What is fanaticism and why is it dangerous. Religious fanaticism: why is it so dangerous

In patristics, the expression is usually used in this sense jealousy beyond reason, based on the words of the Apostle Paul () .

Term religious fanaticism, along with the direct meaning, is often used:

• non-church people to condemn Christians who have a responsible attitude to faith, practically express it in their lives.
• to promote godlessness. At the same time, an emphasis is placed on crimes committed under the banner of religion. There are two counter-arguments here: 1) fanaticism contradicts the commandments of Christ; 2) atheistic fanaticism (in Russia, France, Spain, Mexico ...) led to significantly more casualties than religious.

What is fanaticism? Who can be called a fanatic?

hieromonk Job (Gumerov)

Fanatics (lat.fanaticus - frenzied; associated with the root fanum - temple) in ancient times were called ministers of pagan cults, whose actions were often accompanied by the manifestation of fury. In the 3rd book of Kings, there is a story of how the priests of Baal performed their cult on Mount Carmel: And they took the calf that was given to them, and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, saying: Baal, hear us! But there was no voice, no answer. And they galloped at the altar that they had made. And they began to shout in a loud voice, and stabbed themselves as usual with knives and spears, so that blood flowed over them. ().

The Holy Fathers did not apply this term to Christians, as genetically alien to the principles of the Christian faith and having a certain semantic conditionality. They have always given precise names to various deviations from the healthy Christian faith. The expression is often used in patristics unreasonable jealousy, unreasonable jealousy... “Regarding any deed, if you do it without reflection and research, know that it is vain, although it is proper, because God imputes the truth out of prudence, and not out of unreasoning action” (Rev. Ascetic words. Word 89. About the harm of unreasonable jealousy, covered by the guise of Divine zeal, and about the help that comes from meekness and other moral qualities).

The reasons jealousy beyond reason are different: pride, vanity, conceit. Such an unreasonable zeal is especially dangerous when demonic flattery feeds it: “So, he teaches others to cruelly exhaust his body by fasting, scourging, sleeping on bare ground and other similar malice of the flesh so that he either falls into pride, dreaming that he does great affairs "(Rev.).

The Holy Fathers also write about the destructive consequences of such deviations from the healthy Christian faith: “Our God is the God of peace, and brings all God's peace. And jealousy in truth, when it is from God, is peaceful, meek, compassionate to everyone, even to those who violate the truth. Therefore, you will understand that the zealous ferocity that kindled you is not from God. The enemy has sat down to your heart and inflamed it so unnaturally ... ”(Saint.).

The word fanaticism has been actively used since the 19th century by non-believers and liberal-minded Christians who have fallen away from the centuries-old tradition, against those whose religiosity is not limited to cold performance of rituals. In the 20th century, in the atheistic vocabulary, it became one of the most common concepts. Vague and vague in meaning, it turned out to be very convenient in the era of mass unbelief for condemning any religious activity that does not fit into the framework of the usual consciousness. As soon as a person who goes to church three or four times a year (to receive Epiphany water, to consecrate a cake and to light a candle when there is trouble at work), starts visiting every month, acquaintances begin to say that he has become a fanatic ...

Holy Scripture teaches us to treat the word with great responsibility. “You will not say the same word: some will revive, and some will kill your soul and, perhaps, the soul of your neighbor. That is why it is said: let your word always be in grace, soliu dissolved () (Holy rights. My life in Christ).

Religious fanaticism

hegumen Ignatius (Dushein)

Religious fanaticism. Until recently, this concept was associated only with the school history course of the times of the USSR. But something has changed. And not only here, but all over the world. Now the words "extremism", "fanaticism", "fundamentalism" are full of all newspapers, and every second politician speaks of "tolerance" and "tolerance."

However, very often the same concepts for different people can mean completely different things. What is religious fanaticism?

For a non-religious person, any manifestation of religiosity in general may seem to be a manifestation of religious fanaticism. I went to and began to observe fasts - a fanatic; says that abortion is a sin - an extremist; Well, if he remembered Tsarist Russia with a kind word, then he was just a great-power chauvinist.

Thus, for non-church people the concepts of “believer” and “fanatic” are practically identical. On the contrary, for an Orthodox person, the accusation of fanaticism sounds at least insulting.

What does the word “fanaticism” itself mean? “Fanaticos” - translated from Latin as “frenzied”. Brought up on Western films, modern Russians represent the believers just like that - intolerant, frenzied, haunted, with eyes burning with unhealthy ecstasy.

