how to respond to a religious fanatic

We either watched college football or just made conversation. Many disagreements and arguments can be avoided through tact, patience, and common sense. 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. Can they be justified through rational thought? Give your child a preview of what they might hear from relatives or friends at school. Theres nothing wrong with sitting quietly sometimes, and it never hurts to listen to others talk about what they believe. But we also have another ace in the hole: Make atheism-of-the-gaps arguments. Religious fanaticism definition: Fanaticism is fanatical behaviour or the quality of being fanatical. In other words, fanaticism is not religious but a psychological category. No amount of polite declining is going to make them stop, no rebuttal will make them change their mind and give up religion. 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. If the person is a friend let them know you value their friendship, but feel uncomfortable by them trying to convert you. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Only Jesus can do that. Who is Bill Gothard and what is the Institute in Basic Life Principles? "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.". Before you point out how ridiculous this calculation is, realise it is only here to entertain.). There are huge gaps in believers understanding of God, and in those lacunae, I claim, lies strong evidence for No God. You dont want to be blamed for all the evils done by those who rejected religion, do you? First, let the person know that his/her words or actions are hurtful, and that your beliefs are very personal and important to you. And when they cant (or shouldnt be) avoided, a thoughtful and respectful approach can help prevent a contentious situation. Be sure to encourage your children to engage in these discussions, too. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Confront their bullshit by saying how rude their behavior is and if they don't stop, walk away. Your views are equally right and important. And as I listened, I gradually learned that Uncle John was a man of many sorrows, one with a broken life history, a man who was afraid God could never forgive him for all the ways he had failed. It is not Us whom they fear, or at least not to start with. If youre in a room full of believers, think carefully before steering the conversation towards your lack of belief. Fanaticism definition, fanatical character, spirit, or conduct. I mean, people didnt know what to do with a guy who was always trying to convert everyone including Christians to Christianity. A believer in religion may be open and liberal and an,other But these are all long-term strategies. (6,000,000,000 Humans /2 = 3,000,000,000 religious persons /2 = 1,500,000,000 fundamentalists /2 = 750,000,000 fanatics /2 = 375,000,000 terrorists. Let loose on society it's like crack cocaine or alcohol only worse. What other activities do you enjoy doing outside of church? Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources. An atheist should be someone who is open to asking questions and seeking answers. Thanks for respecting that." Understand that rational has nothing to do with it. Such zealousness may result in severe problems for humanity at large. It must be pointed out that fanaticism is not related to religion; it is related t6 human psychological type. Even politics may be a less contentious topic to bring up. Steer clear of open-ended or hostile questions that wont move the conversation along. Over time, I grew to love Uncle John so much that I found it easy to see how God could love him, and I made a point to try to get that across to him. Picture for yourself an ugly, scarred, bearded face. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Before we start, why dont you tell me what you know about it., If they dont know anything about atheism, or assume that it means you believe in nothing or are satanic in some way, dont criticize them for it. Two hundred adults from both genders between the ages of 21-86 years old from five religious denominations: Catholics, Protestants (i.e. But don't beat yourself up over it. I am thankful that we can all be together now to enjoy it, and each others company.. And if a persons interests center on his or her religion, then allowing them to talk about his or her religion is a really nice thing. How do any believers know for sure that their faith is the right one, especially given the presumed penalty for guessing wrong. In contrast, the gaps in theism never narrow. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Islamic extremism dates back to the early history of Islam with the emergence of the Kharijites in the 7th century CE. However, stating this perspective bluntly is bound to cause hurt and discord. 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. Especially if you are very unfamiliar with the persons religion, search online, read articles, consult books, and consider taking a look at the faiths sacred text(s). 