people are embarking on distinct new ventures in life, such as in the Book of Acts. In Acts 18, Acts 27 and other places, Paul encourages those with him to “fear not” and keep their courage.

There are texts often used at funerals, such as Isaiah 41:10, “Fear not, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

I’ve been to more than one ordination service for a Christian minister that included spoken or sung renditions of Psalm 27: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Fear not is all over the Bible. It’s as though the compilers and inspirer of Scripture had a hunch that fear was a prominent emotion.

I wonder what’s at the core of excessive fear. Sure, there are events and happenstances in life such as the ones I named above, but they don’t produce fear so much as reveal it. What’s at its core?

Is a lack of trust – in God, in others, in ourselves – at the core of fear? In other words, since I lack trust in God, I fear my circumstances; since I lack trust in others, I fear them; since I lack trust in myself, I fear being honest about my strengths and my shortcomings.

Or is self-centeredness at the core of fear? That is, since I think raising my status depends on depreciating others, I fear them. Since I think my security hinges on excluding others, I fear them.

I’m not sure what’s at the root of this nearly ubiquitous emotion. Whatever it is, though, it seems to have a mutually limiting relationship with love.

You’ve probably heard, as I have, that divine love can cast out fear. I think that’s true. Equally true, it seems to me, is that human fear can cast out love.

You are God's beloved

How Religious People Can Actually Help -- TEXT

Interfaith unity can reduce misconceptions

Your Turn

Nathan Day Wilson Guest columnist

Some describe the United States of America as the most religiously diverse country, while others depict it as the most religiously devout, at least of nations in the northern hemisphere.

Regardless, the important issue is how we allow religion to shape us. Will religion be a source of conflict or of community, a basis for clashing or for cooperating?

With kids enrolled in two universities and frequent interactions with students at a different university, I recently thought about how this religious interaction is particularly pronounced on campuses. Colleges and universities are ideally positioned to help all of society determine effective ways to recognize religious diversity and promote cooperation.

Diversity, by itself, is not automatically socially constructive. History shows that when diversity – whether it’s racial, ethnic or religious – is left unattended, it can lead to tensions, intolerance and even outright conflict.

But when diversity is positively engaged, as history also shows, it can build social cohesion and social capital.

Similarly, interactions between people of different faiths are not automatically helpful. They require attention.

Interfaith engagement has often meant interfaith dialogue. Interfaith dialogue, while certainly important and needed, primarily impacts those involved in the dialogues, which is usually a small group of people.

What’s needed now, alongside dialogue, is broader-scale interfaith cooperation. Interfaith cooperation is a civic imperative, not just a religious interest, and so it is no longer only for a small group of committed dialogists.

If colleges and universities engage religious diversity with the same hopes and resources that they dedicate to other identity and diversity issues, there’s an opportunity for lasting impact.

What, specifically, could this impact be? For starters, maybe we could move closer to a world where there is mutual and ongoing respect among those who claim religious identity and those who don’t. I used to bristle in academic discussions when others

would deride my religious convictions. Their attitude was that because I am a committed Christian, I can’t possibly be as educated or thoughtful about literature or philosophy or science. Ridiculous! But I’ll be darned if I don’t hear religious people commit the same sin of shortsightedness toward the nonreligious. These religious folks sometimes talk like the nonreligious are incapable of acting morally. Ridiculous!

Mutual and ongoing respect among those who claim religious identity and those who don’t would move the United States and the world forward.

Let’s not leave without this topic without a reminder: Dumbing down religion to “I’m OK, you’re OK,” or saying that all religions are the same is neither helpful nor correct.

They aren’t all the same. Many religions do have similar ethical expectations – namely, treat others the way you want to be treated, and show hospitality to those unlike you – but they have distinct doctrines, rituals and practices, and in some cases, different understandings of what is authoritative in life. So, all religions are not the same. They should not be treated as such. But the core issue for us, and especially the us in the U.S. this election year, is to progress – not despite different religious languages and loyalties but because of them.

Let it be so. In other words, amen. Wilson is a minster of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) serving as director of communications for the Christian Theological Seminary. Read his blog at www.nathandaywilson. com and follow him on Twitter: @nathandaywilson.

How Religious People Can Actually Help