However, such a state from the point of view of Orthodox asceticism can only be assessed negatively. Orthodoxy is generally a religion of sobriety. Spiritual sobriety. It does not call a person to elevated spiritual states, does not invite to fly up with the help of imagination or emotions into transcendental distances to communicate with the angelic ranks and the faces of saints. On the contrary, it categorically warns against such “flights”.

Orthodoxy only invites a person to look at himself soberly, without rose-colored glasses. Look closely at what is inside, in the heart. See what is really happening there.

Fanaticism is completely alien, unnatural to normal Orthodox spirituality. In Orthodoxy there is a concept of “zeal for God”. The example of people who shed their blood for the faith - martyrs - has always been and remains the glory and praise of the Church. Is this not a manifestation of fanaticism?

After all, in all nations and at all times those who gave their lives for their people, country, simply for their neighbor were glorified. And in general, if a person does not have something in life that he himself values \u200b\u200babove his life, then this only means that he has not yet risen above the level of only the animal state.

The question is: is a person himself ready to die for his faith, or is he ready to kill other people for this, even at the cost of his life? And here the Christian sees the border between the readiness for self-sacrifice and fanaticism.

For a Christian, the very idea of \u200b\u200bviolence against someone else's freedom is unacceptable. This organically follows from the Christian teaching about God: God Himself in relation to people does not allow any violence from His side. A Christian will defend his freedom, including with arms, but he will never encroach on the freedom of another. Fanaticism, on the other hand, seeks to affirm its "truths" through violence throughout the world.

Fanaticism is indifferent to the spiritual development of a person, his goals are in this “earthly” dimension. It is not at all the same in Orthodoxy. The spiritual life of an Orthodox person is all directed inward. The Christian sees all his problems in himself, it is there - the center of his struggle, there, in his heart, “the devil fights with God”, and there, in the depths of his heart, under the heaps of sins and passions, that treasure is hidden - the Kingdom of God - more valuable than which there is nothing in the world. This is the main difference between "religious zeal", "spiritual zeal" from fanaticism.

This does not mean that everything that happens around absolutely does not bother the Orthodox. It's just that the main front of the struggle for the salvation of the soul is in the soul, and not in the Duma or in the trenches. The Apostle Paul wrote: “... our wrestling (struggle - I. I.) is not against the blood and flesh (that is, people - I. I.), but against the principalities, against the authorities, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spirits of evil in heaven” ... And the spirits of malice do not threaten us with machine guns or “shahids' belts,” they burst into our hearts along with anger, hatred, pride, lust, greed, and other passions.

Where the correct vector of spiritual warfare is lost, and a struggle begins not with the spirits of malice, not with one's own passions, but with “flesh and blood” - with people, there the emergence of religious fanaticism is possible.

Are such phenomena possible in Christianity? In a normal spiritual life, no. If it is distorted, yes. That is why we find historical examples of religious fanaticism not only in other religions, but also in many Christian communities that have fallen away from the fullness of the Orthodox Church.

Islam, originating in Arabia, conquered half of the world with fire and sword. Catholicism tried to assert its rule through the Crusades. The Protestants, colonizing America, carried out genocide of the indigenous population. Various sects often staged bloody massacres of those who were in no hurry to seek salvation from their leaders.

Orthodoxy, on the contrary, is characterized by a tolerant attitude towards people of other faiths. While firmly insisting that it is the Orthodox Church that possesses the fullness of Truth, Orthodoxy does not call for the destruction of those who do not think so. For a thousand years, Orthodox Russia has mastered vast territories, but nowhere were bonfires burning with pagans, Buddhists or Muslims. Many nations converted to the Orthodox faith, but always by preaching, not by force of arms. The same peoples who became part of the Russian Empire with their own beliefs were never oppressed on religious grounds. Moreover, mosques were built from the treasury of the Orthodox Empire, lamas and mullahs were kept.

When they want to accuse the Orthodox of fanaticism, they usually recall the Old Believer schism of the 17th century. Indeed, the tragic events associated with the schism did not take place without the fault of the highest hierarchs. But can the Old Believer schism be regarded as a phenomenon organically characteristic of Orthodoxy? Rather the opposite. The lack of elementary spiritual education among the people, excessive ritualism, an addiction to the dead letter and to human traditions - all these are distortions, and not the normal state of the Church. But this is precisely what caused the split. Repressions against the Old Believers were carried out by the government, not the Church. Suffice it to recall that Archpriest Avvakum was executed when Patriarch Nikon himself had already been deposed and exiled. The persecution of the Old Believers was a topical issue for the state, and it was under its pressure that the church hierarchy justified them. Church bans on the schismatics were imposed not by the Russian bishops but by the Eastern Patriarchs.

