Fanaticism in the broad sense of the word is commitment and worship of someone or something, reaching an extreme degree, as well as categorical rejection of other beliefs and values. In relation to religion, fanaticism is manifested by absolute passion for religious activity with the formation of a cult out of it, worship and unaccountable following of a group of like-minded people.
The origins of this phenomenon lie in the original claims of each world religion to possess the ultimate truth about the origin and essence of the world, about what determines the death and resurrection of the entire human race. In all eras and at the present time, religion is the most dangerous and powerful type of fanaticism. History contains many examples when obsession with religious ideas had a destructive effect on entire nations. Religious fanaticism turns a group of people into a herd that lives according to imposed rules, deprives each person of individuality and inner freedom, thus turning people into a means for establishing certain tenets of faith.
Causes of religious fanaticism
Fanaticism in religion can be considered a form of severe psychological dependence. After all, a person, having gotten involved in this, does not belong to himself, but thinks and acts according to dogmas imposed “from above” (by the spiritual leader of a sect, for example). The addict simply cannot imagine any other life.
What makes an individual person become a crazy religious fanatic? Of course, a lot depends on the personality type. Psychologists believe that people who are susceptible to fanaticism, including religious fanaticism:
- do not have critical thinking, usually act under the influence of emotions;
- easily suggestible and led;
- subject to other people's influence;
- have not formed their own worldview and value system;
- they lead an “empty” life and are not interested in anything.
It is precisely such people who are easily caught in the net of religious fanaticism. Ready-made ideas and views are easily “invested” into a consciousness that is not filled with one’s own ideas about the world, allowing a person to feel his own importance and be part of an important team.
By the way, almost all religious fanatics are not distinguished by true religiosity, much less piety. But they are ready to defend their ideas at any cost. The most important thing for such people is to feel a close connection with their group and to go against those who do not support their beliefs (even to the point of war and murder).
Signs of religious fanaticism
One religious fanatic is unlikely to harm society or a specific person. The danger is posed by a group of people dependent on religious dogma. So, what are the characteristics of a rabid religious fan?
- Intolerance towards other religions. This also adds obvious hatred and aggression towards adherents of other faiths. Mass fanaticism also has a destructive effect on atheists and less religious citizens;
- Religious fundamentalism, which does not accept anything new. A fanatic has extremely limited thinking, and he perceives judgments that are not related to his religious doctrines negatively. At the same time, a fanatic may not even understand the meaning of “hostile” ideas.
- Rejection of criticism. Even if the beliefs of an addict can easily be refuted by scientific and logical arguments, an orthodox fan will still insist on his own. Discussion with him is impossible. A fanatic often gets into a fight in a state of passion, proving his rightness to the last.
- Labeling others. A person obsessed with religion likes to define “enemies”, for example, “pagan”, “blasphemer”, “heretic”. Thus, he puts his opponent in an awkward position and forces him to retreat. The main task of a fanatic in a dispute is to win a verbal duel (sometimes hand-to-hand), and not at all to establish the truth “whose god is more correct.”
Currently, religious fanaticism on a large scale is inherent mainly in Islam, as evidenced by acts of terrorism, Sharia courts, and jihad. There is an opinion that this is how rabid Muslim fanatics fight the “infidels.” In fact, under the mask of religious fanaticism, specific political and economic motives that are far from Islam and religions in general are often hidden.
Can religious fanaticism be cured?
Religious fanaticism is not only a psychological addiction, but also a mania, and therefore requires intensive long-term psychotherapy. Of course, in completely hopeless cases, treatment is not only hopeless, but also impossible - for example, when a person is hiding from his family in a religious community. But sometimes help still makes sense.
Thus, a psychological technique called deprogramming is suitable for a person dependent on a sect and its religious postulates. This method develops creative, critical and flexible thinking in the patient, gradually eliminating false beliefs regarding religion and cult life. With the help of questions, the psychotherapist leads to establish the causes of fanatical behavior, as a result of which the patient comes to realize the error of his activities and behavior.
