The religious zealot

[robvalue]

Thanks guys It's a scary prospect. I wonder what makes someone tend to this kind of extreme position. I guess a mixture of how they think and how hard they get indoctrinated. I suppose someone who turns religious in later life could become a zealot, but I would imagine the percentage would be lower than those fed it from birth. Do you reckon?

[vorlon13]

What's the point of being religious without zealotry ?

God isn't going to reward the posers, slackers, backsliders or the cherry pickers, is he ?

If he was, one of the commandments would have emphasized mediocrity.

[Norman Humann]

Exactly. If you're going to believe in something, forget the half measures and light yourself on fire!

[dyresand]

I mean... most death cults get their reward when they die why keep on living why not go to the express lane for heaven?

[vorlon13]

I'd settle for drinking poison and handling deadly serpents.

[robvalue]

You have to respect zealots for at least taking it seriously, even if it means shutting off most of their brain to do so. Being a moderate really is the most bizarre position. "I believe it's the word of God but I just ignore almost all of it. I'm a great christian."

[robvalue]

I think that William Lane Craig moron is a perfect example of a zealot. I just started listening to Steve Shives review one of his books. He take arrogance and unreasonableness to a whole new level, even among the tough competition.

[Fendon]

Thanks guys It's a scary prospect. I wonder what makes someone tend to this kind of extreme position. I guess a mixture of how they think and how hard they get indoctrinated. I suppose someone who turns religious in later life could become a zealot, but I would imagine the percentage would be lower than those fed it from birth. Do you reckon?

I don't know, I'd hate to speculate on this, but I'm going to anyway. I've always thought that religion must have some sort of 'tunnel-vision' effect on religious zealots. They appear to have spent their lives fixated on one, very stubborn belief that the possibility of a God not existing or their God not being the 'right' God is totally devastating. Zealotry, to me appears to be desperate measures to salvage what they've always believed to be true. That's an aspect of zealotry we have to sympathize with, really; everything they've ever lived for is wrong. I can't even begin to imagine the psychological trauma that comes with that discovery. Can you?

As frustrating as it is for Atheists, ironically zealotry could be the only thing that 'saves' these people. Suppose the joke's on us, really.

[robvalue]

Maybe, I hadn't thought of it that way. Could they be people who just can handle life without God? They can't even bear to think about it for one second?

They are constantly at the crossroads: one more lie/deception/dismissal of reality, or consider I am wrong. One more lie it is. Next crossroads...

[Fendon]

That's pretty much exactly what I think is going on. I always picture the hopeful young child who dreams of becoming a Lawyer when he's older. The kid spends his school life doing the necessary subjects, is an avid fan of 'Suits' and puts more of his time devoted to studying obscure laws than actually living. Sadly, when it comes to crunch time, he just isn't good enough and he doesn't make it into Law. What then? Where does he go? What future does he have, without a Law career?

Zealots have been groomed their entire lives to believe that their end-game is heaven; an eternity of pure bliss. He attends Sunday School as a child, disagrees with evolution, is adamant that the Bible is God's true word, waits 'til marriage before he has sex, hates gays and ultimately spends his life doing everything other than living, because he is certain he will have an afterlife. The prospect of an alternative reality is just terrifying. So when people like Atheists start telling him he can't have heaven, he's wasted his life devoted to a fairy-tale... What then? Where does he go? What future does he have, without heaven?