how to respond to a religious fanatic

Instead, quickly provide them with some basic information about atheism. What's needed is an AA-style safe haven for recovering political and religious fanatics, ideologues and absolutists. Send an email or ask if you can discuss the topic with the person at a later time. Give a measured, calm response, or none at all if you so choose. The most frequently cited gaps are the sciencess failure to provide complete explanations of consciousness, morality, our sense of beauty, and why there is something in the universe instead of nothing. Dont Panic! If he insists, walk away. You need to understand why they have chosen to radicalize their parishioners. (As if they would anyway!) "Sacred Fury: Understanding Religious Violence. Make eye contact and focus on what the person is saying. ", "This was extremely helpful, I am a satanist, but I applied this to my view. I just felt so surprised/ambushed by it that I had no time to react or think of how to react. I shall be focusing only on those with a religious or quasi-religious motivation. This article helped me. Magic phrase: "That's not my belief system". You should never allow yourself to be pressured into talking about anything you don't feel comfortable talking about. Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists, Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists, Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And it worked! According to Ellens, the al-Qaeda members who took part in the terrorist attacks did so out of their belief that, by doing it, they would "enact a devastating blow against the evil of secularized and non-Muslim America. All your friends don't need to be atheists. Check out the websites for American Atheists, American Humanist Association, or similar groups in your area or nation. But if religion is ever going to become a non-subject in your house, youre going to have to own your part in it. These 14 items were selected after the evaluation of items [6]. Try finding support online. [29] In modern-day India, incidents of anti-Muslim violence are politically motivated and a part of the electoral strategy of mainstream political parties who are associated with Hindu nationalism like the Bharatiya Janata Party (political wing of RSS).[30]. He had no idea how badly I needed to hear that. Who saw that coming? What should you do if your friend insults you simply because you are an atheist? Be sure to encourage your children to engage in these discussions, too. was it you did not understand asshole?" No wonder fanaticism is so intoxicating. Walk away and give yourself some time to cool down. Many atheists find belief in a supernatural deity to be irrational. But don't beat yourself up over it. Official Catholic doctrine, for instance, is that unconfessed homosexual acts doomyou eternal immolation in molten sulfur. But thats not always the case. Even my religious family members respect and accept me for who I am. Although the Christian Bible quite plainly repeatedly encourages followers to help the needy and poor, many fanatical Christians seemed to have overlooked their book's message on this subject and have instead chosen to label . If youve been going back and forth, put an end to the conversation, at least for the time being. Often, we see religious exposure and treat it as religious invasion, or we hear words of faith and interpret them as acts of war. [7] Encourage your children to listen and be respectful and that they have plenty of time to make up their own minds. Sooner or later, they will all burnout from the strain, or else get bored, give up and find a hobby. I am thankful that we can all be together now to enjoy it, and each others company.. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! 7 Ticking Time Bombs That Destroy Loving Relationships, The Single Best (and Hardest) Thing to Give Up, 3 Ways to Reclaim Your Hope and Happiness. Dont blame the person for all the evils you believe have been done in the name of that religion. Historically, the term was applied in Christian antiquity to denigrate non-Christian religions, and subsequently acquired its current usage with the Age of Enlightenment.[1]. For example, refrain from saying something like, What makes you think your religion is so much better than others? Instead, try asking, What aspects of your religion set it apart from others? This is a nicer way of asking the same question. Having had an awakening to Reason as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to fanatics of all kinds, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. This will help you better understand where the other person is coming from, and will help you to generate questions about their faith. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. The argument-from-gaps depends, of course, on the claim that science will never be able to explain these things, but that makes the argument vulnerable to unforeseen advances. Thomas Farr, in an essay titled Islam's Way to Freedom, states that "Even though most Muslims reject violence, the extremists' use of sacred texts lends their actions authenticity and recruiting power". Far more dysfunctional families than your own have been saved simply by identifying a common enemy. Fanatics always act zealously. A popular chorus: go cornerback. Why cant he keep kids from getting cancer, or stay the waves of tsunamis? More probably, you will make them more suspicious that you are in league with the Great Satan. You dont want to be blamed for all the evils done by those who rejected religion, do you? Be self-effacing. What should I do if something like this happens to me again? People love to talk about themselves. 