During the treatment process, the addict is haunted by the desire to understand what exactly is wrong with him, and when this moment comes, it becomes very difficult. The fanatic is fully aware that he lived stupidly and incorrectly, but the thought of how to return to his previous image remains with him. A psychological “breakdown” occurs.
The success of therapy is largely determined by the behavior and support of loved ones of the addicted person. It is recommended to create a strong and friendly team, which also includes former members of religious communities and help each other overcome the consequences of their former existence, set each other up for a free and independent existence.
In general, the therapy of religious fanaticism is an extremely difficult task, which cannot always be successfully resolved. Thus, many patients become depressed and attempt suicide, because even during the heyday of their fanaticism they were programmed for self-destruction. It is extremely important for patients to understand that they are not responsible for what happened to them and that they were simply “brainwashed”, and now they are returning to a normal, full life.
The main sign of obsessive adherence to an idea is considered intolerance towards other religions. Undisguised hatred and contempt for other religions gives rise to aggression, which sometimes manifests itself in the most disgusting forms. A fanatic in itself does not pose a great threat to society, but the union of such people in groups can sooner or later result in open clashes between representatives of different faiths. Mass fanaticism is also dangerous because not only the fanatics themselves, but also less religious and non-religious groups of citizens will suffer from such actions.Declassified archives related to the execution of the royal family have revealed the deep roots of Jewish Orthodox fanaticism. The ritual murder was committed on the eve of the “9th of Av” - the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple of Solomon.
Another sign of religious fanaticism is orthodox religious fundamentalism, which does not accept anything new. A fanatic perceives his idea as an absolute truth, not subject to criticism in any of its manifestations. Even if the criticism is fair and justified, an ardent follower of a religious idea is not able to treat objections constructively. Often a fan considers it a personal insult and is capable of leading an argument to a fight, in which he quickly becomes impatient. At the same time, realizing that he may be defeated, he perceives what is happening as his fight against evil, and is ready to either kill his opponent or accept “” death.
Fanatics love to be the first to label people, loudly pronouncing: “”, “sectarian”, “”, etc. By putting a person in an uncomfortable position, the main task of such a rabid person is to force the opponent to retreat and become confused. In this case, the main goal is victory in a verbal or hand-to-hand combat, and not ideological questions from the series “whose god is more correct.”
Examples of religious fanaticism in history
Religious struggle in the ancient world was present on the territory of many modern countries. The most famous persecutions on religious grounds are considered to be the extermination of the followers of Akhenaten’s religious reform in Ancient Egypt, and the persecution of Christians during the heyday of the Roman Empire.
But perhaps the most famous victim of dissent was Jesus Christ and almost all of his apostles. For their ideas and “heretical” sermons among the Jewish population, each of them suffered a terrible martyrdom.
Mass religious fanaticism in medieval Europe resulted in crusades that destroyed foreign cultures and “witch hunts.” Entire generations of such fanatics saw paganism and dissent as a threat to their spiritual world and tried to physically exterminate everyone who did not fall under their true believer.
Giordano Bruno, Joan of Arc, Jan Hus and many others died at the hands of fanatics. Those scientists, thinkers, philosophers who could not be burned at the stake were forced to abandon their ideas: Galileo Galilei, Nicolaus Copernicus.
St. Bartholomew's Night is a terrible massacre of Huguenots (French Protestants), provoked by the ardent Catholic Catherine de Medici in August 1572. On that day, according to some sources, more than 30,000 people died, all of them were branded with the word “heretic.”
The other side of the coin was anti-religious fanaticism during the formation of Soviet power. It expressed itself in the fight against prejudice, persecution of the church, religion and militant atheism. In essence, the same “witch hunt”, only in reverse.
Religious fanaticism in the modern world
In the modern world, religious fanaticism is most often associated with the Islamic world - terrorism, jihad, Sharia courts, etc. In particular, examples are given of the tragedies of September 11, 2001 in the United States, the massacres of Christians by Muslims in Indonesia in 2000, modern religious clashes in India, as well as individual terrorist attacks around the world. However, very often, under the guise of religious fanaticism, in reality certain political and financial forces operate, the goals of which are very far from Islam in particular and faith in general.