As already mentioned, fanaticism is not typical of Orthodoxy at all. It arises from wrong spiritual life. In sects, where there can be no talk of a correct spiritual life, fanaticism is the most nutritious medium. The gas attacks of the AUM Shinrikyo adherents and the warlike appeals of the White Brothers have not yet disappeared from the memory; reports on the crimes of Satanists regularly appear in the press.

Only correct spiritual guidelines, correct spiritual life, can save a person from fanaticism. And the Orthodox Church offers means that can save society from the danger of an escalation of religious extremism.

“You are the salt of the earth,” the Lord said to the apostles who originally formed the Church. The church is the salt of the earth. What is salt? The first preservative known to people. Something that prevents rotting. The further people move away from the Church, the more pronounced the smell of corruption. Without the Church, the world will rot, corrupt in its iniquities. One of the consequences of spiritual decay is fanaticism, and only the Church can resist it without riot police and Spetsnaz.

Fanaticism is enthusiasm for any activity that reaches an extreme degree of expression with the formation of a cult and the creation of idols with complete submission of man and the "dissolution" of individuality. More often, fanatical attitudes are formed in such areas as religion (religious fanaticism), sports (sports fanaticism) and music (musical fanaticism). Fanaticism is characterized by the development of a stereotype by a person of subordinating his own interests and aspirations to the interests of the confession, team, musical group, focusing attention and efforts on supporting the idol and providing all-round and active assistance, missionary activity. Within the framework of deviant behavior in the form of fanaticism, a person begins to act according to the psychological laws of the group and the driven person, he is not able to critically treat the statements of an idol, an idol and realize deviations in his own behavior, which may consist in separation or leaving the family, ignoring work.

Religious fanaticism occupies a special place in the psychology of deviant behavior in connection with the socio-psychological significance of the consequences. The destruction of families, the severing of family and friendship ties, a sharp and radical change in the stereotype of a person's life put this problem in one of the first places in terms of importance. Of greatest interest is the psychological aspect of faith, which makes it possible to analyze the mechanisms of the formation of fanatical behavior, the formation of anomalies and deviations from ethno and socio-cultural norms, and the study of changes in the personality under the influence of a religious community.

A characteristic feature of religious faith is the recognition of the existence of the supernatural, which is understood as something that does not obey the laws of the surrounding world, which lies “on the other side” of sensibly perceived objects. A special role is played by the phenomenon of “chosenness”, which forms, on the one hand, a sense of identification with a group of like-minded people “initiated into the secret”; on the other hand, it strengthens the feeling of superiority over other (uninitiated) people.

Sectarianism is considered the most fertile ground for deviant behavior. The followers of Christianity believe that a sect is "an organized society of people who disagree with ... the church, but agree with each other in religious terms" (B.A. Lyubovik). There is no unambiguous interpretation of the concept of a sect, since interfaith confrontation is of a fundamental nature. According to representatives of "big (old, inclined to monopolization of faith)" religions, the distinctive feature of the sect lies in the fact that in its views it differs from the dominant one, is not an official and widespread religion in a particular country. This point of view cannot be considered valid. We can agree that totalitarian religious sects use in their practice tough psychological methods of influence, which is expressed in a person's consciousness of a state of increased suggestibility due to physical and mental exhaustion, social deprivation, the use of trance states, etc. In nontraditional religions, as a rule, the emotional and psychological side plays an important role, pushing the doctrine into the background. This is expressed in the proclamation of the priority of religious experience. Great importance is attached to the "divinely inspired" form of manifestation of feelings and behavior of a believer as evidence of a person's genuine and deep religiosity. Spontaneous manifestations of religious feelings, especially the state of trance, ecstasy, is interpreted as "enlightenment", as an introduction to the divine reality, to which the adepts of the religious group strive (A.Yu. Yegortsev).

