In class a couple weeks ago we had a discussion on religious fanaticism. It got me thinking, where exactly do we draw the line between faith and fanaticism? What are the boundaries that have to be crossed in order to be considered a fanatic?
In my personal opinion it comes down to simply defining the terms. Faith is defined as: a belief that is not based on proof (dictionary.com). To me what makes someone faithful instead of a fanatic is that they will admit that they believe something, but do not know it, and cannot prove that it is true. When someone expresses their religious beliefs in this way it is less offensive and easier to accept. A person who has religious faith may “think” that they know the truth, but they do not try and force what they believe to be the truth onto others as if there were no other possibilities.
A fanatic is someone who shows aggressive and overweening devotion to a cause or belief (dictionary.com). Or you could choose to agree with the definition provided by urbandictionary.com of a religious fanatic, it is slightly less accurate, but slightly more amusing.
A religious fanatic would not use the words personal belief, or I think, they would be all up in your face with I know and you don’t. They would have an attitude that they know better than anyone who does not share their faith. The whole idea of saving souls was created by religious fanatics who fear others who do not share the same devotion to religion.
Here are some fun examples of religious fanaticism. Also, whenever you get the chance, check out the site for Landover Baptist Church. It is a completely fictional church that was created as a satire, poking fun an religious fanaticism and the commercial side of Christianity.
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