how to respond to a religious fanatic

Who saw that coming? Send an email or ask if you can discuss the topic with the person at a later time. 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". 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. Tell him that reading the bible turned you an atheist - too much bullshit. Whilst religions offer advice and encouragement to help people to improve themselves, associations like Subud offer actual experience of the reality. Religious fanaticism is defined by blind faith, the persecution of dissents and the absence of reality We probably all know a few fanatical fansof sports teams, pop stars or film and TV actors. 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). 1. The Reformation set off a chain of sectarian wars between the Catholics and the sectarian Protestants, culminating in the wars of religion. 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. Islamic extremism dates back to the early history of Islam with the emergence of the Kharijites in the 7th century CE. 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. Or, if youre sufficiently sophisticated to see God not as a bearded spirit but as The Ground of All Being, why isnt that Ground obvious to everyone? However many Catholics see the crusades as a just war. (Freedom 24) He goes on to say, "The radicals insist that their central claim God's desire for Islam's triumph requires no interpretation. These 14 items were selected after the evaluation of items [6]. What I do is, I tell them that people believe different things, and that I wouldn't try to force my believes on them, and ask them to respect me as I respect them. [.] Where fanatics say I reasoned once, came to the absolute truth and dont have to reason again, science, a practical practice we can learn to apply well beyond the lab, admits that theres no last word, just todays best guesses, to be improved upon through ongoing inquiry. These religious wars were attempts by the Catholics, sanctioned by the Pope, to conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims. Reviewed by Ekua Hagan. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. At the end of the day, we all look at the same moon. Admitted to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Naw, Josh-ah. Tell them to go suck a bag of dicks but, you know, more nicely. [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. Jews had to be killed in the religious campaign because their very existence challenged the sole truth espoused by the Christian Church. Fundamentalists do not obsessively focus upon dogma and ritual because God came to them and told them that was His will. Often, we see religious exposure and treat it as religious invasion, or we hear words of faith and interpret them as acts of war. The best way to deal with religious people as an atheist is to avoid the subject of religion, so try not to bring it up whenever possible. The start of Christian fanatic rule came with the Roman Emperor Constantine I. Ellens says, "When Christianity came to power in the empire of Constantine, it proceeded to almost viciously repress all non-Christians and all Christians who did not line up with official Orthodox ideology, policy, and practice". "What part of Fuck You! Let loose on society it's like crack cocaine or alcohol only worse. Fanatical Christian activity continued into the Middle Ages with the Crusades. 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. flutherother ( 33539) "Great Answer" ( 3 ) Flag as . In the end, religion, despite centuries of theologizing, hasnt begun to provide credible answers to the goddy puzzles above. How Psychologically Conditioned Rats Are Defusing Landmines, The Innate Intelligence Observed in the Dying Process. Dr. Mary Church is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist based in Honolulu, Hawaii. In a situation like that I sometimes say that I am a Pantheist. You should never allow yourself to be pressured into talking about anything you don't feel comfortable talking about. 7. According to them, true Muslims will pursue it by any means necessary, including dissimulation, civil coercion, and the killing of innocents". Give a measured, calm response, or none at all if you so choose. 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". Make believers read about nonbelief before youll listen to them. No wonder fanaticism is so intoxicating. "From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.". 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. Otherwise, youll come across as aggressive, which will likely lead to conflict. This book doesnt make any sense, and it contradicts itself all over the place! Right, sure. If I resolved not to get stressed until she had three meltdowns, for instance, I didnt exhaust myself trying so damn hard to prevent just one. For example, respond to the question, What religion are you? with I watch football every Sunday, but my mom says thats not a religion. Shaming the addict can make him dig in his heels. That happens a lot with me too. When he first brought up Jeebus I would have said, "I don't like talking about such a private matter as religion. References. Be honest, especially since it is a relative. Jerry A. Coyne is a professor of Ecology and Evolution at The University of Chicago. Why would the Abrahamic God, all-lovingand all-powerful, allow natural evils to tormentand kill people? It may seem trite to discuss sports or the weather at Thanksgiving dinner, but its probably preferable to a knock-down, drag-out fight over deeply-held religious beliefs. This sort of ends the conversation. Religious fanaticism definition: Fanaticism is fanatical behaviour or the quality of being fanatical. 