According to VV Pavlyuk, a religious sect fosters a “reaction of avoidance” among its members, as a result of which the believer involuntarily, as if automatically, avoids those actions that are not approved by the group. Such an emotional reaction instilled in the course of communication and education in a religious group blocks the possibility of deviating from the norms accepted in the group. Reinforcement for the "reaction of avoidance" is certain religious sanctions from the group as a whole, or from its leaders in the form of disapproval or condemnation. A sense of community, of unity with other group members can be a very real psychological factor in a religious group. The threat of the use or an example of the use in the past of measures of condemnation, alienation causes a feeling of fear of being rejected by the group and thus acts as a kind of psychological guardian of deviation from the regulated norms of the daily life of the believer.

The characteristic features of the impact of totalitarian sects on the individual are considered (A.Yu. Yegortsev):
1) the establishment of strict control over the will, consciousness and feelings of members of the sect (strict discipline; instilling a sense of guilt before the organization; psychological pressure on those who want to break with the sect);
2) the formation of psychological dependence on the leader and the organization (suppression of the ability for critical thinking; demanding a break with critical people; limiting the circle of communication only to members of the sect; lack of free time, personal life outside the community).

Within the framework of a religious sect, the formation of religious fanaticism is greatly facilitated, since the leader and the community itself, with the help of long-term and intense psychological influences, forms a willingness not to doubt the correctness or incorrectness of their own behavior, removes responsibility for it and, as a result, volitional control of their own activities. The person begins to act in accordance with the behavioral pattern imposed by the group.

One of the topical, theoretically and practically significant is the question of personal characteristics that predispose to the involvement of an individual in a religious sect, the relationship between the inner aspirations of the individual, religious tolerance and the necessary degree of active psychological “recruitment” for the development of religious fanaticism. It is known that a special risk group is made up of individuals engaged in intensive spiritual searches, striving for “complete and absolute Truth” (often understood as simple and unambiguous answers to complex questions), as well as individuals with an artistic mindset.

RJ. Lifton identifies eight elements that lead to a catastrophic change in human consciousness in a religious group:
1) control of the environment (environment) - a rigid structuring of the environment in which communication is regulated, and access to information is strictly controlled;
2) mystical manipulation - the use of a planned or adjusted "spontaneous", "immediate" situation to give it a meaning that is beneficial to manipulators. For example, the physiological and psychological changes in the transition to a vegetarian diet are explained by the "descent of the holy spirit."
3) the requirement of purity - a clear division of the world into "clean" and "impure", "good" and "bad". The totalitarian sect is “good” and “clean”, everything else is “bad” and “dirty”.
4) the cult of confession - the requirement of continuous confession and intimate confessions to destroy the "boundaries of personality" and maintain a sense of guilt.
5) "holy science" - the declaration of their dogma as absolute, complete and eternal truth. Any information that contradicts this absolute truth is considered false.
6) loaded (with a cult meaning) language - the creation of a special clichéd dictionary of intragroup communication in order to eliminate the very basis for independent and critical thinking.
7) the doctrine is higher than the personality - the doctrine is more real and true than the personality and its individual experience.
8) division of existence - the members of the group have the right to life and existence, the rest do not, i.e. "The end justifies any means."

According to EN Volkov, a person in a cult experiences and lives not his own individual “experience”, it experiences a group “experience”, hence the strong dependence on group processes. Responsibility for making decisions is transferred from a specific person to a group, so the most ridiculous and strange decisions are taken and implemented by ordinary members for granted. In the process of familiarizing a person with the group norms of a totalitarian sect, the phenomenon of “doubling” of personality (RLifton) is formed, the essence of which is the division of the “I” of the individual into two independently functioning systems. At the same time, people do not experience feelings of emotional discomfort or instability. They are not inclined to critical reflection on their own situation and are inclined to perform any actions with weakened volitional control.

The separation occurs because at some point a member of a cult group is confronted with the fact that his new behavior is incompatible with the pre-cult self. The behavior demanded and rewarded by the totalitarian group is so different from the "old self" that the usual psychological defense (rationalization, repression, etc.) is not enough for vital functioning. All thoughts, beliefs, actions, feelings and roles associated with being in a destructive cult are organized into an independent system, a partial "I", which is fully consistent with the requirements of this group, but this happens not by the free choice of the individual, but as an instinctive reaction of self-preservation in almost unbearable - psychologically - conditions (E.N. Volkov).

RJ. Lifton's research led to the understanding of the fact that practically every person in conditions of massive group pressure and manipulation of basic human needs is capable of forming deviant behavior in the form of religious fanaticism. Low communicative tolerance, family traditions of magical and mystical thinking, and some characterological and personal characteristics may become a predisposing factor for this.

