how to respond to a religious fanatic

Selengut said, "The inquisitions were attempts at self-protection and targeted primarily "internal enemies" of the church". How should a Christian respond to persecution? This article helped me. 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. Dont worry; the situation is not as bad as Ive made it sound. (For semantic precision by "fundamentalist" I mean a person favouring strict observance of their own religious doctrine to the exclusion of all other sources of moral guidance. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. First of all, dont panic! Before you point out how ridiculous this calculation is, realise it is only here to entertain.). According to Steffen, there are portions of the Quran where military jihad is used. Why, if God so ardently wants us to know and accept him, does he hide himself from humanity? . Some people have such strong beliefs that they try very hard to convince others that their way is the right and only way. If he/she avoids the question or beats around the bush, something is wrong and you may want to take the next step to address possible discrimination with HR or the EEOC. People's views become extreme when they feel they are being treated unfairly. If you have an especially vocal family, and find yourself getting stressed out easily, you may need to lower your expectations a bit. Ongoing thats how science practices reason. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Let your mother know that, as long as she doesnt say anything hurtful, hateful or scary, she is welcome to expose your children to religion as much or as little as she likes. References. I shall be focusing only on those with a religious or quasi-religious motivation. Left Eye Twitching for Females: What Astrology Says About Eye Twitching, How to Use Angel Numbers for Manifestation. This post originally appeared in February 2012. Fundamentalists do not obsessively focus upon dogma and ritual because God came to them and told them that was His will. But don't beat yourself up over it. If necessary, provide some source recommendations for the other person to consult and request that you resume the conversation at another time. Thanks for respecting that." On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Having religious friends needn't be an issue if you both are respectful when religion comes up. Im lucky to have a supportive family. Because religion is often irrational, arguing about religion is usually pretty pointless. Last Updated: January 12, 2023 Why is God in the Old Testament such a narcissistic bully, toying with people for his amusement, ordering genocides in which innocent women and children are killed. But we also have another ace in the hole: Make atheism-of-the-gaps arguments. "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject.". I'm glad that you agree that this was, perhaps, the optimum behavior. Historically, the term was applied in Christian antiquity to denigrate non-Christian religions, and subsequently acquired its current usage with the Age of Enlightenment.[1]. Be self-effacing. was it you did not understand asshole?" How to deal with Religious Fanatics : by Outer_Real: Mon Oct 13 2003 at 9:39:44: A Cut-Out-and-Keep Ministry of Information Guide . What should you do if your friend insults you simply because you are an atheist? If, for instance, you are at Thanksgiving dinner and are asked to give some sort of blessing or say what you are thankful for, you can do so without invoking any god or religion. Be thoughtful and respectful. Psychology Today 2023 Sussex Publishers, LLC. However, stating this perspective bluntly is bound to cause hurt and discord. How to Handle a Religious Fanatic At age 19, I was a proud, Bible-thumping holy-roller who was on a one-man mission to save the world from sin. I did end up pretty much leaving in the middle of his preaching just to end it. Made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all. And so they proceed to blame everyone and everything else in the world, save themselves. That shit will get under anyones skin. The third level is even worse than the second. 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. At the beginning of the meeting, repeat together the Young Women Theme or the Aaronic Priesthood Quorum Theme.Then lead a discussion about the work of salvation and exaltation using one or more of the questions below or questions of your own (see General Handbook, 10.2, 11.2, ChurchofJesusChrist.org). This is one area where keeping your trap shut will reward you in spades. If the person shows up at your door, dont just slam it in their face. This is not to say that all or even most of the men and women in the anti-abortion movement are sadists or religious fanatics. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! Give your child a preview of what they might hear from relatives or friends at school. In my opinion, the best way to deal with religious fanatics is to give them enough rope and let them hang themselves. 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. Grant Shafer says, "Jesus of Nazareth is best known as a preacher of nonviolence".[5]. Before we start, why dont you tell me what you know about it., If they dont know anything about atheism, or assume that it means you believe in nothing or are satanic in some way, dont criticize them for it. But I never felt like I made much progress until one memorable phone conversation towards the end of his life. Presumably this would have been done by the Fatimid governor to prevent their possible collusion with the Crusaders. This is the article for you. The minimum score of the scale is 14 points and the maximum score is 56 points. So I propose that, when debating the religious, nonbelievers start using two tu quoque arguments. Deeper Division of the classes. So what can be done? ", Paul Berman, "The Philosopher of Islamic Terror", Out of the Shadows: Getting ahead of prisoner radicalization, "The Evolution of Al-Qaeda: Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi", "BBC - History - British History in depth: The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies", "How Hindu supremacists are tearing India apart". Atheists Could Learn a Lot from Religious People About How to Win Debates Youtube Religious people and "faitheists"my term for nonbelievers who feel that religion is good for society as a. 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). Remember, you dont have to defend your point of view to anyone. Youre not going to convince someone otherwise in one conversation. According to Dr. Winell, RTS is a combination of 'toxic theology' and . Now I never thought of it like that, he said. And would a loving Godreally let someone burn foreverbecause they were Jews, or didnt get baptized? I rest my case. If 3 or 4 nice ways of saying no don't work, then pull out all the stops. If people were free to blow themselves up all over the place, society just . away from religious beliefs. Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Theres nothing wrong with sitting quietly sometimes, and it never hurts to listen to others talk about what they believe. I respect your opinion and I hope you can respect mine, but I think we should agree to disagree. Dont bring up the subject again unless there is new information to cover. Truth should be your ultimate goal. Say something like I am thankful for the people who grew this food, those who provided it, and those who prepared it. I tried to see it as an opportunity to spread the good news. For example, refrain from asking, Why are Christians so crazy? Youre not only generalizing, but youre backing the person into a corner, as they couldnt possibly begin to answer your question. CWOTUS ( 26102) "Great Answer" ( 3 ) Flag as . Even politics may be a less contentious topic to bring up. I have no idea why that didn't even cross my mind. For example, if your religious friends start to discuss their church activities try saying, Thats great youre so involved in your church. I was confused how to handle it, as in my country it's dangerous to speak about it publicly. I do polite first, nice second, then blunt, then I go to asshat mode. Either the dogma and rhetoric is too thick to see through, or the religious belief has becomes intertwined with out-and-out bigotry. In the end, religion, despite centuries of theologizing, hasnt begun to provide credible answers to the goddy puzzles above. Religious fanatics make frequent judgments on other people who are better off than they are spiritually. 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". Adopt a loving posture, instead of a defensive one. 15 Colas 1997, p. xix. When everyone is safe, secure, fed, and content. Listen when they respond. In a situation like that I sometimes say that I am a Pantheist. Ive done too many bad things, said Uncle John. 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. These religious wars were attempts by the Catholics, sanctioned by the Pope, to conquer the Holy Land from the Muslims. And if all else fails, do what most families do and find a third-party to vilify. Luckily for me this is only a "once on a great while" occurrence. All we can do is rest in His arms and let Him carry us into the end zone.. [6] An example of Christians who didn't line up with Orthodox ideology is the Donatists, who "refused to accept repentant clergy who had formerly given way to apostasy when persecuted". A Heart for the Missions. 1 Don't bring up the subject unnecessarily. Otherwise, youll come across as aggressive, which will likely lead to conflict. But John Moorhead knew exactly what to do with me. The greatest gap that ever adduced God was our inability to explain the presence of all the Earths species, and why they seemed so marvelously adapted to their environments. Selengut, Charles. All content copyright original author unless stated otherwise. {"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":"