The Fear and the Sacred: The Ontology and the Phenomenology of Theophobia

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze the relationship between fear and sacred, but also the theophobic forms from a pluri-,  inter-  and transdisciplinary perspective.  In the Introduction, are addressed the nature of fear, the distinction between fear and anxiety, metaphysical anguish, the range of manifestations related to God, sacred, religion, saints, places of worship, religious rituals, prayers, etc. The following chapters address Phenomenology of Fear, The concept of fear and anxiety at Kierkegaard, The Existential Analysis of Fear at Martin Heidegger, Theophobia, Divine Antropophbia, The symptomatic picture of theophobia, The causes of theophobia and Metaphysical etiology of phobic behavior. In conclusion, the objective, major cause of theophobia is religious doctrines, according to which the origin of the universe is a punitive, avenging creator, etc. Strong knowledge of the ancient mythology, the history of religions, archaic theogonies,  religious phenomenology,  archetypal psychology, cultural anthropology, philosophy and science shelters not only the idea of a ”celestial ontological dictatorship”, but also the fear inspired by such a divine spectrum, anthropomorphized