Religious Fanaticism: Is it a problem and what can we do?

[Dawnofhope]

Baha'u'llah the founder of the Baha'i Faith in the nineteenth century said:

"Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction…."

Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Pages 287-289

Religious fanaticism and hatred can take many forms. An obvious one is acts of violence perpretrated in the name of religion. Another may be religious fundamentalism where one religion assumes the position of supreme truth and all the other religions are wrong and an illusion of the evil one.

How much of a problem is religious fanaticism really? Are there not more pressing and urgent problems in the world? How much does religious prejudice contribute to conflict? Perhaps its tied in with racial prejudice and nationalism.

What is the remedy? If there is a God, how will He act to bring peace into the world? Perhaps we already have peace to a degree. If there is no God, or even if there is, what can we do to contribute to alleviating some of these timeless problems?

Excuse my perplexed philosophical ramblings. Add a few of your own if you like!

 

[TransmutingSoul]

Well, I would agree it is a world devouring fire

To me the remedy is as simple as recognizing we are but one people and that all men deserve a fair go.

Then when we know we are one people, there is only one ultimate remedy I can see and this was also penned by Baha'u'llah.

"..The vitality of men’s belief in God is dying out in every land; nothing short of His wholesome medicine can ever restore it. The corrosion of ungodliness is eating into the vitals of human society; what else but the Elixir of His potent Revelation can cleanse and revive it? Is it within human power, O Hakím, to effect in the constituent elements of any of the minute and indivisible particles of matter so complete a transformation as to transmute it into purest gold? Perplexing and difficult as this may appear, the still greater task of converting satanic strength into heavenly power is one that We have been empowered to accomplish. The Force capable of such a transformation transcendeth the potency of the Elixir itself. The Word of God, alone, can claim the distinction of being endowed with the capacity required for so great and far-reaching a change."

There is a bit of science thrown in there as well.

Regards Tony

 

[osgart]

Evil throws a monkey wrench into everything! Hard to know when to exercise mercy and forgiveness, and when not to.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

I understand quoting Baha'i verses as a point of reference, but isn't the symptom of fanaticism one in which a faith blindly feels they have a monopoly of truth? To say, Muhammad says or Jesus says, or Moses says even with good intention isn't our premise (those of religious faith) the same as those who are fanatical? If we intend to include the secularists in our fight against fanaticism we ought to approach the subject using secular means which means we need to have an approach that both the religious and a religious get behind by.

I disagree with @Tony Bristow-Stagg do you honestly think simply viewing that all people are equal solves the issue? Some people simply have hatred in their hearts and simply saying "all we have to do is recognize it" does nothing to solve this problem. If your eyes are blinded, how do you know what the sun looks like?

 

[Dawnofhope]

Evil throws a monkey wrench into everything! Hard to know when to exercise mercy and forgiveness, and when not to.

That really hits the spot for me. When to let things slide and when to draw a line in the sand.

 

[osgart]

That really hits the spot for me. When to let things slide and when to draw a line in the sand.

Here, here! I wish i had the answers there.

Another thing that bothers me is when sincere people suffer from blindness towards others. Fanaticism i think is blindness toward others.

 

[Dawnofhope]

I understand quoting Baha'i verses as a point of reference, but isn't the symptom of fanaticism one in which a faith blindly feels they have a monopoly of truth?

That can be true for all of us and I'm not immune from the myriad ways fanaticism can be part of who we are, nor is my faith. We all have points of reference and the sacred writings generally is one of mine...it doesn't have to be Baha'i, it could be from many other faiths or someting totally secular. I do think the points of reference we have our important as they can be guiding lights or lead down the road to fanaticism.

Individuals or more like a group blindly believing they have the monopoly on truth is what concerns me the most and the reason I'm posting.

To say, Muhammad says or Jesus says, or Moses says even with good intention isn't our premise (those of religious faith) the same as those who are fanatical?

It could be part of it, but I think we need a lot more before we say someone is fanatical. Don't you?

