Atheists make up about 3% of the U.S. population; however, within your community, it may seem as if youre alone, particularly if you live in a small town. In the end, religion, despite centuries of theologizing, hasnt begun to provide credible answers to the goddy puzzles above. Fundamentalists do not obsessively focus upon dogma and ritual because God came to them and told them that was His will. If you have an especially vocal family, and find yourself getting stressed out easily, you may need to lower your expectations a bit. But I also realized that we can turn the tables on these people. Make believers read about nonbelief before youll listen to them. Reason is also related to logos, a word with diverse implications over the millennia but related to language, and logic, uniquely human gifts for our ongoing effort to understand the true ways of the world. 7. 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.. Dont bother trying to reason with them. Consequently, I had trouble making friends outside the most sympathetic circle of gracious believers at my church. First of all, dont panic! They may have local get-togethers or events. See that big chip on your shoulder? Fanatics always act zealously. I paused for quite a while to be sure of my words. 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. 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. 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. 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. The Effects of Religious Fanaticism on Mental Health We all have to sometimes listen to people talk about subjects we dont care for or dont understand hockey, poetry, auto repair, or whatever it may be. Religious people and faitheistsmy term for nonbelievers who feel that religion is good for society as a wholehave been using a new strategy against atheists. After all, if youre attacking atheism, you must attack it in its strongest forms. That happens a lot with me too. But we also have another ace in the hole: Make atheism-of-the-gaps arguments. An atheist should be someone who is open to asking questions and seeking answers. 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. 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. "I never mix business and religion. Followed if needed by, "We're not allowed to talk about it". In the race for Alabama governor, an advertisement bankrolled by the state teachers' union attacked candidate Bradley Byrne because he supposedly supported teaching evolution. I mean, people didnt know what to do with a guy who was always trying to convert everyone including Christians to Christianity. See more. How can we end religious fanaticism around the world? - Fluther Whilst religions offer advice and encouragement to help people to improve themselves, associations like Subud offer actual experience of the reality. Religious fanatics make frequent judgments on other people who are better off than they are spiritually. So I propose that, when debating the religious, nonbelievers start using two tu quoque arguments. Fanaticism is a drug. How to respond to an irrational argument of a religious fanatic - Quora Can they be justified through rational thought? For more tips, such as how to define what atheism means to you, read on! First, let the person know that his/her words or actions are hurtful, and that your beliefs are very personal and important to you. You need to understand why they have chosen to radicalize their parishioners. If he/she started an argument about that, just pull yourself out and say you won't argue about faith choices. His eyes sparkled, he flashed a wide grin, and when I finished, he broke into a wheezy smokers laugh and said, Youre a good boy, Josh-ah., In the following years, I managed to alienate a handful of my coworkers I told one guy that his main problem was that he was evil; I strongly insinuated to a couple of others that they were going to hell; and I often yammered on about my faith with little regard for whether my coworkers were even listening. Ongoing thats how science practices reason. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. 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. You must expose them to those they influence. Then he starts pressuring me about looking into Christianity and if I would take a bible with me (he was a youth minister so he had a few with him). Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! 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. 1. I live in Brazil and most people here are religious, but like, REALLY religious. Fanatics are driven by perpetual fear and emotional suppression. In the meantime, the governments of the world are absolutely right to respond to fanatics who turn to terrorism with all necessary force. There are huge gaps in believers understanding of God, and in those lacunae, I claim, lies strong evidence for No God. Dont blame the person for all the evils you believe have been done in the name of that religion. You can say I am feeling disrespected right now and am going to take myself out of this situation.. How To Respond To A Religious Fanatic The Intolerance of Tolerance by D.A. If they experienced a contact with God, they would not need Holy Books or any teacher to know the difference between right and wrong. Avoid the person and focus on those who accept you for who you are. If you no longer feel you get anything good or positive from a certain relationship, then you are within your right to limit visits or stop them altogether. ". [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. 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. Fanatics, ideologues, and absolutists are humanitys greatest scourge. "From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.". 