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. Welcome to Ohio. Ongoing thats how science practices reason. Instead, they believe their failure to receive any divine experience is because God has rejected them. He had no idea how badly I needed to hear that. Jews had to be killed in the religious campaign because their very existence challenged the sole truth espoused by the Christian Church. Humbling ourselves to it is painful. Tell him that reading the bible turned you an atheist - too much bullshit. The absolute truths that fanatics latch onto might be religious or political, right-wing or left-wing, Christian or Islamic, libertarian or communist, new age spiritual or old-time religious. You may want to say, Im looking forward to talking with you about atheism. Genocide or Jesus: A God of Conquest or Pacifism? The look is shared by all sorts of murderous but non-fanatical rebels, mercenaries, and government-sponsored militias across Latin America, Asia and Africa. They were cleansing this world, God's temple". According to them, true Muslims will pursue it by any means necessary, including dissimulation, civil coercion, and the killing of innocents". Its also called rationality, which comes from the same root as ratio, to compare, discern, evaluate, judging carefully and humbly in our efforts to find the better bets on how to live. Sprinkle a couple of ammunition belts hanging from both shoulders. How To Respond To A Religious Fanatic Unless you can deliver to them the contact with the Holy Spirit/Great Life Force/Power of Almighty God that they so desire, against their will (for they will deny their isolation from it), you will not be able to convince them. 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. Youll also encounter religious people who are ignorant about atheism, eager to convert you to their truth, and/or hostile to your very presence. [11][12][13], Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian Islamist ideologue and prominent figurehead of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, was influential in promoting the Pan-Islamist ideology in the 1960s. Another prominent form of fanaticism according to some came a few centuries later with the Spanish Inquisition. Although fanatic jihadists have committed many terroristic acts throughout the world, perhaps the best known is the September 11 attacks. "You see our questioner came to us already sure of his cause. 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". Byrne, worried . But I also realized that we can turn the tables on these people. (Freedom 24) He goes on to say, "The radicals insist that their central claim God's desire for Islam's triumph requires no interpretation. No wonder so many of us fall off the wagon. Grant Shafer says, "Jesus of Nazareth is best known as a preacher of nonviolence".[5]. Here are a few religiousgaps: Now its no use for believers to respond, God is mysterious. Its 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 again. Either the dogma and rhetoric is too thick to see through, or the religious belief has becomes intertwined with out-and-out bigotry. Finally, if the person refuses to stop insulting you or to attempt to understand your perspective better, reassess the friendship. Let them say what they came to say, take any materials they offer you and thank them for their time. 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. Bin Laden's concept, though, is very different from the actual meaning of the term. Tell them its okay to believe in God or not believe in God, and that people have lots of different ideas about how the universe was made and what happens after we die. Sooner or later, they will all burnout from the strain, or else get bored, give up and find a hobby. 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. Long story short I got out of there as quickly as I could. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. I am glad to know its okay to just deal with, "Has helped in many ways to avoid the judgemental verbal opinions of others, and not take any personal offense. Level up your tech skills and stay ahead of the curve. ", meals. Listen when they respond. Falling in love with someone's musical taste, Expecting your wedding to be the happiest day of your life. You can start the conversation by saying, Why dont I tell you a little bit more about atheism, so you know where Im coming from.. he Eagles hold the No. "Thanks for your concern, but I'm good.". (For semantic precision by "fundamentalist" I mean a person favouring strict observance of their own religious doctrine to the exclusion of all other sources of moral guidance. Fanaticism is a drug. If, on the other hand, we wish to tackle the causes of terrorism, the only conventional means to do this would be to reduce the fear and insecurity resulting from the process of modernity. Something happened to me the other day that made me feel pretty uncomfortable and I felt like I had no idea how to respond. You in turn can invite them to a gathering of others like you. Why would an omnibenevolentGod consign sinners to an eternity of horrible torment for crimes that dont warrant such punishment? This is a breaking news story. Well, youre that football, Uncle John, and Hes the quarterback. As Steffen says, though, "Jihad in these uses is always defensive. 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. It's like fingers scratching across a chalk board. What should you do if your friend insults you simply because you are an atheist? Not only does 'jihad' not endorse acts of military aggression, but 'jihad' is invoked in Qur'anic passages to indicate how uses of force are always subject to restraint and qualification". Shaming the addict can make him dig in his heels. ". Why are we non-theists so outraged, indignant and disgusted when we learn new things about religion? Carson. Psychiatry professor Dr. Harold Koenig, from the Medical Center in Dukes University, North Carolina, studies the . 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. [11] Shas believe Al ibn Ab lib is the true successor to Muhammad, while Sunns consider Abu Bakr to hold that position. 