What Does It Mean to be "Too Religious"?

[Sunstone]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

 

[lovesong]

I would say a person would only be "too religious" if it has consumed every aspect of their life to the point where they can't go anywhere or do anything without bringing religion into it. "Too religious" is the point where a person's religion is so prominent that it pushes people away from them or causes some other harm in their life. This doesn't just go for religion though, this is really for any activity.

 

[psychoslice]

Yes you can, this is what the pharisees were like, they were too much into the law and because of this they were blind to what is beyond the law.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Totes possible. You can be 'too' anything. With the possible exception of good-looking, charming or humble, all of which are qualities I clearly hold in spades.

But I digress...

When the religion becomes the point, rather than the method of worship, that would seem problematic. When rigid adherance to religion overrides all other considerations, that also appears problematic.

 

[Deathbydefault]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

I think someone becomes too religious when their personality ends up completely dependent on their religion.
Personally, I'd rather have a conversation with a normal religious person, as opposed to some religion's flesh conduit.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

To religious? I don't think so. Unless maybe someone is in love with life and living so much it hinders their spiritual growth or something.

 

[loverofhumanity]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

The purpose of religion is to create well balanced, normal, moderate and mature human beings who walk a spiritual path with practical feet.

Can we be too well balanced or too normal or too mature?

Religious fanaticism, on the other hand, is something that causes injury and harm like terrorism and mental illness but that is the abuse not the proper use of religion.

 

[Kemosloby]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Being religious to be seen by people, putting on a religious show like a peacock proudly displaying its feathers.

 

[Thief]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Yeah.....I have dealt with such people

they get caught up in the rhetoric
they turn to recital and repetition of ritual
they believe the beads they count take away the stress

 

[LuisDantas]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"?

Not really, not by my understanding of what a religion is supposed to be.

But there are movements that insist on being called religions that one should not take too seriously.

If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Most of the time it means that the person 's behavior and interests cause some degree of disconfort to make that judgement.

It may be because of dogmatism, superstition, or simple mismatch of languages, goals and expectations.

 

[Tumah]

"Too religious" is the phrase that people not as religious uses to describe the person that makes them feel guilty.

 

[YmirGF]

"Too religious" is the phrase that people not as religious uses to describe the person that makes them feel guilty.

Hardly, my friend, but what you are saying may certainly be true among religious folks. In all fairness though, I am hard pressed to remember when I described someone as being too religious. I've described many as being too dogmatic and have no issue saying so when I detect it. Likewise, religious fanatics and zealots also should try to curb their enthusiasm a tad.

 

[Tumah]

Hardly, my friend, but what you are saying may certainly be true among religious folks. In all fairness though, I am hard pressed to remember when I described someone as being too religious. I've described many as being too dogmatic and have no issue saying so when I detect it. Likewise, religious fanatics and zealots also should try to curb their enthusiasm a tad.

You are probably right in that its likely mostly religious people who would feel that way.

But what objective standard is being used to determine who is "too religious"? Its a personal standard. So the correct phrase should be "more religious than I would want to be".

 

[sun rise]

"Too religious" is the phrase that people not as religious uses to describe the person that makes them feel guilty.

Or to put them down.

There's a big difference between being very religious and being a fanatic and worshiping a "golden calf".

 

[Sultan Of Swing]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Jesus is not a hobby or something I add onto all the other good stuff in my life, but someone who I should be letting command every aspect of my life. I should try to do all things, in everyday life, for His glory.

That being said, how that actually plays out practically is often difficult to work out. I suppose if I brought up Jesus in every conversation I have with my friends, that would just comes across as irritating, not helpful, and indeed give the impression of being 'too religious'.

But otherwise someone who is devoting their life to Jesus in every aspect, even picking their career based on how it would serve God, and spending their money based on how it would serve God, and spending their leisure time wisely based on resting only to come back to serving the Gospel, is not 'too religious' but is simply meeting the obedience God expects from His people.