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. Its easier to kick it if you declare that youve become host to a virulent disease that can attack any of us. A one on one is pointless since they're not going to regain their senses no matter what transpires. By contrast, only three-in-ten people who are classified as not highly religious (31%) say religion is very important in their lives, and most of the rest (38%) say religion is "not too" or "not at all" important to them. [26] The word jihad in Arabic means 'struggle'. away from religious beliefs. Although fanatic jihadists have committed many terroristic acts throughout the world, perhaps the best known is the September 11 attacks. Steffen[who?] And if people can fault us for not reading Aquinas, Augustine, Origen, Tertullian, and modern theologians like Hart and Alvin Plantinga, well, then, why not ask something similar of them? PostedNovember 4, 2014 In contrast, the gaps in theism never narrow. Ill tell you what Ill get a couple of girls to meet up with you at my apartment, and they can really show you a thing or two., Before he could describe the thing or two they were going to show me, I launched into a fiery sermon, setting him straight and letting him know where I stood in my quest for purity. Give them an opportunity to speak. If the person shows up at your door, dont just slam it in their face. Not a chance. Dont worry; the situation is not as bad as Ive made it sound. When everyone is safe, secure, fed, and content. Let's keep this to the business at hand.". He had no idea how badly I needed to hear that. If they did maybe they would be a bit smarter than they actually are. Fanatics are determined to go to any length to prevent women the right to choose, to the point of embracing the unethical Machiavellian practice of the ends justifying the means, as the new Arizona law illustrates. Were entirely ready to have Reason remove all these defects of character. I was at this guy's house buying car parts from him and somehow he gets to talking about being a Christian and asks me what I believe in. This article was co-authored by Mary Church, PhD and by wikiHow staff writer, Christopher M. Osborne, PhD. 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. Your views are equally right and important. I shall be focusing only on those with a religious or quasi-religious motivation. Create an account to follow your favorite communities and start taking part in conversations. This book doesnt make any sense, and it contradicts itself all over the place! Right, sure. Add a rough, torn, camouflage jacket with no insignia. "I am an atheist for a long time now, as I was exposed more and more to scientific works, the more I was getting. This is not to say they are acting in self-defence. The Inquisition was the monarchy's way of making sure their people stayed within Catholic Christianity. "There were a lot of gods. The sad fact is that some relationships are not strong enough and never were to withstand the divide caused by religious differences. (Freedom 24) He goes on to say, "The radicals insist that their central claim God's desire for Islam's triumph requires no interpretation. Try finding support online. Thats unconscionable. They kill innocent bystanders, sometimes by the thousands or millions. Admitted to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. PDF The Many Faces of Fanaticism We want so much to encourage our children to have open, meaningful relationships with our loved ones, but we worry our kids will be pressured to believe things that arent true, or may even be harmful. The most obvious might be the feared Al-Qaida terrorists and Taliban militiamen tramping around Central Asia. How do I respond if a relative asks if I have accepted Jesus as my personal savior? 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". [11] Shas believe Al ibn Ab lib is the true successor to Muhammad, while Sunns consider Abu Bakr to hold that position. The minimum score of the scale is 14 points and the maximum score is 56 points. Im saving myself for marriage, I said, showing him my purity ring. People's views become extreme when they feel they are being treated unfairly. 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. Who is Bill Gothard and what is the Institute in Basic Life Principles? Now I never thought of it like that, he said. But we can play the Gap Game, too. Oh me too, Uncle John, I said. How can we deal with people whose unkempt facial hair drives them to acts of such murderous brutality that, except on Sunday mornings, most normal people can scarcely imagine? A popular chorus: go cornerback. 'Fanatic' is derived from a Latin word that described possession by a god or demon. Consider the audience, and bring up topics that are likely to be of general interest. We admitted we were powerless over fanaticismthat our lives had become unmanageable. If they havent steeped themselves extensively in the honorable tradition of secularism, then they have no credibility as believers. Humbling ourselves to it is painful. make no such allegation about the Crusaders in Jerusalem. It is the normal-functioning man that builds and constructs. How to handle being pressured by religious fanatics? : atheism - reddit Why are we non-theists so outraged, indignant and disgusted when we learn new things about religion? The 2 Most Psychologically Incisive Films of 2022, The Surprising Role of Empathy in Traumatic Bonding. Think of how youd like to be treated if the situation was reversed. 5. If 3 or 4 nice ways of saying no don't work, then pull out all the stops. How do you deal with religious fanatics? I don't feel like he would have let up even if I had said that. Knock it off. And, as always, love and levity go along way. It makes them feel good. Learn More. Either the dogma and rhetoric is too thick to see through, or the religious belief has becomes intertwined with out-and-out bigotry. These 14 items were selected after the evaluation of items [6]. About Mother Foundress. Youll also encounter religious people who are ignorant about atheism, eager to convert you to their truth, and/or hostile to your very presence. [18] The Qutbist ideology has been influential on jihadist movements and Islamic terrorists that seek to overthrow secular governments, most notably Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri of al-Qaeda,[14][15][16] as well as the Salafi-jihadi terrorist group ISIL/ISIS/IS/Daesh.
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