Confronting Fear in Faith

Northeast India is a tribal region with unique life situations, cultures and traditions. The Khasi-Jaintias, the most developed tribal community of this area accepted Christianity in the early 19th century. Even after years of Christian life, they experience fear and anxiety when confronted with sufferings and calamities, which they interpret as punishment from their displeased deities or ancestors. This phenomenon shares the common philosophical, psychological and anthropological features of fear and anxiety. This book attempts to develop a psycho-pastoral approach to confront the religious fear of the Khasi-Jaintia Christians. The Word of God and the sacraments along with basic psychological methods of treating fear enhance this approach to overcome fear in their contextual situation.