FANATICISM(from lat. fanum
- altar) - unshakable and rejecting
alternatives are the individual's commitment to certain beliefs, which
finds expression in his activities and communication. F. is associated with
readiness to sacrifice; devotion to the idea is combined with intolerance towards
dissidents, disregard for ethical standards that prevent
achieving a common goal. F. is a phenomenon of group psychology. For
fanatics who find support in mutual recognition are characteristic
increased emotionality, uncritical attitude to any information,
confirming their views, rejection of criticism, even benevolent. F.
often has ideological (including religious) overtones.
Everything is clear with the term, I hope... I just want to tell you a little about the phenomenon as such. I won’t go into science, but I’ll just try to break it down. To begin, let me once again quote one of my favorite quotes:
“It is generally accepted that in an equal dispute, the one who is smarter usually wins. Bullshit!.. Firstly, a stupid person is always confident in his own rightness, while a smart person always doubts it. In addition, a smart person understands the opponent’s arguments, and stupid - no, at least split... And if, in addition, we remember that fools are also lucky, then who, one might ask, should emerge victorious among the two of them?” (C) Evgeny Lukin.
A fanatic is much worse than a fool in an argument. For the simple reason that he not only does not accept anything that does not correspond to his beliefs, but perceives it as an attack on him personally. True, unfortunately, there are no single fans. Fanaticism is a crowd that blindly follows a leader. The leader, by the way, most often does not believe what he says to the crowd of fans. No, there are such people, of course, but such a crowd is very quickly destroyed by those around them, because no society accepts white crows... More often than not, the leader is a pragmatist who knows how to analyze the situation and guide the fanatics in the right way. myself direction (which, by the way, many churches have been using for centuries).
Question for thought: why do both states and churches have a normal attitude towards different confessions within themselves, but do not accept sects?
The answer is simple: most sects are organized on the basis of fanaticism, and the state and church reserve this prerogative.
It’s absolutely not difficult to create a crowd of fans (I won’t give recipes, though, so take my word for it), it’s not much more difficult to manage this crowd at first. Then, most often, the leader changes to a pragmatist and a crowd of fans puts on a “spectacle” for the amusement of everyone except the participants.
And the worst thing about fanaticism is that it is more contagious than mental illness... Yes, yes - mental illness is contagious. Only this requires a lot of time and appropriate conditions. I can even give well-known examples: when one person yawns in a group, almost everyone will yawn within a minute, many will yawn more than once... The second example is an example of crowd induction: a goal in the stadium - everyone screams. Even if a person is not exactly a fan, he is “infected” by the general mood. At first he may not express his violent feelings, but each time it becomes more and more difficult for him to restrain himself. And if the leader directs the crowd with precise phrases, then fans appear. Ready for anything.
Fanatics are dangerous primarily because dialogue with them is useless. If a fan has received instructions for some action, then he can only be stopped by physical methods, and only with significantly superior force. And the worst thing is when fanatics gather into one monolithic crowd - then mindless rage and a readiness to crush everything in its path spill out.
In general, this phenomenon is an atavism and one of the proofs that man is a beast, and the most dangerous beast that exists. This is also observed in animals - these are protective mechanisms for the survival of the species. But a person does not live in animal rhythms, he obeys the laws of the group that he considers dominant. This is why many sectarians abandon their families - the influence of the family as a group on them weakens and they become subordinate to a stronger leader. Which, by the way, does not always obey his own laws - for him they are only a way to control a crowd of fans.
I’ll even give you a little hint on how to control a crowd: the main thing is to force everyone all the time and at the same time(according to a schedule) to perform some, preferably stupid (with a “smart” sauce) actions.
Fanaticism is much more widespread in our lives than is usually believed. Do you think fanatics are only sports or religious? No better than them are all the others who blindly believe in the dogmas of some ideology or even science. So, what is, for example, better than a scientist who blindly accepts hypothetical assumptions described in textbooks as “immutable truths”, or some religious sectarian who also blindly believes the words of his “guru”?