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. Since Osama bin Laden's fatwa in 1998, jihad has increasingly become an internationally recognized term. References. You don't 'handle it'; You walk away. Alcoholics Anonymous has been so successful in part because it gives the addict a graceful way out of the corner he or she is painted into. Now is not the time to be planning your next question or trying to look up something on your phone. According to the Syriac Chronicle, all the Christians had already been expelled from Jerusalem before the Crusaders arrived. The harsh truth about evangelical fanatics is that they are far "fanatical" than they will ever be "Christian.". See more. What should I do if I feel like my beliefs are limiting my pay and promotion at work? Fanatical Christian activity continued into the Middle Ages with the Crusades. All we can do is rest in His arms and let Him carry us into the end zone.. I live in Brazil and most people here are religious, but like, REALLY religious. These religious wars were attempts by the Catholics, sanctioned by the Pope, to conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims. Try promising yourself you wont get annoyed until you hear X number of religious remarks or stories. See that big chip on your shoulder? Sought through inquiry, debate, conversation, curiosity, and doubt to improve our conscious contact with Reason seeking for better understanding of the human tension between what we want to believe and whats most likely to be true. Dr. Church holds a BS in Psychology from Eckerd College and an MS and PhD in Experimental Psychology from The University of Memphis. I do polite first, nice second, then blunt, then I go to asshat mode. His peers in Christian rap are responding . Take this seriously. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of Reason. I once told someone I was a Cathode Follower. There is something about a group of people connecting with their spirituality in unison that causes an electric response. Did You Know Anxiety Can Enhance Our Relationships? Fear is a lack of faith. Magic phrase: "That's not my belief system". Can Humans Detect Text by AI Chatbot GPT? But we can play the Gap Game, too. Ive suggested this tactic before. ", "This was extremely helpful, I am a satanist, but I applied this to my view. This article helped me. Together we can lick this thing.". Religious fanaticism, or religious extremism, is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm which is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion - a form of human fanaticism which could otherwise be expressed in one's other involvements and participation, including employment, role, and partisan affinities. The greater the numerical magnitude, the greater the level of religious fanaticism of the person. 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. Don't blame yourself. Make eye contact and focus on what the person is saying. Let your mother know that, as long as she doesnt say anything hurtful, hateful or scary, she is welcome to expose your children to religion as much or as little as she likes. 'Fanatic' is derived from a Latin word that described possession by a god or demon. Religious fanatics make frequent judgments on other people who are better off than they are spiritually. Naw, Josh-ah. For parents, this is an area that weighs especially heavily. Here are 10 common ways Christian fanaticism is obstructing American progress: 1.) Christian martyrdom - what does the Bible say? Instead, quickly provide them with some basic information about atheism. At age 19, I was a proud, Bible-thumping holy-roller who was on a one-man mission to save the world from sin. Send an email or ask if you can discuss the topic with the person at a later time. They may have local get-togethers or events. What's needed is an AA-style safe haven for recovering political and religious fanatics, ideologues and absolutists. This will help to diffuse a potentially bad situation. Presumably this would have been done by the Fatimid governor to prevent their possible collusion with the Crusaders. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. So I propose that, when debating the religious, nonbelievers start using two tu quoque arguments. 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. Fundamentalists do not obsessively focus upon dogma and ritual because God came to them and told them that was His will. Whether theyre the leaders or the followers, fanatics are people who indulge in a heady, intoxicating, and toxic concoction of self-affirming, know-it-all confidence that they have unique access to absolute truths, truths so perfect that they have to impose them on everyone. [17] When he was executed by the Egyptian government under the regime of Gamal Abdel Nasser, Ayman al-Zawahiri formed the organization Egyptian Islamic Jihad to replace the government with an Islamic state that would reflect Qutb's ideas for the Islamic revival that he yearned for. N.p., Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2021. In my opinion, the best way to deal with religious fanatics is to give them enough rope and let them hang themselves. Top it all off with a Kalashnikov rifle held with both hands. To comprehend religious fanaticism, it is crucial to understand the basics of religion and spirituality. If they keep trying to convert you, you may need to reconsider the friendship. Use I statements. Learn More. Nearly all people who are highly religious say believing in God is essential to their religious identity (96% . 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. It is more widely appreciated in religions today that an actual contact with God's power is the true source of good behaviour. Second, offer to have a conversation about your beliefs in an attempt to improve mutual understanding. make no such allegation about the Crusaders in Jerusalem. If 3 or 4 nice ways of saying no don't work, then pull out all the stops. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/8d\/Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-6-Version-3.jpg\/aid84557-v4-728px-Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-6-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"