If we intend to include the secularists in our fight against fanaticism we ought to approach the subject using secular means which means we need to have an approach that both the religious and a religious get behind by.

That is true and I acknowledge my quoting from any religious text can be a barrier to inclusiveness.

 

[TransmutingSoul]

I understand quoting Baha'i verses as a point of reference, but isn't the symptom of fanaticism one in which a faith blindly feels they have a monopoly of truth? To say, Muhammad says or Jesus says, or Moses says even with good intention isn't our premise (those of religious faith) the same as those who are fanatical? If we intend to include the secularists in our fight against fanaticism we ought to approach the subject using secular means which means we need to have an approach that both the religious and a religious get behind by.

I disagree with @Tony Bristow-Stagg do you honestly think simply viewing that all people are equal solves the issue? Some people simply have hatred in their hearts and simply saying "all we have to do is recognize it" does nothing to solve this problem. If your eyes are blinded, how do you know what the sun looks like?

It would be a good start, but nothing great is obtained without effort.

If we are blind, yes we can not see the sun, but we can still feel the heat and benefit from it.

Thus all I can do is live to the standard I have chosen to share.

Regards Tony

 

[AdamRaja]

Baha'u'llah the founder of the Baha'i Faith in the nineteenth century said:

"Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction…."

Bahá'í Reference Library - Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Pages 287-289

Religious fanaticism and hatred can take many forms. An obvious one is acts of violence perpretrated in the name of religion. Another may be religious fundamentalism where one religion assumes the position of supreme truth and all the other religions are wrong and an illusion of the evil one.

How much of a problem is religious fanaticism really? Are there not more pressing and urgent problems in the world? How much does religious prejudice contribute to conflict? Perhaps its tied in with racial prejudice and nationalism.

What is the remedy? If there is a God, how will He act to bring peace into the world? Perhaps we already have peace to a degree. If there is no God, or even if there is, what can we do to contribute to alleviating some of these timeless problems?

Excuse my perplexed philosophical ramblings. Add a few of your own if you like!

Did you just ask if religious fanaticism was bad then base it on a religious quote?

 

[Dawnofhope]

Did you just ask if religious fanaticism was bad then base it on a religious quote?

I love irony, how about you?

 

[AdamRaja]

I love irony, how about you?

Sure, man.

 

[Dawnofhope]

Sure, man.

We all know religious fanaticism is a problem. The issue for me personally is making better sense of it and more importantly being able to respond or not respond to it more efffectively. The problem I have is I find it deeply disturbing.

 

[Deeje]

Religious fanaticism and hatred can take many forms. An obvious one is acts of violence perpretrated in the name of religion.

Any religion the says it's OK to kill is the wrong religion. God abhors bloodshed...even though it may have been necessary at times.

Another may be religious fundamentalism where one religion assumes the position of supreme truth and all the other religions are wrong and an illusion of the evil one.

Religious fanaticism is not endorsed in the scriptures. We Christians are told to follow the example of the Christ. He was neither fanatical nor was he slack in his attitude towards worship. What humans often do is go to one extreme to the other, rarely do they ever find a balanced middle ground. Jesus did not force his views on others but simply offered them. God gave us all free will so we choose our own destiny. If we want what he is offering (everlasting life in paradise conditions forever) then it must be on his terms. If you don't want what he is offering then he won't force you to live a life you don't want......but it will be the only life on offer. The alternative is eternal death. You won't know a thing about it.

How much of a problem is religious fanaticism really? Are there not more pressing and urgent problems in the world? How much does religious prejudice contribute to conflict? Perhaps its tied in with racial prejudice and nationalism.

It's all tied up with who is influencing this world and its people......(1 John 5:19)
He is the puppeteer pulling all the strings. If you believe in God then you must also believe in his enemy because he is the reason why we are in this mess.

What is the remedy? If there is a God, how will He act to bring peace into the world?