Meanwhile, there are characteristic signs by which any fanatic can be immediately identified. Here, for example, is how psychotherapist V. Sinelnikov describes the phenomenon of fanaticism and its signs:
“From the abundance of information, a person falls into cynicism. The faith of modern man has been greatly shaken. Some people no longer believe in anything. Others become fanatics. And this is scary.
So what is Faith? Faith is conviction, confidence in someone or something. The willingness to accept the existence of something as true.
However, Truth cannot be described in words. Any attempt to do this takes away from her. What turns out is not the Truth, but just its description, that is, someone’s point of view. A thinking, intelligent person does not need absolute, blind faith at all. Knowledge does not need faith.
The word "Faith" consists of two words: Veda and Ra. It turns out literally the following - knowledge of Light, Truth. A believer strives to know the truth and puts this knowledge into practice. The question of faith is the choice of each person. We must strive to be, first of all, a knowledgeable, in-charge person.
And it is very easy to distinguish a knowledgeable person from a fanatic. A man of knowledge will never convince anyone of anything. He lives in harmony with himself and with the world around him. Does not limit himself to any one point of view. Doesn't deny anything. Accepts the world as it is, and at the same time is in a state of constant search and development."
Well, what distinguishes fanatics from people of knowledge is their blind faith in existing dogmas (no difference - scientific, ideological or religious), worship of “authorities” and their leaders, strict adherence to rituals and relationships in the hierarchical Pyramid of Power, intolerance of dissent and the mandatory imposition of their own opinions as the “ultimate truth”. And most importantly, they are afraid of any radical changes and paradigm shifts.
And it is completely in vain that many atheists who blindly believe in the absence of God, as well as “fighters against pseudoscience,” think that they do not fit into the category of fanatics. After all, it is fanatics who always need to discuss and prove something to others and, first of all, to themselves.
Well, those who have already matured to knowledge, and not blind faith, know perfectly well that any consciousness must first “grow” to a certain level of knowledge. Therefore, it is impossible to “pull” to him “by the ears” all those who prefer to hallucinate on long-outdated ideas about reality: “Before it falls, the apple must ripen.”
Fanaticism is an extreme degree of a person’s commitment to any concepts, ideas or beliefs, manifested in the absence of a critical perception of the chosen system, as well as an extremely negative attitude and lack of tolerance towards other ideological positions. Such adherence is similar to blind, unsupported and unjustified faith, therefore fanaticism is most widespread in the religious sphere, but is not limited to it (this includes political views and national, musical and subcultural), including any of the spheres of human manifestation where there is division people regarding choice, belonging and taste.
What is fanaticism
Extreme fanaticism is a definition that is not found so often; usually people express their inclinations or preferences to an average degree, not brought to the point of absurdity of despotism and imposition. But in critical variants, fanaticism takes on rather destructive, harsh and tyrannical manifestations with the imposition of the will and choices of the fanatic, as well as the subjection of people with different thoughts to punishment, torture, and sometimes death.
Fanaticism is the definition of one of the polarities of human attitude towards any phenomenon, concept, personality, idea, on the other side of which there is an indifferent attitude associated with the absence of any relatively selected attribute. Not every psyche is capable of being in one or the other extreme position; usually people stick to their own opinions, without imposing on others, and do not criticize the choices of others, which is called tolerant relations. In most countries with a developed internal psychological culture, it is precisely this that is present, and those in which totalitarianism and dictatorship dominate build their ideology on a fanatical perception of the ideas of society.
The difference between fanaticism and commitment is that with fanatical worship, it is possible to violate generally accepted social norms for the sake of one’s own passion; a person is characterized as unstable emotionally and mentally, being obsessed with an idea. Often a fanatical attitude towards something is part of the picture of a psychiatric illness (usually the manic phase of a psychotic disorder or schizophrenic). Thus, mere adherence to an idea may look like strange behavior and the person is more likely to feel strange, while the fanatic's actions pose a threat to himself and his social life or safety, and the feelings experienced by others from encountering Such a person usually falls on a spectrum (from anxious to terrified).
