Who Wants to be a Religious Fanatic?

Posted on March 13, 2017.
Fanatic original

Whatever you do, don’t become a religious fanatic!  There’s nothing worse!  According to one definition, a fanatic is “one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject!”  What could be worse?  No one can stand a religious fanatic!

Other kinds of fanaticism are O.K.  On a racing fan web-site. A fan wrote… “I’ve told my family that when I die, I want my ashes scattered on ‘turn one’ at the Indy.  That didn’t seem fanatical to his family.  They thought it was a reasonable request.

It’s O.k. to be a Star-Trek fanatic as well.  If you check out one of the Trekkie web-sites for hard-core fans of the original Star Trek series, you’ll find that you can attend one of their national conventions dressed up as Captain Kirk.  Or, if you prefer, you can learn the phonetics and syntax of the Klingon language.  If you want, you can order $300 blueprints from the web-site for the Star Ship Enterprise.  That’s not fanaticism though, it’s just a hobby.  It’s just entertainment.

But a religious fanatic?  That’s one kind of fanatic that no one can stand.  Someone once suggested that “religious fanaticism is a disease.  Dare to think for yourself.  Just say “no” to religion!

That does seem to be the general mood of our culture, doesn’t it?  It should be a compliment to be called a religious fanatic, but in our culture, it is the ultimate demonization.  I guess I would encourage any would be follower of Christ, to consider His Word over the world.  I guess by modern definition it is a little (or a lot) radical to follow Jesus.  After all, He encourages us to die to ourselves, take up His cross and to follow Him daily.  I guess to a self-run, self-centered, self-serving person losing life to find it makes no sense at all.  It probably seems, shall I say ‘radical?’  But to me, self-denial (although admittedly hard) is a normal day in the Kingdom of blessings and joy.  I opt for that and I don’t care what you call me.  I just want Him to call me His.  I just want to be… ‘in-Christ!’  Who wants to be a religious fanatic?  Me!