Under the influence of the psychological influences of a totalitarian sect in a person with developed deviant behavior, first of all, there is a change in all four formal signs of consciousness (according to K. Jaspers). He is disturbed: 1) the sense of activity - awareness of himself as an active being; 2) awareness of my own unity: at every given moment I am aware that I am one; 3) awareness of my own identity: I remain what I have always been; 4) the realization that "I" is different from the rest of the world, from everything that is not "I".

The variety of mental phenomena that arise as a result of a person's stay under cult control and radically change his behavior towards anomalies and deviations can be grouped into the following eight blocks (Fig. 12):
1) Block of changes in consciousness and self-awareness (violation of self-awareness and personality identity).
2) A block of affective phenomena-disorders (psychopathological emotional states (experiences) in the framework of post-traumatic stress disorder: depression, panic attacks, obsessive memories and dreams, etc.).
3) Block of inversion of the motor-volitional sphere (decrease in volitional activity (apathy), the ability to control one's activity, loss of spontaneity and naturalness).
4) The block of pathological dependence (the formation of psychological dependence on a religious group, the loss of the ability to be responsible for anything and autonomous in decision-making).
5) The block of personality regression (stopping intellectual, cognitive, emotional, moral development, accompanied by the development of mental infantilism).
6) A block of perceptual phenomena (illusions, hallucinations, disturbances in the body scheme, perception of time).
7) Block of thought anomalies (use of so-called affective logic, loss of criticality, tendency to form overvalued and crazy ideas).
8) Block of communicative deviations (isolation, alienation, autism, inability to establish trusting relationships, loss of empathy and social communication skills).

The motives for separating a person from reality and leaving for a group (religious, sports or music fans), submitting oneself to the idea and the leader may be different. One of the motives may be psychological problems with which the individual is not able to cope on his own or believes that he is not capable. As a rule, this motive is based on psychopathological symptoms and syndromes, character pathology or intrapersonal neurotic conflict. His departure to the group of fanatics is due to the removal of responsibility for making decisions on many life problems, the desire to become a follower, to eradicate doubts and insecurity in himself. Another motive for fanatical behavior in a group may be the desire to get away from a monotonous reality that does not cause joy and emotional response. An idol, an idol, an idea, a ritual, involvement in some secret or social group, the acquisition of new experiences become a kind of addicts.

Overvalued psychological hobbies for deviant behavior include activities dedicated to the preaching of certain mystical traditions, emotional absorption and following the traditions of extrasensory perception and esotericism - para-psychological dependence. The essence of such deviant behavior is the conviction that the actions, experiences and even the consciousness of a person are controlled by "unknown forces." Adepts of extrasensory perception are convinced of the existence of "supernatural" phenomena and processes that cause certain painful pathological manifestations of an individual at the level of the somatic or psyche. The basis of parapsychological views is the remaining unrecognized phenomena of human mental activity, which are interpreted as extrasensory, bioenergetic. According to A.P.Dubrov and V.N.Pushkin, biogravitation is the ability of a person to create, emit and perceive a certain type of physical field, which has a specific quantum-impulse nature, similar to gravity, and at the same time has its own "special features."

All justifications for the existence of bioenergetics are currently hypothetical and therefore can be considered only as one of the versions of a possible interpretation of mental and psychosomatic processes occurring in a person and cannot be taken as facts. Persons whose behavior is based on parapsychological views and postulates of extrasensory perception do not take into account the fundamentally important scientific worldview and the way of proving anything in the field of knowledge. They insist on this issue on the involvement of unscientific methods and methods of analyzing reality in the analysis.

Deviant behavior, based on the tradition of extrasensory perception, can be divided into passive and active options. With the passive variant, a person, sharing the extrasensory traditions of understanding reality and, in particular, interpersonal relationships (love, fidelity, envy, etc.), the emergence and treatment of painful manifestations (damage, evil eye, etc.), resorts to the help of practicing psychics only in cases the appearance of family (partner, sexual) problems or diseases. With the active variant, a person from a certain moment begins to feel unusual abilities in himself ("sees clearly") and changes the entire style of behavior, trying to maximize the use of "new qualities of his personality". In some cases, a person begins to feel in himself the ability to predict the course and outcome of events (clairvoyance and providence), in others, he begins to realize the healing and healing qualities of his actions. Often, such a person abandons previous habits and behavioral stereotypes. He is able to quit his favorite job, leave the family and "help those in need." His belief in the ability to heal people turns into a strong unshakable conviction that does not require proof. Criticism of his abilities from others is either ignored by him, or meets with resistance when the "psychic" begins to actively oppose official medicine.