Fanaticism rejects alternatives and is every second ready to make sacrifices (even to the point of one’s own life or the lives of others); it is guided in its actions, being an active form of manifestation, solely by the desire to achieve the goals of ideals, while completely ignoring legislative, ethical, and social norms. Such a person can be compared to a deaf person who is unable to perceive your criticism, to a blind person who does not see the destructive consequences of his own actions, to a madman living in a parallel reality with different laws. Reaching a fanatic is problematic and sometimes simply impossible; basically, you can only try to limit their activities and avoid contact in order to avoid influencing your destiny.
When defining fanaticism, an important sign is the presence of comrades-in-arms, since this phenomenon is not individualistic, but mass. Fanatic following requires a crowd and its leader - this is one of the mechanisms of generation and control. A crowd, pumped up by an emotionally charismatic leader, becomes easier to manage than an individual. When talking face to face, critical questions and comments may arise, internal protest can easily be felt, while being in a crowd, the feeling of responsibility for the consequences is removed and the person does what those around him do. At such moments, consciousness is open and you can put any thought and idea there, and if you then discuss his worldview with a fanatic, he will perceive beliefs that do not correspond to his opinion through a negative prism, perhaps considering them attacks or insults.
Such a mechanism remains from ancient times, when the reaction of a group of people, as one organism, where everyone does not think much, was aimed at the survival of the species. Roughly speaking, before the leader indicated where the enemies were and the entire tribe ran to destroy the enemy. So as not to be wiped off the face of the earth ourselves. Fanaticism has the same mechanism, ancient and strong, and the moral qualities of the manager of ideas often leave much to be desired. So it turns out that dialogue and calls for critical thinking do not work, the cessation of fanatical activity is only possible by force, with the use of force significantly exceeding the capabilities of the fanatic himself.
Fanaticism is an example of a primitive, unconscious faith, which, when broken down into its components, reveals skillful manipulation of human consciousness. And not the truth of his faith and choice. When communicating with a person, you can notice signs of fanaticism, which consist in not separating good and bad, acceptable and criminal - the system of scanning the world is simplified to the point that everything related to his faith is correct and acceptable, and everything that is different is bad, condemned and is subject to fight or destruction. A fanatic often cannot justify such a position, or these explanations do not have a logical connection (the answer to the question “why do you think I’m bad?” could be “you wear trousers instead of a skirt”).
In an attempt to enter into a productive dialogue and find the truth or at least somehow establish a person’s contact with reality, expanding his prism, you are irreversibly faced with a reluctance to talk about the possibility of his mistake. Such people are infinitely confident that they are right and do not want to think about your words; they would rather rush to beat you for objectionable speeches. This characteristic feature is to see negativity and enemies in people who express other ideas and fight people (often physically), instead of fighting phenomena and ideas. Thus, a person who is a believer will cultivate his willpower so as not to steal and instill a similar worldview in children, and a fanatic will shoot thieves.
There are also emotional signs of fanaticism, which includes excessive emotionality, and the intensity of emotions will be high and the range will be low (ecstasy, when contacting a source, fear, when feeling the instability of a constructed concept, and hatred, when encountering dissidents, are available). In relation to the world, it prevails, with the thought of the insignificance of those who do not support the idea, but such assurances of their uniqueness and superior position are doubtful, since the fanatic himself is a personality closed to development.
Fanaticism can concern anything, some of its forms are accepted and quite normal in society (football fanaticism), while others cause fear and a lot of resistance (religious). The word itself is quite widespread and may not always be used authentically to the situation, but if based on a scientific definition, then in the medical classification of disorders of behavior, emotions and perception, types of fanaticism are distinguished: religious, political, ideological, scientific; a separate group is fanaticism of sports, nutrition, art. The last three are the least destructive in their manifestation and more often the negative consequences come down to disputes with relatives and adherents of other positions. While the first three are capable of pushing a person to crimes and dangerous actions. Depending on the degree of manifestation, there are hard and soft fanaticism, which determines how far a person can go in pursuit of his goals.
