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I imagine we will have a lot of different opinions on this topic. Most people would agree suicide bombers, or cult followers fanatical. If you know the Bible, do you consider the Pharisees fanatical? What constitutes looking beyond the mark?
Do you think it is fanatical to call "deviled eggs" "angel eggs"? Is it fanatical to consider Harry Potter evil and forbid your kids from reading the books? Is it fanatical to refuse to buy things on the Sabbath (because it means someone else will have to work on the Sabbath)?
OK, those are just examples, but could you express your view as a rule of them? When does something go from reasonable religious devotion to fanatical? Or, do you see it as a good thing to try to be perfect in following one's religious principles and/or even look down on those that don't do everything they could to completely live by their religion's expectations? Are you a hypocrite if you are less than completely obsessed with following your religious beliefs?
I imagine we will have a lot of different opinions on this topic. Most people would agree suicide bombers, or cult followers fanatical. If you know the Bible, do you consider the Pharisees fanatical? What constitutes looking beyond the mark?
Do you think it is fanatical to call "deviled eggs" "angel eggs"? Is it fanatical to consider Harry Potter evil and forbid your kids from reading the books? Is it fanatical to refuse to buy things on the Sabbath (because it means someone else will have to work on the Sabbath)?
OK, those are just examples, but could you express your view as a rule of them? When does something go from reasonable religious devotion to fanatical? Or, do you see it as a good thing to try to be perfect in following one's religious principles and/or even look down on those that don't do everything they could to completely live by their religion's expectations? Are you a hypocrite if you are less than completely obsessed with following your religious beliefs?
Anyone wishing to impose their own belief structure or system upon others has crossed the line into fanatical territory.
I imagine we will have a lot of different opinions on this topic. Most people would agree suicide bombers, or cult followers fanatical. If you know the Bible, do you consider the Pharisees fanatical? What constitutes looking beyond the mark?
Do you think it is fanatical to call "deviled eggs" "angel eggs"? Is it fanatical to consider Harry Potter evil and forbid your kids from reading the books? Is it fanatical to refuse to buy things on the Sabbath (because it means someone else will have to work on the Sabbath)?
OK, those are just examples, but could you express your view as a rule of them? When does something go from reasonable religious devotion to fanatical? Or, do you see it as a good thing to try to be perfect in following one's religious principles and/or even look down on those that don't do everything they could to completely live by their religion's expectations? Are you a hypocrite if you are less than completely obsessed with following your religious beliefs?
You are a fanatic when you willfully try to have your views impact others without their voluntary consent. Issues of God are between you and your God, period. Your views should impact you and your actions, period.
Standing behind and covering up for a false prophet, terrorist, liar, thief, mass murderer, slave raper, and pedophile, and terrorizing anyone that doesn't believe in, or cover up for said false prophet.
I think it's more a system or intensity of behaviors rather than specific things like saying "Heaven-O" instead of Hello.
The main ones coming to mind are "high intensity", intolerance, and using religion to actually keep yourself from loving or helping others. Like if you are devoting most of your day to a mix of watching religious shows and demeaning people of other faiths that's often "fanatical." So I'd say if you are spending all day reading New Age books and berating people for eating meat or believing in the Bible that's likely "fanatical" even if you're a progressive lesbian non-theistic Buddhist. As well as the more typical fanaticism of judging strangers and bringing the Bible into every conversation.
Try this one...it's kinda "switched up" from the OP...but along the same vein of "fanaticism concerning religious devotion":
The Atheists that (based on the thousands, and thousands, and thousands, of posts they put up) spend incredible amounts of their time/life...getting on a forum like this to debate/criticize/insult strangers about what they claim is something they believe doesn't even exist.---Now THAT'S fanatical!!
Try this one...it's kinda "switched up" from the OP...but along the same vein of "fanaticism concerning religious devotion":
The Atheists that (based on the thousands, and thousands, and thousands, of posts they put up) spend incredible amounts of their time/life...getting on a forum like this to debate/criticize/insult strangers about what they claim is something they believe doesn't even exist.---Now THAT'S fanatical!!
So the number of posts makes someone fanatical.
You have been on CD for just over a year and have posted over one thousand five hundred posts.
Are you a fanatic ?
Last edited by Aeroman; 04-17-2011 at 08:50 PM..
Reason: I do not think the number of posts makes someone fanatical :D
I don't know, but I do think fanaticism can be non-religious too. I didn't deal with that because this asked about religious fanaticism.
Still let's say someone is totally enamored with say Richard Dawkins and memetics. (I saw a person like this online before Dawkins ever wrote "The God Delusion" so I'm not really picking a name from thin air or just because he's atheist.) They say that Dawkins "Doesn't just have hypotheses, he has discovered the way the world truly works" (This is roughly what the guy said), devotes himself to studying Dawkins, and castigates you if you ever disagree with the man. Maybe that's not "fanaticism" but it is kind of excessive fan-boyishness that I think can be unhealthy and not even really what Dawkins, I hope, would want. And the term "fan" comes from "fanatic" as I recall.
Or Ayn Rand. I've certainly been on a board where some Objectivists asserts Rand and Objectivism are like everything. That we freeloading fools should bow to her genius and to theirs for being so superior. Or to Marxism or Nietzsche or whatever.
Atheism, in itself, is not really a philosophy but a position on a metaphysical issue. So in itself you probably couldn't be fanatic to atheism. I think though you could be fanatic to some system that has atheism as an element. (Logical Positivism, Empiricism, Marxist-Leninism, Nietzsche, Objectivism, some forms of Secular Humanism, atheistic variants on Buddhism, and so forth) At least in the form I mean as I'm leaning toward the idea of intensity, intolerance, and a certain inhumane quality as making one "fanatical." That could happen in political ideologies and has in history.
GldnRule: It isn't reasonable to attack atheists by number of posts. I post on several other forums, so my total post count isn't a good indicator. And we have a perfect right to express our opinions. I try not to make confrontational personal attacks upon theists, although I admit that at times I get riled up at what I consider to be some of their blinkered, judgemental views. I appreciate the 'live and let live' views which the wiser members here have.
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