Deviant behavior based on a passion for extrasensory perception and esotericism can be based on both characterological characteristics and psychopathological symptoms and syndromes (we do not consider options for a similar form of pseudo-deviant behavior based on an attempt to benefit from people's delusions).

An interesting article about fanaticism in all its forms with humor and interesting conclusions from a series of entertaining psychology.
Particular attention is paid to "shopaholics", there is information about the "increased love" for boredom, sports, computers!

How often did it irritate you when a neighbor with a not very excellent voice kneads his vocal cords around the clock, literally? I can guess the answer. Of course. And this is not because you are choleric, but simply because you are a living person. And your wonderful neighbor is just a fanatic.
What is fanaticism and how to deal with it?

Fanaticism of all kinds is a psychological dependence on something. But still, for now, without losing common sense. Moreover, fanaticism usually does not bring significant harm to others. After all, a person is usually "fanatical" on the basis of his own conclusions and priorities.
In general, hobbies can be divided into certain stages:

• The stage of sympathy. It is pleasant for a person to do what he likes;
• Amateur stage or so-called hobby. Occupation takes up a significant part of life;
• Whole-fanatical. It does not reach the stage of fanaticism, because it usually stops after reaching the goal;
• The stage of deep-rooted fanaticism (beyond the norm).
• A separate stage is age-related fanaticism, when excessive hobby passes with age.

Now let's try to consider fanatics of certain types... Maybe in some of them you recognize yourself, your beloved or your friend.

ANALYTICAL TYPE OF FANATIKS (hereinafter ATF)

Special signs:

Girls:lack of makeup, uninteresting hairstyle gathered in a ponytail (they probably don't know about a hair straightener); Grandma's cardigan, bought at a sale at best; the combination of sneakers with a classic blouson is not excluded.
Men:unsportsmanlike physique; shirt tucked into trousers, jeans, shorts, whatever the occasion.
And in both cases: a bunch of books and various pieces of paper and no glossy magazines.
And all this is not because analytical fanatics have a complete lack of taste, but because “shopping” is a waste of time, and the Nobel Prize is “just around the corner”.
But on the robot, ATF are irreplaceable, because the robot is always made on time and too fanatically high quality (John Nash, "A Beautiful Mind").

Good news:

• If your friend is an analytical fanatic, you're in luck. After all, you will definitely be sure how likely it is to get into some kind of awkward situation. For example, as far as possible that your boyfriend, after work, will go to the very boutique where you smile so sweetly, buying a new bolero, skirt, top, and a couple more blouses. After all, who is to blame that your loved one forgot his credit card on the coffee table;
• If you wonder how long before the summer solstice on Jupiter, what dispersion is and how many people die annually from leptospirosis and hemorrhagic hemorrhage, do not be afraid, you can call even at three in the morning - you will get an exact answer. You will not hear complaints for your insolence, because the person is so pleased that you asked him specifically, and did not just look on the Internet.

Bad news:

• Before asking ATF a question, think about it. Then you will beg for silence for a very long time;
• You will not be able to cry into the vest of an analytical fanatic, because you will immediately receive a plan for getting out of the scheduling situation every second. And sometimes you just want to listen and regret it.

TREATMENT- is not treated. Just try to take your friend to the roof of the house to eat ice cream more often. After all, there are so many delights around except for books and routine robots.

Special signs:

Both men and women look the same - hair is washed less and less, terrible bruises appear under the eyes, not to mention a change of wardrobe. Girls usually also have a complete lack of manicure (what can we say about pedicure). But before being sucked into the computer network, they all looked very much even nothing.

A plus, pay attention to whether people whom you suspect in the SF are complaining about constant insomnia, an increase in monthly bills for light and constant problems on the robot.
Feature of network addictionalso in the fact that both a teenager and a fairly adult person can "get sick" with it. Pay attention, if you disappear in contacts, "classmates" or online games for more than 6 hours a day, maybe you become an SF.

Good news - no.

Bad news:

• In addition to the fact that you may become embarrassed if you still manage to get your friend out for a walk, there is also a threat to your friend's health, both physical and psychological.

TREATMENT - is being treated.