Religious fanaticism
Religion and the sphere of belief are perhaps the most favorable of all human ones for the development of fanaticism. As a way of mass consciousness, any religious structure is ideal, having a concept that is inaccessible to objective verification, a leader who explains interpretations and a set of rules, usually promising many goodies to those who obey and terrible punishment for apostates. Fanatical adherence to religious concepts is due to fear. Moreover, at the beginning of his conversion, a person seeks peace and protection in faith, trying to get rid of fear and gain hope; instead, he only gets what he changes the source of fear, independently choosing a master for himself, and finds himself in a situation that is even more terrible in its horror. And if previously fear was in the social sphere, where the worst thing that could happen was murder, then in religion there are things more frightening than death. It is this feeling of fear that pushes a person to violence against those who think differently, to intolerance towards the manifestations of others. Remember at least one person who does not experience wild horror - it is unlikely that he would rush at those around him, while a frightened person begins to defend himself, including attack.
People who have faith show a lot of patience and love for any manifestations of the human soul, and often even the perception of negative traits is positive with the hope of change. They also perceive their own god as loving and accepting, understanding and forgiving, and the opposing dark forces do not frighten them, but only force them to concentrate in order to win the confrontation.
The fanatic fears everyone: the deity - for the punishment of his sins, the dark force - for the threat of torment, the abbot or high priest - for condemnation or deprivation of blessings. Each step takes place in tension, requiring strict control, which ultimately extends to the outside world and the suffocating demand to conform.
Many religions condemn the fanatical manifestations of faith of their adherents, criticizing such behavior and forcing a person to return to the real world and decent interaction, since some manifestations of fanaticism contradict the very religious concept. But we should not forget that some movements of faith, on the contrary, push people to such blind adherence, encouraging people to commit antisocial actions. Behind such an attitude is usually a person himself who is far from faith, soberly assessing the situation, but using the feelings of believers who have come under his influence to manipulate in achieving his own interests.
There are certain personality types that are susceptible to the emergence of religious fanaticism, usually these are people with character accentuation of the schizoid, hysterical or stuck type. Such people often end up in totalitarian sects or independently turn another religion into a farce with their own proofs of faith that are grotesque in their manifestation.
How to get rid of fanaticism
Liberation from fanatical behavior is aimed at developing critical thinking, restoring adequate perception, and elaborating the image of the cult. Any fanatical adherence is essentially a psychological, emotional and chemical addiction (if narcotic substances are not used, then periodic states of ecstasy and surges of adrenaline force the human body to independently produce opiates in the required quantities). Accordingly, getting rid of fanaticism includes many similarities with getting rid of addiction. In the process of joint critical analysis of the provided concept for the presence of contradictions, destructive moments and poorly disguised manipulation in it, a fanatic can reach a certain point, and then the breakdown begins.
During such periods, the support of people who are not associated with the fanatic’s society is very important, since in an unstable state of loss of reference points, a person sees the world as gray (the ecstasies are gone), hostile (no one hugs when he just walked in) and confused (no one determines where the black is, where is the white? It is very easy to return back to the world of dependence and infantile existence, and this can be prevented by a new organized life, in which there will be people with successful experience of leaving the influence of a religious cult.
Objectively, the former fanatic needs psychological help and long-term therapy, with the same degree of seriousness with which drug addicts and victims of violence undergo rehabilitation, but only the fanatic in his past role was subjected to both violence and addiction. Often this is a family problem of a systemic type and it is necessary to rehabilitate not only one person; with a high probability, in his close circle there will be people who have one or another addiction, who show excessive cruelty, despotism, and manipulation of feelings. If you do not pay due attention to changing your entire lifestyle, it will be similar to an addict trying to quit, sitting in a den with friends, and having a new dose in the kitchen cabinet at home. 
