Fear of the Lord in the Lives of Catholic Priests

My project aims to give an ethnographic account of fear of the Lord in the lives of Catholic priests. In colloquial contexts, fear is often understood as a sense of terror, or being afraid of something. Additionally, a common (mis)understanding/criticism of Christianity is that it has a deontological moral system, where one should act in accordance with God’s commandments in order to avoid punishment and earn rewards. By interviewing several Catholic priests and engaging with Catholic literature on the subject, I intend to build a more nuanced and accurate understanding of fear of the Lord, with a focus on the role it plays in their moral lives.