'Fanatic' is derived from a Latin word that described possession by a god or demon. Although fanatic jihadists have committed many terroristic acts throughout the world, perhaps the best known is the September 11 attacks. I respect your opinion and I hope you can respect mine, but I think we should agree to disagree. Dont bring up the subject again unless there is new information to cover. The best single way I can think of would be to end injustice. "I never mix business and religion. As always, there is a balance to be struck. If scientists were to respond likewise by saying, The brain works in mysterious ways, or Evolution works in mysterious ways, theists would simply sneer, for they cant see the beam in their own eye. Let us inform religious folk that we wont pay attention to their superstitions, or their criticisms of atheism, until theyve read The Very Best of Atheist Thought. Often, we see religious exposure and treat it as religious invasion, or we hear words of faith and interpret them as acts of war.. Teaching in a World of Violent Extremism. Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. If I resolved not to get stressed until she had three meltdowns, for instance, I didnt exhaust myself trying so damn hard to prevent just one. What other activities do you enjoy doing outside of church? There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.". We use cookies to make wikiHow great. The kind of response that one Sunday led to our entire congregation lining up, and, at the touch of a remarkably dynamic worship leader, falling to the floor like dominoes slain, as we were, in the spirit. To my own surprise, I eventually started hanging out with Uncle John at his apartment and no, he didnt invite the girls over to teach me anything. How do any believers know for sure that their faith is the right one, especially given the presumed penalty for guessing wrong. CWOTUS ( 26102) "Great Answer" ( 3 ) Flag as . If they insist on continuing, tell them you didn't realize that they were going to insist on talking about religion, excuse yourself, and walk out. Social media plane spotters suggested it may have been a fighter jet responding to an emergency call by a Air Ambulance calling for a medical evacuation. Talk to your employer about it. Remember, you dont have to defend your point of view to anyone. If that doesn't help, I just leave them talking to themselves. But in the midst of all that stress and condemnation, Uncle John offered a respite, a shelter from the angry, condemning god I had fashioned in my own judgmental image. There are huge gaps in believers understanding of God, and in those lacunae, I claim, lies strong evidence for No God. But I never felt like I made much progress until one memorable phone conversation towards the end of his life. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religious_fanaticism&oldid=1135853911, Short description is different from Wikidata, All articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases, Articles with specifically marked weasel-worded phrases from January 2023, Articles with unsourced statements from August 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0. We all have different sensory capabilities and process information differently. Presumably this would have been done by the Fatimid governor to prevent their possible collusion with the Crusaders. The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. On their way to conquering the Holy Land from the Muslims by force of arms, the crusaders destroyed dozens of Jewish communities and killed thousands because the Jews would not accept the Christian faith. Now I never thought of it like that, he said. Completely devoted to the people or organizations they idolize, these super-fans live their lives with a slavish sense of adoration and allegiance. Even if you're an atheist, it doesn't mean that you can't have good discussions with a religious person. It is completely fair for you to expect the same of the other person. Try promising yourself you wont get annoyed until you hear X number of religious remarks or stories. And, as always, love and levity go along way. Luckily for me this is only a "once on a great while" occurrence. Its hard to kick a drug if sobriety means admitting that youre a vile person through and through. I just wanted to continue about my business for the day). How do you deal with religious fanatics? Can they be justified through rational thought? Jeremy Sherman, Ph.D., MPP, has a wide research agenda psychology from cradle to grave, lifes origins to our grave situation, grounded in a 25-year close collaboration with Berkeley neuroscientist, biological anthropologist Terrence Deacon. 7. Why would an omnibenevolentGod consign sinners to an eternity of horrible torment for crimes that dont warrant such punishment? Tell him that reading the bible turned you an atheist - too much bullshit. Just sit it out and wait for the subject to change. Knowing what you value will help you build the most meaningful life possible. Second, offer to have a conversation about your beliefs in an attempt to improve mutual understanding. You don't 'handle it'; You walk away. [26] The word jihad in Arabic means 'struggle'. Don't blame yourself. I rest my case. Add a rough, torn, camouflage jacket with no insignia. Ongoing thats how science practices reason. Grace was said at the start of some, "Praying in public. Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? M. Hughes, G. Johnson (eds.). This is a breaking news story. Fanaticism is a drug. A less immediate danger might be anarchists with weird apocalyptic beliefs building up stores of weapons and ammunition in the Southern United States or in South Africa. It's not what they believe that makes them fanatics but how they believe it that they have the final word, no need to consider further evidence, and no need to ever wonder or doubt themselves. Its message is, "Yes, youre a wreck and have done real damage. "What part of Fuck You! Something happened to me the other day that made me feel pretty uncomfortable and I felt like I had no idea how to respond. If you are an atheist, youll come across your share of religious people who are genuinely curious about and respectful of your perspective, even if they completely disagree with it. Weve learned though, that treating alcoholics as criminals doesnt help us or them. Allow others the opportunity to speak. If they keep trying to convert you, you may need to reconsider the friendship. % of people told us that this article helped them. Either the dogma and rhetoric is too thick to see through, or the religious belief has becomes intertwined with out-and-out bigotry. Charles Selengut, in his book Sacred Fury: Understanding Religious Violence, said: The Crusades were very much holy wars waged to maintain Christianity's theological and social control. When he first brought up Jeebus I would have said, "I don't like talking about such a private matter as religion. "There were a lot of gods. At the end of the day, we all look at the same moon. Top it all off with a Kalashnikov rifle held with both hands. No matter what I said to him, he would warmly smile with that twinkle in his eye and say, Youre a good boy, Josh-ah.. I did end up pretty much leaving in the middle of his preaching just to end it. But religious people arent concerned about that. Many Christians were killed for having rival viewpoints. If you are resentful towards religion, consider that much of your resentment probably stems from people attempting to force their beliefs on you. You can say I am feeling disrespected right now and am going to take myself out of this situation.. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. [27] This kind of jihad differs greatly from the kind most commonly discussed today. Learn More. Say something like I am thankful for the people who grew this food, those who provided it, and those who prepared it. References. Truth should be your ultimate goal. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. You could just say your beliefs are personal, you don't feel comfortable talking about them, and change this subject back to whatever you were there for. T. With the Draft a month and a half away, many fans are zeroing in on ideal targets with the No. He is the author ofWhy Evolution is TrueandFaith vs. 15 Colas 1997, p. xix. Give your child a preview of what they might hear from relatives or friends at school. Let them know youre ending the conversation. Shed no longer have to sneak around you (as much), or feel (as) resentful, or worry (as intensely) that youre dragging your child to hell. Im saving myself for marriage, I said, showing him my purity ring. Convince him you're a pagan that believes a Christian soul is immeasurable then get him to give you the car part you need in exchange for your pagan soul to Jesus. Knock it off. If you're asked about your religious beliefs, be honest. In other words, fanaticism is not religious but a psychological category. If they havent steeped themselves extensively in the honorable tradition of secularism, then they have no credibility as believers. But if youre going to end up feeling frustrated or angry or thinking less of the person youre debating, then leave it. It usually takes around 15-20 minutes to respond. Only Jesus can do that. 1. They fear their thoughts, their doubts, and above all they fear they have been rejected by both society and God. In the religious context, jihad most nearly means "working urgently for a certain godly objective, generally an imperialist one". Join us. Admittedly, this is a problem. But before you start stacking up emergency supplies in your bio-shelters, realise that terrorists, the hated enemies of the world, are driven by the same instinct as those who hide from them, namely fear. When we pick up the Bible or the Quran or the Book of Mormon, for example, and actually read some of whats in there? What I do is, I tell them that people believe different things, and that I wouldn't try to force my believes on them, and ask them to respect me as I respect them. If he/she avoids the question or beats around the bush, something is wrong and you may want to take the next step to address possible discrimination with HR or the EEOC. Youre not going to convince someone otherwise in one conversation. Offer to recommend some key atheist works that speak to your point of view, and ask the person to consult them to facilitate your discussion. And all the while, Uncle John, as I came to call him, took my preaching in stride. At first sight, such a fanatic performance seems light years removed from the (only tentatively known) early forms of religion which first appeared as part of the behavioral modernization of Homo sapiens.Neither the late-modern medium of communication used, nor the individualism and dogmatism revealed by the post, seem to have anything to do with the religious system of a hunter-gatherer . I advise you all if you see a bearded weirdo in your place of worship - dont hesitate to contact the MI5, CIA, KGB or MIB get them picked up and sent back to whichever planet they belong. The sad fact is that some relationships are not strong enough and never were to withstand the divide caused by religious differences. Perhaps some day well know the answers. For that is precisely the answer they wont accept about the scientific puzzles, like the oft-touted mystery of consciousness that they use as evidence for God. In the meantime, the governments of the world are absolutely right to respond to fanatics who turn to terrorism with all necessary force. At age 19, I was a proud, Bible-thumping holy-roller who was on a one-man mission to save the world from sin. