Fear = Atheism?

What does Joel say about fear and having no God?

NotebookLM:

Joel S. Goldsmith teaches that fear is essentially atheism, asserting that it is impossible to have an active realization of God and still experience fear. According to the sources, fear arises from the belief in two powers—good and evil—and a sense of separation from the Divine.

    

Fear as Atheism

Goldsmith defines atheism not merely as a lack of church membership, but as a lack of conviction that God is the only power.

• The Denial of Omnipotence: To believe in a power greater than or apart from God (such as a germ, a bomb, or a dictator) is to have no God.
• The Requirement of Conviction: One is a theist only if they have attained an inner conviction that God is omnipresent and omnipotent.
• Incompatibility with God: “You cannot have a God and have fear, too”. The moment God is realized as the “I” of one’s being, fear must depart because God cannot fear.

    

The Source and Nature of Fear

The sources explain that fear is often not personal, but a “universal hypnotism” picked up by the human mind.

• Fear of Extinction: The “last enemy” and the root of all other fears is the fear of death or the extinction of the personal sense of “I”.
• Separation: Every anxious thought is based on the false belief that an individual is separate from their Source and must rely on their own finite strength for survival.
• A Living Death: A life lived in fear and without God is described as a “living death,” where an individual becomes a “dead weight” waiting for an external God to provide happiness.

    

Living a “Godless” Life

Goldsmith identifies several ways in which humans live as if they have no God:

• Living in the Past: He states that we live a “godless life” every moment we waste in the past, because God is only present in the “here and now”.
• God “Out There”: Believing in a God separate from oneself—a God “out there” to be petitioned or persuaded—is equated to having no God at all.
• Reliance on the “Arm of Flesh”: Having faith in material props, such as money, governments, or weapons, is a form of idolatry that ultimately leads to fear when those props fail.

    

Overcoming Fear through the Mystical “I”

The antidote to fear is the realization of the indwelling Spirit, often referred to as “I”.

• Realizing Oneness: When an individual realizes that their life is God’s life, they lose the fear of losing that life.
• Withdrawing Power: Overcoming fear involves withdrawing power from all external forms and effects, recognizing them as “nothingness” or a “mirage” in the face of spiritual power.
• Being a Beholder: By resting in an inner silence and becoming a “beholder” of God’s activity, the individual discovers that they do not need to fight evil, as it has no law or substance to sustain it.
• Divine Assurance: The realization of the Presence brings an inner peace that transcends human understanding, often characterized by the inner message: “Be not afraid, it is I”