Step 1 - Ask a friend to spend the night, justifying everything by repairing the apartment.
Step 2 - Put to bed (there are many methods). If you do not want financial responsibility, do not even think about throwing the computer out of the window, there will be a lot of traces of your crime.

Step 3 - Indulge your beloved PC with a couple of dozen viruses (if it's not "Apple").
If it doesn't help, you can pour a glass of alcohol over the keyboard. Cut the wires as a last resort.
The procedure should be repeated once every 2 months, as needed. The fact that a friend will be busy repairing a computer is guaranteed.

SHOPHOLIKS

About it type of fanatics you've probably already heard a lot and you won't learn anything new. But if you go to the store for cereals and milk, and come back with 19 pair of wedge sandals, then no, alas, you are not a collector, you are a fanatic. Think about it. And do not forget, within 14 days, the item can be returned, if you have a receipt and a passport. And on the way home to buy 20 pair of jeans.

Good news:

• If your friend is a shopaholic, there will always be someone to take her purse from on an important date.
• You will always be aware of where and what is on sale, not to mention the sales.

Bad news:

• In the apartment of shopaholics there is always little space and a bunch of unnecessary things. They live according to the principle - "all to the house";
• A soldering iron not bought by a shopaholic, in a hardware store, leads to depression. After all, how can you do without such a necessary thing at home;
• Shopaholics do not live up to their second paycheck;
• There are no conversations and activities, except for shopping trips (even during working hours).

TREATMENT - partially treated.

Teach your friend to save. Offer to collect unnecessary things, and those that are no longer worn in a separate box and take them to some orphanage. If your friend loves children, it might work.
Often go together to theaters, museums, exhibitions of tanks, cars, cats, etc., but not shopping. Over time, a sense of proportion will appear.

SPORT FANATISM

Do you remember how many schoolchildren wore T-shirts with the numbers of famous football players, collected posters, stickers and did not miss a single football match? Sports fanaticism goes away with age, but not always. And as an adult, it can stay and progress.
But if your friend does not recognize any brands other than ADIDAS, NIKE and PUMA; watching the UEFA finals, as if expecting ecstasy; goes to the gym 4 times a week and every 4 years goes to the Olympic Games, this is not fanaticism, this is a healthy hobby for sports.

Good news:

• Think, maybe it will be pleasant for you to go to some kind of game for general development;
• Sport is always good, health is guaranteed.

Bad news:

• You will be “forced” to include sports brands in your favorite stores;
• Pumped-up guys are interesting only up to a certain point, then - no intelligence and ingenuity, just a bunch of muscles;
• Sports fans don't always do sports themselves.

TREATMENT- maybe it is not necessary to treat.

To find out if your loved one is a sports fanatic, you can say, "Me or football." If you hear a statement like "Stupid, of course you are", you can safely allow your beloved football weaknesses.

Concerning star fanaticism, it can be divided into two categories:
- those who have an overestimated self-esteem (like, "I don't have a star for a star");
- and those who always and in everything imitate the stars.

Egocentrism is not cured, and interest in the idol disappears when he commits some kind of oversight.

Manic fanaticism - this is already a psychological illness that must be distinguished from fanaticism and limited in freedom. (Preferably for life imprisonment).

The question is whether it is possible to call men fanatics towards the fair sex? It's natural. Although the pain of betrayal, a truly loved one remains an open wound for life.

Increased interest and physical dependence girls to men it's already nymphomania... It's a shame.

And this is not the whole list. If you think about it, every second person is a fanatic deep in their hearts. But if your boyfriend or husband is constantly cooking, washing dishes, vacuuming, throwing and hanging things from the washing machine (including yours, and even as it should be); loses the UEFA Cup final in favor of FASHION TV, so ... no, not necessarily he household fanatic.

Maybe he just really loves you? Although the first option is also not excluded.
Everyone has their own "cockroaches in the head" and life conclusions.

How many people, so many opinions. Maybe you don't need to cure fanaticism? To each his own.

Fanaticism is a morbid condition, blind faith in some idea and imposing it on others. Fanaticism was and remains today a complex and contradictory socio-historical phenomenon that has always aroused keen interest among philosophers, theologians, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary people. The religious fanaticism of one person can do more evil than the efforts of twenty criminals united together.

Introduction

Fanaticism is a morbid condition, blind faith in some idea and imposing it on others. Fanaticism was and remains today a complex and contradictory socio-historical phenomenon that has always aroused keen interest among philosophers, theologians, politicians, cultural figures, and ordinary people. Fanaticism manifests itself in various forms and varieties in almost all spheres of life of society and man.