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. However, you also don't need to be a walking advertisement for atheism at all times either. Rather, they fear God, and not in a "good" way. However many Catholics see the crusades as a just war. Once they have finished their thought, thank them for their time. You must understand the cause, and expose the effect.". Thats why its called faith. In contrast, the gaps in theism never narrow. Now is not the time to be planning your next question or trying to look up something on your phone. I tried to see it as an opportunity to spread the good news. Theres nothing wrong with sitting quietly sometimes, and it never hurts to listen to others talk about what they believe. This is not to say that all or even most of the men and women in the anti-abortion movement are sadists or religious fanatics. Fanatics, ideologues, and absolutists are humanitys greatest scourge. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. His tangent has taken away his joy of walking with Jesus, as well as the joy of fellowship with others in the body of Christ. I'm glad that you agree that this was, perhaps, the optimum behavior. Tell him you won't discuss it and you're atheist. Not a chance. Should Christians desire to become martyrs? Here are 10 common ways Christian fanaticism is obstructing American progress: 1.) If people were free to blow themselves up all over the place, society just would not be able to function. Of course not. Thanks for respecting that." A lot of my fanaticism was fueled by a fear that God didnt like me, that He was an angry, cosmic king who delighted in sending failing subjects into eternal torment. Like good debaters, they aim to put us on the defensive, insisting that we deal with this or that Deep Theological Book (the latest must-read is David Bentley Harts The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss), or we answer this or that argument, or we read every sophisticated theologian in the history of Christianity. Dr. Church holds a BS in Psychology from Eckerd College and an MS and PhD in Experimental Psychology from The University of Memphis. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible. Some of us are facing relatives who are heartbroken about our lack of faith incredulous, fearful, maybe even angry. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Fanaticism definition, fanatical character, spirit, or conduct. I paused for quite a while to be sure of my words. The eldest of seven children, Mary Theresa Ledochowska was born in Austria on April 29, 1863, to a Polish noble, Count Anthony, and his wife, Josephine. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. All content copyright original author unless stated otherwise. The greater the numerical magnitude, the greater the level of religious fanaticism of the person. [9] Contrary to what Shafer alleges, however, no eyewitness source refers to Crusaders killing native Christians in Jerusalem, and early Eastern Christian sources (Matthew of Edessa, Anna Comnena, Michael the Syrian, etc.) make no such allegation about the Crusaders in Jerusalem. Most of all, they blame the United States of America. Otherwise, youll come across as aggressive, which will likely lead to conflict. Please have your Passports Ready. It is not Us whom they fear, or at least not to start with. [8], Shafer adds that, "When the crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, they killed Muslims, Jews, and native Christians indiscriminately". Together we can lick this thing.". Continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it. 10 pick. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm good.". If the person invites you to a religious service, agree to go as a respectful observer. Everything2 is brought to you by Everything2 Media, LLC. I live in Brazil and most people here are religious, but like, REALLY religious. According to the Syriac Chronicle, all the Christians had already been expelled from Jerusalem before the Crusaders arrived. Josh, you need to get some experience in bed, said John, a 72-year-old ladies man who worked with me at the clinic where we were both couriers. What should I do if I feel like my beliefs are limiting my pay and promotion at work? So I propose that, when debating the religious, nonbelievers start using two tu quoque arguments. If God works in mysterious ways, every single supernatural and incongruous event in religious history can be justified. Selengut said, "The inquisitions were attempts at self-protection and targeted primarily "internal enemies" of the church". When speaking about fanaticism it is necessary to mention the Urelative of the term fandom that has been used primarily in the sphere of entertainment. If someone else starts talking about religion, change the subject. Let loose on society it's like crack cocaine or alcohol only worse. Where fanatics say I reasoned once, came to the absolute truth and dont have to reason again, science, a practical practice we can learn to apply well beyond the lab, admits that theres no last word, just todays best guesses, to be improved upon through ongoing inquiry. I would appreciate it if I could have a moment to collect my thoughts.. In the meantime, the governments of the world are absolutely right to respond to fanatics who turn to terrorism with all necessary force. "I recently spent a number of meal times with my wife's (religious) family. Synonyms include extremist, radical, chauvinist, militant, bigot, sectarian, diehard, and dogmatist. (Freedom 24) He goes on to say, "The radicals insist that their central claim God's desire for Islam's triumph requires no interpretation.

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