Osophobia

Ososphobia: The Fear Of Cannibalism

The name is derived from a Greek word meaning “human-eater.” 

In the movie 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea there’s a scene where one of the main characters finds himself on an island in the middle of the ocean. Suspense begins to build as he hears the faint sound of bongo drums beating in the distance and that sound becomes louder and steadily closer. Suddenly, out of the jungle line a large group of spear-wielding cannibalistic natives appear and they’re running right at the protagonist. They chase the poor man across the beach and he barely escapes by the skin of his teeth. 

That scene was terrifying and it even instilled in me this irrational fear of cannibals, even though they’re rare here in Tompkinsville Kentucky. 

Did You Know?

In the 1830s, European explorers came to the Fiji islands and they were horrified to discover the local custom of cannibalism. In my humble opinion, exploration is just not worth a run in with human-eating humans. Today, there are allegedly isolated tribes in the most remote places that still partake in the practice of plating people. 

Fear Is Natural 

We all fear something! The one who claims to be fearless is afraid to admit or confront their fear. Fear isn’t wrong; it’s actually natural. We’re supposed to have a healthy fear of the Lord (Job 28:28) and Solomon discusses the natural fear of death in Ecclesiastes. Facing fear is a noble thing but it only truly matters in a spiritual sense. 

The Fear of Truth 

A common phobia in our world today seems to be the fear of truth itself. Many in the Lord’s church know family members and friends who have refused to listen and act on the truth found in God’s Word. They’re afraid to give up the teachings taught to them by their families or the religious groups they grew up in. They’re afraid that the truth requires them to give up a sin they tightly hold on to and the sacrifice which is required to follow Christ. 

The Power of Truth 

The gospel of John is all about truth. In it we learn that Jesus is the only way to heaven— and that’s the truth (John 14:6, 17:17). Though confronting that truth might occasionally make us fearful, we must show others that it also has the power to free and cleanse us of our past and future sins. We must teach through our actions, daily lives, and yes, by inviting them to look at this great truth in Bible study.