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. Nearly all people who are highly religious say believing in God is essential to their religious identity (96% . Walk away and give yourself some time to cool down. PostedNovember 4, 2014 He is the author ofWhy Evolution is TrueandFaith vs. Make eye contact and focus on what the person is saying. In the meantime, the governments of the world are absolutely right to respond to fanatics who turn to terrorism with all necessary force. Even if you're an atheist, it doesn't mean that you can't have good discussions with a religious person. Fanatics always act zealously. More insights from your Bible study - Get Started with Logos Bible Software for Free! Give your child a preview of what they might hear from relatives or friends at school. But I never felt like I made much progress until one memorable phone conversation towards the end of his life. The minimum score of the scale is 14 points and the maximum score is 56 points. Because religion is often irrational, arguing about religion is usually pretty pointless. The eldest of seven children, Mary Theresa Ledochowska was born in Austria on April 29, 1863, to a Polish noble, Count Anthony, and his wife, Josephine. Grant Shafer says, "Jesus of Nazareth is best known as a preacher of nonviolence".[5]. Think of how youd like to be treated if the situation was reversed. If they insist on continuing, tell them you didn't realize that they were going to insist on talking about religion, excuse yourself, and walk out. However, stating this perspective bluntly is bound to cause hurt and discord. Weve learned though, that treating alcoholics as criminals doesnt help us or them. At first sight, such a fanatic performance seems light years removed from the (only tentatively known) early forms of religion which first appeared as part of the behavioral modernization of Homo sapiens.Neither the late-modern medium of communication used, nor the individualism and dogmatism revealed by the post, seem to have anything to do with the religious system of a hunter-gatherer . Why cant he keep kids from getting cancer, or stay the waves of tsunamis? Fanatics drive through life like alcoholics driving under the influence. But bad things arent going to keep us out of Heaven, and good things wont get us in. I'm glad that you agree that this was, perhaps, the optimum behavior. Lets move on. . Now is not the time to be planning your next question or trying to look up something on your phone. 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. Something happened to me the other day that made me feel pretty uncomfortable and I felt like I had no idea how to respond. By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. If they havent steeped themselves extensively in the honorable tradition of secularism, then they have no credibility as believers. This will help to diffuse a potentially bad situation. Carson. Religious fanatics make frequent judgments on other people who are better off than they are spiritually. Approaching religious loved ones adversarially is that part. It is the normal-functioning man that builds and constructs. If the person invites you to a religious service, agree to go as a respectful observer. It makes them feel good. Can they be justified through rational thought? If you are resentful towards religion, consider that much of your resentment probably stems from people attempting to force their beliefs on you. They fear their thoughts, their doubts, and above all they fear they have been rejected by both society and God. According to Dr. Winell, RTS is a combination of 'toxic theology' and . Many disagreements and arguments can be avoided through tact, patience, and common sense. I do polite first, nice second, then blunt, then I go to asshat mode. Fanaticism and Conflict in the Modern Age. 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. If they insist on continuing, tell them you didn't realize that they were going to insist on talking about religion, excuse yourself, and walk out. Press J to jump to the feed. Dont bother trying to reason with them. what everybody else said, and if that doesn't work you can use my line next. 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. If you are dealing with someone who is persistent in wanting to discuss religion, say something like "I understand that you see your beliefs as the truth, but I feel the same way about mine.". And if we dont, well, then they wont regard us as serious atheists. Humbly invoked reason to remove our shortcomings. Its not your fault, but it is your responsibility to kick it. 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. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/8\/88\/Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid84557-v4-728px-Deal-with-Religious-People-if-You-Are-an-Atheist-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"