Religious fanaticism is extreme zeal in an individual’s devotion to a particular
religion. In other specific situations, the enthusiasm is expressed by a group comprising many
people. Currently, religious fanaticism is a persistent factor in societal activities, which often,
result in undesired experiences and behaviours.
Religious fanaticism is expressed in various ways in contemporary settings. Primarily,
people who have unquestionable trust in a particular religion will demonstrate increased
participation and involvement in activities that foster teachings of their formation at the
expense of accepted norms (Martin, 2016). For instance, some individuals opt to serve their
religion all their life thereby desisting from marriage.
There are over three different major religious formations in the world now including
Islam, Christianity, and Buddhism. Each of the stated faction has specific beliefs, which may
or may not differ with those of others. Primarily, each religion is based on the sentiment that
‘do unto others what you expect them to do to you.’ However, the statement does not
resonate well with all religious leaders who opt to develop other different teachings. Usually,
each formation strives to capture more people. Consequently, some groups offer derogative
teachings about other religions, which in turn propagate hate among members (Obi &
Ukaulor, 2016). In this regard, fanaticism plays a significant role because members believe
everything they are told without questioning. Therefore, it becomes possible for a single
individual to influence a large number of people into believing something that is not present
in scriptures.
In modern times, Islam is highly associated with religious fanaticism because of its
links to terrorism. For instance, from the infamous September 11 attack in the United States
to the increasing suicide bombings around the world, involved Islamic formations claim that
they carry out the activities as a way of doing away with non-believers. According to
RELIGIOUS FANATICISM 3
Schuurman and Horgan (2016), they believe that murdering in the name of religion is right.
The belief is a classic example of how religious animatism can lead individuals astray.
Ideally, religion is about peaceful co-existence between different people. Therefore,
individuals who are not fanatics should be able to question religious teachings that encourage
death.
In conclusion, it is apparent that religious fanaticism is on the rise in modern times.
Most people believe that it is wrong to question God, which leads them to accept all religious
teachings. Consequently, they are unable to distinguish true teachings from false ones.
RELIGIOUS FANATICISM 4
References
Martin, D. (2016). The future of Christianity: Reflections on violence and democracy,
religion and secularization. Routledge.
Obi, C., & Ukaulor, C. S. (2016). „The Moral Questions on the Religious Basis for Terrorism
“. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 5(4), 21-25.
Schuurman, B., & Horgan, J. G. (2016). Rationales for terrorist violence in homegrown
jihadist groups: A case study from the Netherlands. Aggression