The Ancient Strategy of Fear vs. the Tree of Life

5/17/2026

There is a Nobel Prize concept that says: Loss Aversion is four to six times more powerful to humans (“I must avoid losing what I have, even if it’s lame”) than “I could gain something amazing I don’t have!”

What does this have to do with human nature and the Good News of the KINGDOM? Lucifer, attempting to create fear or distrust, ended up accidentally serving God—by “weeding” God’s garden, scaring off those unclear or unwilling to endure Skandalon, the risk of loss and control, and the test of Trust in God’s faithfulness: “Saving Faith,” abandonment to His Character and Mercy.

Projection and Fear. Humans without a mooring, without an Anchor in Jesus—Fruit, Life, Love, Cross, Selflessness—will always be vulnerable. Satan is counting on this “loss aversion” flaw in human character; he plays that card constantly with the unstable and undiscerning.

Substitution fear:

“Jesus, oh he’s just like Theudas, gathering people after himself. Jesus is just another Jim Jones, another Judas of Galilee, another Barabbas.”

Humans do this constantly. It’s one of the oldest social reflexes there is: taking a person, movement, idea, or phenomenon—and immediately placing it into an already-rejected category, so nobody has to think very hard about it.

A startup founder proposes a radically different company culture or technology, and people instantly say, “Oh great, another Theranos Corporation, or Dot-com bubble, or Enron, or Segway, another Theudas, another Barabbas, another Jim Jones Kool-aide drinker, another Hitler”—even if the situations are totally and provably different.

The comparison itself becomes a shortcut to discrediting and creating fear, a Saul Alinsky/Lucifer/political tactic, with an unspoken agenda to control those who can be persuaded. Fear or emotions, an outside, unspoken agenda of destruction by allusions and illusions, becomes the weapon of choice when reality and truth are not on their side.

A political outsider is immediately labeled “another dictator,” “another fascist,” “another socialist,” or “another cult leader,” depending on who’s talking. Once the label sticks, many people stop evaluating the actual ideas and simply react emotionally to the category.

In “church” culture, someone emphasizing anything previously unfamiliar to them can instantly be compared to a past “abusive sect or people” or failed movement. “The old is better,” as Jesus said some would say. The assumption becomes: “We’ve seen this before. Dangerous. Reject it.” Sometimes that caution is wise. Other times it prevents people from recognizing genuine Life because they’re filtering everything through fear of prior unproductive diversions.

“This ‘movement,’ or that ‘movement,’ or that ‘bad person,’ or ‘so-and-so’ used to say that, too. Don’t look to close or risk anything, don’t question the status quo or authority, the nanny state of religion or generationally-accepted folkways, mores, traditions, beliefs, or authority.”

“That’s too dangerous for you. Think about your children!”

Yeah, I am, actually. That’s exactly why we can’t keep living like you live, and ignoring what Jesus said and lived to placate your pressure and threats. “You have nothing I want, and can take nothing I need.”

In technology and AI, every major change gets compared to previous hype or danger. “Oh. You’re so gullible that you actually believe in the moon landing and that the Internet is actually going to work.” Some people hear “AI agents” and immediately say, “just another crypto bubble” or “another metaverse,” even if the underlying principles and implications are entirely different.

“Don’t confuse me with the facts.” Fingers inserted in ears: “La-la-la-la-la, nanny-nanny-boo-boo.”

The comparison becomes a way to dismiss without deeply examining.

“Remember the great real estate bundle of 2008?! Remember the dot-com Bubble! Remember Solar-dyne!”

This happens with individuals, too. A person with an agenda or fears reminds someone “It’s just like!” a manipulative boss, abusive parent, arrogant leader or politician, or a dishonest businessperson from the past. “It’s another Ponzi scheme. Look out!” From that point on, the “new” or “different” is no longer honestly considered, but gets judged through the emotional residue of somebody else’s story, a psychologically injected similitude—and looking deeper is not the way of most humans at that point. Risk aversion is the human mammal reflex to that which their emotion-bosses cast doubt upon. “That’s just another ___!” Ummmm okay. So you’re saying I’m not allowed to think for myself, and you’re going to threaten me and stalk me if I do? I can only be like you when I grow up? That’s my only option, or you’ll attack and insult and slander me too?

The dark side knows that humans are mostly pattern-recognition machines, who are prone to overfit patterns and fearfully condemn things that superficially look like something historically unsettling or harmful. Life is easier for them if they can avoid being labeled or rejected. Ironically, those who wish to ACTUALLY manipulate are the ones who use these tactics. It’s known as “projection.” If they can produce nothing themselves, and have produced nothing themselves, they only have left the strategy of controlling others with fear and illusion and dark seeds.

That’s partly why the comparison of Jesus and the disciples to Theudas, and Judas of Galilee, and Barabbas, and calling them a Sect or Cult, was so predictable. The tactic was: “We already know what this is. We’ve seen things just like this before. This is dangerous.” This is their self-righteous, self-serving version, the envy-card and manipulation-card played in every generation, complete with fabricated “Steele Dossier” proof, or just a Dot-com bubble, or “Jim Jones,” or Fascist, or “Bernie Madoff” scam. Label it. Ignore it, label, and condemn it.”

“His craft and power are great, armed with cruel hate.”

But Jesus and His Truths, in any era, turn out very differently. “If they hated Me—they WILL hate you. The Kingdom is entered through much Skandalon, tribulation.” But, HIS Word and Ways... Create, and Change, and Rescue, and Build. Labels can’t win.

Understand this Lucifer-strategy, that “works” on “most” humans: God works it together for Good! It prunes and culls. Romans 8:28-29, John 15.

Societies, humans in every endeavor or forum (watch for this), often protect themselves, the status quo, and hidden agendas of: envy, revenge, ambition, idols, sentimentality, greed, or fear—by attacking with “categorization.” Genuinely Real things—transformative things—are labeled as recycled versions of older alleged dangers:

“Nothing to see here, pick up stones and kill it. Quick!”

It’s a well-worn tactic: these accusers of the brethren can produce nothing themselves, and have produced nothing themselves. If everyone followed them to their homes, and watched their actual lives to see who they are every day and what they have to offer “instead,”—it would only be a shocking and empty pile of words, rot, compromise, and nothingness. Those who have an agenda of “I want everyone else to have the same, useless, empty, unfruitful life I have” only have a resentful strategy of controlling others, bringing everyone down to their level of life-emptiness, by creating fear, and illusion, and dark seeds. If they can. Watch for those who use these tactics. It’s how Lucifer and Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals, like to roll. They cannot build, only try to burn and destroy and maim and murder.

Look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter, behold Him... and He will guide you into all Truth, completing what He began in you! Smell the “Aroma of Christ”—as well as the stench of death.

The Tree of Life wins.

•  Skandalon, You, Abraham, and Family