Christianity is not a comfortable easy faith, and while in the modern day we prefer our comfortable version and look at figures like the Apostle Paul and think "ah, well, his level of devotion was just an optional thing, y'know he was a hardcore apostle", Paul literally tells us "be imitators of me, as I am of Christ". Indeed, reading 1 Corinthians 8-11 shows us that Paul knows he is free to do many things, like take a wife for himself, but he only uses his freedoms as they would serve the Gospel. And this isn't some optional thing, but something he does so that he would not be 'disqualified from the prize'. Paul is living in the way he does out of service to the Gospel, and so that in the end he would not be disqualified from entering heaven itself! This is not to say our works take us to heaven, but that a true saving faith produces real works and people that grow more and more to be like Jesus.

 

[Shem Ben Noah]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

"Some people are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good." - Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

 

[chinu]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Unfortunately, once a village was flooded enough and all the people were standing on the roofs of their houses and life-boats were coming to save them all, and there was one too-religious-person in that village.

When the life boat came to save that too-religious-person, he refused to sit on the boat saying.. I need not your help because God will save me.

Again after some time another life boat came to save his life and again he refused to sit on the boat saying the same. Life-boats came 5 times to save his life, but again and again he refused to sit on the boat saying the same.

Finally he died !

Next seen: He was standing in front of God complaining that I trusted so much on you, but didn't saved my life.
Said God; 5 times I send the boat for you, but you refused to take the help, Now, who's fault is this mister ???

So, IMO, this is what a too-religious person is.. loll.

 

[PeteC-UK]

Hi Folks..

Sultan;

Jesus is not a hobby or something I add onto all the other good stuff in my life, but someone who I should be letting command every aspect of my life. I should try to do all things, in everyday life, for His glory.

AMEN - here is truth....But - that is not a "religious" truth necassarily - that is a SPIRITUAL TRUTH - religion and spirituality are NOT the same thing at all.. Religion is the framework perhaps - the academic aspect - the learning aspect - spirituality though, is the dynamic EXPERIENCE moment to moment - the LIVING TRUTH of Self directly revealed - GNOSIS....

There is a huge HUGE difference which your quote captures perfectly to my mind...Religion for MOST is like going somewhere ELSE that they go there to BE someone ELSE for a short time - then they return to "normal life" and forget their religion entirely....Thats one extreme and MOST religious types fit in this category .....The other extreme is to be TOO RELIGIOUS - to follow that learned indoctrinated "truth" too firmly, so firmly that they forget how to apply it DYNAMICALLY moment to moment - and so these that are too religious never get to experience THEIR truth at all - their own SPIRIT eludes them always -as they are FULL of OTHER PEOPLES TRUTH - plain and simple...

To be TOO religious is a wholly BAD thing according to Christ - that is why He emphatically took people out form under the religions utter domination of them...Seek WITHIN He said, follow THAt guide always...You can not even encounter or HEAR that inner guide at all, if the surface mind is always so full of this other religious crap....It needs to be emptied out, put aside completely He said - come away from the temple - damn those pharisees who lead you astray - HATE your parents ways and traditions He said - the parents being wholly dominated by the RELIGION itself so they too have misled you by tradition - hate it He said have no part of it at all !!

The religious god of the Hebrews and later religions is NOT the spiritual Father that Christ alone reveals...Religion itself is NOT spirituality and will NEVER give you that truth at all...Come right away from it He said......So yes for sure - one can be "too religious" - and it makes you to become closed minded - indoctrinated -TRAPPED - so to counteract that He simply dismantled the religious system entirely - made it entirely obsolete - gave instead a direct teachng where mortal man uncovers his LIVING spiritual truth directly, moment to moment, and thus BECOMES that truth legitimately...

 

[Shad]

Yes you can, this is what the pharisees were like, they were too much into the law and because of this they were blind to what is beyond the law.

That is legalistic not "too religious"

 

[David T]

Do you think it's possible for someone to be "too religious"? If so, what does it mean to be too religious? What are its characteristics?

Symtoms, Over inflated ego, complete dissasociation from the simple act of breathing, the hyper cultish tendency towards tAlking books