Christian Living

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December 9, 2011 – Religious Fanatics or Zealous Believers?

13 You have heard of my career and former manner of life in the Jewish religion (Judaism), how I persecuted and abused the church of God furiously and extensively, and [with fanatical zeal did my best] to make havoc of it and destroy it. – Galatians 1:13 AMP

Here we see the truth from Paul’s own words. Out of love for Judaism he persecuted Christians. He called it fanatical zeal, but today we would simply call him a religious fanatic. In today’s world, we have fanatics of all sorts. There are sports fanatics who know the statistics of every player on their favorite team. There are people who are fanatical about hunting and spend every waking moment trying to figure out ways to slip out into the woods to hunt their favorite wild game. And yes, there are religious fanatics who all of us look at, scratch our heads, and wonder what it is they truly believe.

Religious fanatics can be broken down into two basic categories. First there’s the suicide bomber category. These people strap bombs to their bodies and blow themselves up in public places. They do it the majority of the time out of hatred for a people, a religious system, or both. They believe the god they serve would have them aid in ridding the world of these people and their beliefs. Like Paul, they are doing their best to destroy a people and religious system which contradicts their own. However, my focus today is not on this group. My focus today is on the second group, which are simply religious fanatics.

Religious fanatics are everywhere. You may not know any, but you may know several. You may even be one yourself. They’re on the roadside in large cities dressed in robes handing out flowers. They’re on the street corner holding a Bible in the air shouting at the top of their lungs. But they are also sitting beside you at church. That’s right; we all know those in our churches who also fit into this category of religious radicals.

Religious zealots in our churches are easy to spot. They are present at every church function, regardless if even appeals to them or not. Many times they are the first to arrive as well as the last ones to leave. They know the Word and can even quote a few Scriptures on cue. Most of the time, they have a personality that is very in-your-face and argumentative. And they are very quick to pass judgment on the world and even those in church. But turn the tables on them in correction and you will more than likely stir up a proverbial hornet’s nest.

You see, a religious fanatic may not be necessarily living a godly life. They know how they should be living, but excuse sinful behavior in their life under the pretense of having a cross or burden to bear. They could have chosen to live the façade of the religious freak out of fear of their sins being exposed. I know because I did it for years. I knew a little of the Word, volunteered for everything at church (even the nursery), and was always willing and ready to pass judgment, which in the end was actually gossip, on anyone at any time. On the outside I was a religious nut, but inside the shell there was no fruit.

I may be wrong, but I don’t think God wants any of us to be religious fanatics. There are enough weirdoes in the world today without Christians being counted among them. At the same time, I do believe God wants all Christians to be enthusiastic about their faith. But what’s the difference? Where is the line drawn between zeal and fanaticism? How do religious nuts turn it down a notch? How does the enthusiastic believer make sure his enthusiasm doesn’t become fanatical?

The problem is that there are no definitive answers to any of these questions. Everyone is different. We have different likes, dislikes, and personalities. We even have different church denominations to appeal to an individual believer’s faith. For example, as a child growing up in a rural Presbyterian church, I thought the local Baptist church was fanatical because they met twice a week. I had never heard of such a thing! Denominations that believe in speaking in tongues are sometimes viewed as demonic by other denominations. The truth is that there is no magical formula to distinguish the radical from the real by any standard of man.

However, God’s standard is different. God’s standard is the Bible. A religious fanatic more times than not will fail in applying the Bible to every part of his life. Their in-your-face personality will not allow them to walk in Christ’s love and self-control. Their attitude will be a complete turnoff to those who don’t know them. They will have a great relationship with their church, but their relationship with God is secondary and sometimes nonexistent.

On the other hand, the enthusiastic believer has a relationship with God. They are not at church every time the door swings open, but they love God with all their heart. Whether His instructions to them are written in the Word or spoken directly, they are followed. And they stand for God and His ways no matter what the circumstance.

Are you a religious nut? Do others view you as a fanatical Christian? Are you living that way to hide hidden sin? Do you live with enthusiasm for God because you believe everything He says is true? It’s one thing to have zeal for God because you love Him, but it’s completely different to do it to hide yourself from others.

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