I don't think religious people want to be afraid, I think fearful people want to be religious...
I agree Steve. But when it comes to fundamentalism, the fearful feed each other - it is like a snake eating its own tail. And as Olyve said, the leaders know very well that it works.
I try to distinguish between religious and fundamentalist, though it is getting harder to tell them apart. The religious people I know do not use fear to motivate people. I never got threats of hell from Mom and Grandma (Grandma who thought I would be a great priest and the fact that I was gay was a plus since I would never be getting married, a belief in God was negligible, may she rest in peace).
I am convinced that fear is ALL the fundamentalists have. The list of things that scare them is endless. It is almost like living among some ancient tribe.
