Why do people become fanatics?

[Shilberu Erikku]

Both believers and atheist sometimes get to extremes about their opinions, and everyone who think different - is stupid / will burn in hell. Why do people get to that? How can they become so sure that there's no way they could be wrong, in this world where nothing in fact is sure (except for death and taxes)?  

[Gordums]

A possible reason to me would be because their beliefs are personal. When you question their beliefs that they hold personal, sometimes people take it as you're personally attacking them or questioning them. This often agitates people into defending themselves or attacking back.

Sometimes we question their beliefs and it sort of cracks their "concrete" knowledge, which can be unnerving to them and result in them lashing back.

Sometimes they believe their beliefs to be absoloutely true and there is no way yours can be correct - that they aren't willing to see other sides of an argument and take your side into consideration, which I find is the most important part of an argument. Otherwise, who are you arguing with if you don't consider anybody else's point than your own?

Sometimes people don't like to be wrong, and so they attack you personally. Or sometimes people just don't like you and just want you to be wrong all the time.

Sometimes it's a mix, or there are other reasons, or both. But regardless, I feel like a lot of these strong believers hold their beliefs very personal to them, and that initself can be dangerous.

 

[Le Scratch]

I like that you threw in famous words for that post.

As Gordums said, when people get caught up in those sorts of things it becomes very personal to a number of them. I myself see both sorts of extremism to be silly - I'm agnostic, the literal middle ground between hardcore religious folks and hardcore atheists, but I've been on both sides of the coin too. I can see where both sides have their ups: religions help promote morals and values; atheism helps promote logical thinking and reasoning. I can also see where both sides have their downs: religions in an organized form have been responsible for many wars; atheism relies on science to the point that if something can't be explained it becomes a sort of 'exception that proves the rule'.

Overall, people like to have something they can defend and be on personal ground with. For some it's politics; for others it's a particular style or trend. For others, it's religion or a lack thereof. It's one of the good (and bad) things about human nature.  

[Shilberu Erikku]

Le Scratch

I like that you threw in famous words for that post.

As Gordums said, when people get caught up in those sorts of things it becomes very personal to a number of them. I myself see both sorts of extremism to be silly - I'm agnostic, the literal middle ground between hardcore religious folks and hardcore atheists, but I've been on both sides of the coin too. I can see where both sides have their ups: religions help promote morals and values; atheism helps promote logical thinking and reasoning. I can also see where both sides have their downs: religions in an organized form have been responsible for many wars; atheism relies on science to the point that if something can't be explained it becomes a sort of 'exception that proves the rule'.

Overall, people like to have something they can defend and be on personal ground with. For some it's politics; for others it's a particular style or trend. For others, it's religion or a lack thereof. It's one of the good (and bad) things about human nature.

If only more people had the following mentality: "If people are capable of thinking of it, it must be true to some extent".  

[Le Scratch]

Shilberu Erikku

Le Scratch

I like that you threw in famous words for that post.

As Gordums said, when people get caught up in those sorts of things it becomes very personal to a number of them. I myself see both sorts of extremism to be silly - I'm agnostic, the literal middle ground between hardcore religious folks and hardcore atheists, but I've been on both sides of the coin too. I can see where both sides have their ups: religions help promote morals and values; atheism helps promote logical thinking and reasoning. I can also see where both sides have their downs: religions in an organized form have been responsible for many wars; atheism relies on science to the point that if something can't be explained it becomes a sort of 'exception that proves the rule'.

Overall, people like to have something they can defend and be on personal ground with. For some it's politics; for others it's a particular style or trend. For others, it's religion or a lack thereof. It's one of the good (and bad) things about human nature.

If only more people had the following mentality: "If people are capable of thinking of it, it must be true to some extent".

I'm kinda 'meh' about all that. I don't know whether there is or is not some profound divine deity or force of some sort and, as we are only human, I don't think we will ever be capable of understanding or finding out for sure in either case. I live my life with a code of respect and karma - everyone will get their dues in the end - and I expect nothing more out of this life than I put into it.  

[Shilberu Erikku]

Gordums

A possible reason to me would be because their beliefs are personal. When you question their beliefs that they hold personal, sometimes people take it as you're personally attacking them or questioning them. This often agitates people into defending themselves or attacking back.

Sometimes we question their beliefs and it sort of cracks their "concrete" knowledge, which can be unnerving to them and result in them lashing back.

Sometimes they believe their beliefs to be absoloutely true and there is no way yours can be correct - that they aren't willing to see other sides of an argument and take your side into consideration, which I find is the most important part of an argument. Otherwise, who are you arguing with if you don't consider anybody else's point than your own?

Sometimes people don't like to be wrong, and so they attack you personally. Or sometimes people just don't like you and just want you to be wrong all the time.

Sometimes it's a mix, or there are other reasons, or both. But regardless, I feel like a lot of these strong believers hold their beliefs very personal to them, and that initself can be dangerous.

I think it might have something to do with our ape ancestry. Back in our australopithecine days, we had a stronger drive to be the "silverback" of our troop. Fast foward 3 million years to Homo sapiens heidelbergensis. We lived in clans spread out throughout the continents. The dominance drive has died down, and we had tribal beliefs and almost no competition. Fast forwars a few hundred thousand years to Homo sapiens sapiens. Civilizations sprang up and we realized that the other civilazations had different beliefs. Our silverback drive rekindled into our subconcious.  

[Prince Ikari]

People become fanatics because they truly believe or don't believe in something. There's many beliefs that are very personal to me, ones if I had to die for I would, such as protecting this country and my freedoms. In terms of religion, it's a bit more complicated. Religion becomes part of peoples lives. You only need to look to the Middle East to see what hardcore religion can do. Radical Muslims will kill people for not following their religion. And atheists will go so far as to desecrate and ban every shred of religion from existence even though probably 90% of the world is religious in some sense. I honestly have issues with both sides. I'm in no way a religious fanatic, and at the same time I'm most certainly not an atheist. I'm just a moderate Christian. My religion is important to me, but not to the point I'd go out and force my religion on people or kill people because of it. I think that religious extremists give religion a bad name by carrying it too far. Most religions preach peace and tolerance, though some followers distort the message and use it as justification for killing innocent people. You can't even call it religion at that point. As for atheists, they try to force their anti-religious messages just as much as religious extremists push their ultra-religious ones. Atheists have no respect for those who are religious and go too far trying to ban even the word religion itself from everything. They'll push to ban displays of religion anywhere and everywhere even in religious communities. Religious extremists to me are ignorant, and atheists are arrogant. And I cannot stand either one. Religious extremists need to accept that not everyone wants to follow the same religion they do, or follow it as strongly, and atheists need to accept that they're a very small minority of the population and that even though they disagree with religion, they need to respect that people do wish to follow and believe in a religion.  

[Dusty-Boy]

My fanaticism for Aetheism has been restricted by my fanaticism for liberty... so I'm all good.. except with countries that don't run on the ideas of freedom and the protection/growth of said freedom from/for both external and internal agents against freedom  

[Shilberu Erikku]

I guess it all boils down to the human desperation for significance..........