God said he would bring in the rulership of his kingdom, not peacefully, but by force. (Daniel 2:44) He has already given humankind enough time and opportunity to decide whom they will serve. When it is time for judgment, then Jesus will separate people to enter the kingdom as it's permanent residents or else to be eliminated from existence completely. Everyone will have had a chance to come to know the true God before he acts to rid the earth of the evil one and those who follow him.

All corrupt human rulership has to go first. A cleansing of this planet must take place before a new world can be established. (2 Peter 3:13)

The flood of Noah's day was pictorial of what will happen again when Christ returns. (Matthew 24:37-39) Just as the people of that time rejected Noah's warning, so the people of today will do the same. Unbelief is taking over the world as people ditch their old religions and find new, more interesting or entertaining pursuits to fill their time.

Perhaps we already have peace to a degree. If there is no God, or even if there is, what can we do to contribute to alleviating some of these timeless problems?

According to scripture, there is nothing we can do to fix this mess....only God can do that and he has promised to get us back to what humans had in the beginning....we just had to take a detour so that God could allow humans to experience what a world without Him is like. Some never get the lesson.

That is what I believe.....

 

[Dawnofhope]

Any religion the says it's OK to kill is the wrong religion. God abhors bloodshed...even though it may have been necessary at times.

Thanks @Deeje,

Lets talk about Christianity for a while, though I don't want to single out any one religion out. Christianity in part because of its size and how long its been around has been involved in violence and wars, probably more than any other religion. The other religion that's comparable is Islam. Hinduism and Buddhism are also large world religions that have been around a long time but neither has been responsible for nearly as much violence, death and mayhem as Christianity and Islam.

If we are honest and look at the sacred writings of both religions, there are verses where we have God instructing His followers to perpetrate acts of violence. The classic example in Christianity is the book of Joshua in the Hebrew Bible.

Religious fanaticism is not endorsed in the scriptures. We Christians are told to follow the example of the Christ. He was neither fanatical nor was he slack in his attitude towards worship. What humans often do is go to one extreme to the other, rarely do they ever find a balanced middle ground. Jesus did not force his views on others but simply offered them. God gave us all free will so we choose our own destiny. If we want what he is offering (everlasting life in paradise conditions forever) then it must be on his terms. If you don't want what he is offering then he won't force you to live a life you don't want......but it will be the only life on offer. The alternative is eternal death. You won't know a thing about it.

So when we say fanaticism isn't endorsed in scripture, there is a long history of Christians who have argued that it is.

Christians have held diverse views towards violence and non-violence through time. Currently and historically there have been four views and practices within Christianity toward violence and war: non-resistance, Christian pacifism, Just war theory, and the Crusade (Holy or preventive war). Concepts such as "Holy war", whereby fighting itself might be considered a penitential and spiritually meritorious act, did not emerge before the 11th century.The concept of "Just war", whereby limited uses of war were considered acceptable originated with non-Christian Roman and Greek thinkers such as Cicero and Plato. Though this theory was adapted later by Christian thinkers such as St Augustine, the perspective was not based on the New Testament.The "Just War" concept was widely accepted early on. However, warfare was not regarded as a virtuous activity by some and expression for concern for the salvation of those who killed enemies in battle, regardless of the cause for which they fought, was common.

Christianity and violence - Wikipedia

The difficulty with the argument you have around how peaceful Jesus was, is that the God of the New Testament is exactly the same God as in the Tanakh. Christ's ministry was relative brief being just 3 1/2 years and it simply wasn't pragmatic to take on the Romans as the Jews would have liked. There were instances where God did pick winners and losers in battles in the Tanakh. Those were times when war was necessary, so there's a time and a place for everything (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

It's all tied up with who is influencing this world and its people......(1 John 5:19)
He is the puppeteer pulling all the strings. If you believe in God then you must also believe in his enemy because he is the reason why we are in this mess.

As you know I don't believe in Satan. What I do believe is that people lose sight of God's purpose and their lower nature gets the better of them. Ego, anger, jealousy, hatred etc. You can call it Satan but I consider its just human nature.

