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Because religion focuses our attention upon that which is best and calls forth the best from within us, it has a strange capacity to become fanatical. Religious people get locked into a set of convictions which they feel are non-negotiable. While it is good to have convictions, fanatics often carry them to illogical conclusions. A fanatic will often sacrifice compassion and kindness for the sake of some inflexible rule. Jesus taught that love is the law of life. Where there is love, there is flexibility and grace. Where there is love, there is turning of the other cheek and going of the second mile with people who would otherwise be offensive. Where there is love, fanaticism loses its stubborn, unreasonable, narrow-minded determination to prove some point. The New Testament shows us a love that is reasonable without being permissive. It forgives sin with condoning evil. It offers the way, the truth and the life without force or intimidation. It is a love which gives life balance and perspective. Someone has defined fanatics as people who have lost their sense of direction, yet they have redoubled their efforts. It is sad when all we have is an exaggerated commitment to some cause and no relationships with people to go with it. Even though we have the best intentions and a zeal that is impressive, but have no love, we are nothing. To sense God's loving involvement in our spiritual ambitions greatly reduces our need to be fanatics about anything. We can love fully, disagree agreeably, forgive graciously, speak kindly and leave the rest to God. |
Fanaticism is a strange phenomenon among folk who give exaggerated
expression to some belief or activity. It creates a kind of
tunnel vision where the totality of life is no longer visible.
It focuses extreme attention on one thing with so much energy that
there is a loss of perspective. Fanaticism hinders truth
because it tends to interpret everything only in the light of that to
which it is mentally addicted.
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