The word “fanaticism” is based on the Latin fanum - “temple”. Initially, the term was applied only to people who blindly and unconditionally followed their religious beliefs. Fanatics often bring their ideas to an absurdity that is dangerous to society.
Religious bigotry and fanatics
Fanaticism is a blind and categorical, often primitive belief in something or someone. The most ardent fanatics, obsessed with their faith, commit such cruel deeds in the name of God that they can only be considered criminals. For example, Christian fanatics have done many things that are contrary to the teachings of Christ.
Signs of religious fanaticism
The most important sign of an obsession with faith is the inability to distinguish between the concepts of "good" and "evil." The fanatic is firmly convinced that only his faith and his god are correct - good. The faith of others is always wrong. Although the fanatic often cannot answer and reasonably substantiate such an opinion. If in the name of "good" he commits a great "evil", then he automatically considers it a good deed. And if another person - a non-believer does a lot of good deeds, the fanatic is sure that this is done in the end for evil purposes.
The second sign of religious fanaticism is the lack of striving for truth and truth. Only his own beliefs and opinions are important for a fanatic, he is not interested in whether there is confirmation of this in the world. That is, the fanatic does not seek to find out the truth, he has his own truth and wants to impose it on everyone else.
Fear and emotionality are the third hallmarks of religious fanaticism. The fanatic's speech is always hasty, in a raised voice. It is a subconscious reaction to a sense of vulnerability in one's position. The fanatic does not want to hear the opponent because he is afraid to hear the truth. That is why a person who has become a religious obsessive stops in his development. He does not want to discover anything new, because he believes that he already knows everything. From this point on, you can see the personal and spiritual degradation of the fanatic.
The great multitude of enemies everywhere is the fourth sign of religious fanaticism. If an ordinary believer sees evil in crime, disease, war, poverty, and the like, then a fanatic considers gentiles as such. He thinks that he is surrounded by enemies - all dissidents. To fight them, the fanatic considers it possible to use all the weapons that are true evil. A true believer wants to free the entire human world from disasters, regardless of the religion that is widespread in his various areas. The fanatic, on the other hand, “throws thunder and lightning”, seeking to punish his enemies.
Great pride is the fifth sign of religious fanaticism. Expressions: “we are better than others”, “I am the only one right”, “we are marked by God”, “I am allowed what is forbidden to others”, “I have the right to punish and punish” are characteristic of a fanatic. In him there is no repentance and repentance for the evil that he did and continues to do.