God said he would bring in the rulership of his kingdom, not peacefully, but by force. (Daniel 2:44) He has already given humankind enough time and opportunity to decide whom they will serve. When it is time for judgment, then Jesus will separate people to enter the kingdom as it's permanent residents or else to be eliminated from existence completely. Everyone will have had a chance to come to know the true God before he acts to rid the earth of the evil one and those who follow him.

All corrupt human rulership has to go first. A cleansing of this planet must take place before a new world can be established. (2 Peter 3:13)

The flood of Noah's day was pictorial of what will happen again when Christ returns. (Matthew 24:37-39) Just as the people of that time rejected Noah's warning, so the people of today will do the same. Unbelief is taking over the world as people ditch their old religions and find new, more interesting or entertaining pursuits to fill their time.

Obviously we have very different ideas about what will happen in the future. The JWs are waiting for all this apocalyptic literal fulfilment of revelation to happen. For the Baha'is most of it has happend already over the last 2,000 years. There is a vision for a more peaceful world in the Bible as in other religions too. That is something within our grasp to achieve.

According to scripture, there is nothing we can do to fix this mess....only God can do that and he has promised to get us back to what humans had in the beginning....we just had to take a detour so that God could allow humans to experience what a world without Him is like. Some never get the lesson.

That is what I believe.....

I agree that the remedy needed only God can provide, but God requires us to play our part. That is exactly why I included the quote I did.

Thanks again for posting.

 

[Epic Beard Man]

It would be a good start, but nothing great is obtained without effort.

If we are blind, yes we can not see the sun, but we can still feel the heat and benefit from it.

Thus all I can do is live to the standard I have chosen to share.

Regards Tony

true indeed

 

[Epic Beard Man]

That can be true for all of us and I'm not immune from the myriad ways fanaticism can be part of who we are, nor is my faith. We all have points of reference and the sacred writings generally is one of mine...it doesn't have to be Baha'i, it could be from many other faiths or someting totally secular. I do think the points of reference we have our important as they can be guiding lights or lead down the road to fanaticism.

Individuals or more like a group blindly believing they have the monopoly on truth is what concerns me the most and the reason I'm posting.



It could be part of it, but I think we need a lot more before we say someone is fanatical. Don't you?



That is true and I acknowledge my quoting from any religious text can be a barrier to inclusiveness.

Very well put

 

[Sunstone]

I see nearly any kind of fanaticism as -- at the very least -- deeply troubling and a major cause of the world's grief. Fanatic followers of the fanatic libertarian James M. Buchanan set up the libertarian Chilean social and economic programs that devastated the middle class there and led to untold suffering among the poor. And Buchanan was apparently an atheist.

The fanatic Pol Pot and his followers murdered nearly half the population of Cambodia, and Pot was an atheist, so far as I know.

So to me just about all fanaticism is heinous, regardless of whether it's religious or not.

 

[stvdv]

Did you just ask if religious fanaticism was bad then base it on a religious quote?

Yes he did AND he did it in a very decent way. If all religious people were as considerate as Adrian the world would be already much better.

 

[Revoltingest]

I voted <somewhat>.
We can't wait for a god to fix things.
So we should engage fanatics in civil conversation.
Some will begin to understand the other side, & see them as less of a threat.
Tolerance & peace can happen.
My favorite example....
How One Man Convinced 200 Ku Klux Klan Members To Give Up Their Robes

He (the hatless one) is much friendlier than he looks here....

 

[stvdv]

Baha'u'llah the founder of the Baha'i Faith in the nineteenth century said:
"Religious fanaticism and hatred are a world-devouring fire, whose violence none can quench. The Hand of Divine power can, alone, deliver mankind from this desolating affliction…."

One of the first quotes I read when I was in India: The worst obstacle on the spiritual path is "spiritual ego"; even God can't cure this"
"Religious fanaticism" is nothing less than spiritual ego IMO. The moment you believe "My way is the highway" you are gone