Religious fanaticism as the historically first form of fanaticism occupies a special place among its other varieties. It is potentially contained in any religion, can develop in certain historical conditions and can be used by various religious and political groups as a means of achieving their socio-political goals.

At its core, religious fanaticism is a special interpretation of a religious worldview and a special warehouse of religious feelings. The increased danger of religious fanaticism lies in the fact that it can be used as a factor in the manipulation of the consciousness and behavior of believers.

1. General part

Religious fanaticism is an extreme degree of passion for religious activity with the creation of a cult out of it, worship and dissolution in a group of like-minded people; it is the ideological basis of extremist activity.

Religious fanatical ideology is a perverted fantastic program of overcoming an acute conflict between the interests of a certain religious group and its social opponents, an inadequate form of resolving the intolerant, historical social position of a certain group of believers.

Religious fanaticism turns into extremism when there are no other "restraining" forms of identification:

National, civil, tribal, property, clan, corporate.

"Pure religiosity" requires the purification of the outside world, and this is how religious extremism is born.

Dependent individuals become members of religious fanatical groups, unable to take responsibility for their lives and feel confident only in a group led by a strong leader. The more they lose their individuality, the more they need to identify with the leader and the group in order to gain a sense of omnipotence. Such individuals can easily become a victim of a psychological leader conducting massive trainings.

Financial pyramids such as MMM, organized crime, totalitarian state regimes, international mafia clans and religious and terrorist associations have an even greater impact.

Religious fanatical groups are most easily recruited by those engaged in intense spiritual pursuit, striving for the "Absolute Truth," often understood as simple and unambiguous answers to complex questions.

2. Types of religious fanaticism

Religious fanaticism is found among believers of many religions and provokes them into conflicts with both representatives of their own and with followers of other faiths. The main types of fanaticism are:

1) racial;

2) nationalistic (chauvinism);

3) political (fascism, totalitarianism);

4) religious (religious intolerance);

5) ritual - adherence, reaching superstition, to the external form of worship and customs;

5) Puritanism - the severity of morals and rules in everyday life, turned into an end in itself;

6) proselytism - attraction to religion by obsessive, insinuating and crafty ways;

7) religious expansion - striving for the world domination of some religion using insidious and violent means.

World history, unfortunately, is full of cases of religious hatred, which pushed states and peoples to religious wars (civil and ethnic) and to inhuman persecution. But the religious history of peoples is also full of heresies, schisms, persecutions and excommunications, which was most clearly expressed in the Islamization of the peoples conquered by the Arabs and Turks, the Inquisition of the Western Church, the iconoclasm of several Byzantine emperors, etc.

3. Reasons for religious fanaticism

The main reasons for religious fanaticism are:

1) political: politicians, inciting religious fanaticism among the people, have long exploited the power of religion and use it either to strengthen their power, or as a pretext for expansion;

2) psychological: psychological studies show that fanaticism is a manifestation of mental distress, a refuge for neurotic individuals who try to hide from themselves and others, resorting to fanaticism, their inner spiritual conflict and the resulting aggression, inferiority complex and egoism;

3) religious: the elevation of fanaticism to the norm by some religions (for example, in Islam, the spread of faith "by fire and sword") or exaggerated demands of believers to their neighbors, resulting from a misunderstanding of the commandments.

4. Consequence of religious fanaticism

The consequences of religious fanaticism for people, society and religions themselves are very diverse. Religious fanaticism:

1) creates in the believer the illusion of spiritual self-sufficiency and guaranteed salvation, lulling his conscience and instilling in him a pharisaic consciousness;

2) distorts faith, because it deprives it of a precious quality - love for one's neighbor, without which faith is dead;

3) strangles the freedom of the individual by coercion, persecution, threats, punishment, violence;

4) pushes its victims to the destruction of other human lives and civilizations in religious wars;

5) evokes antipathies among religiously indifferent people or people of little faith, inclining them to atheism, since they are convinced that religions, instead of ennobling a person, incites hatred in him and encourages bloody conflicts.

5. Religious fanatics

The main feature of a religious fanatic, distinguishing him from a very religious person, is the belief that only through their beloved organization and teaching can one come to God, and those who disagree with this belief go straight to hell.

A religious fanatic is arrogant, intolerant, and aggressive towards other spiritual paths and schools. Such a person cannot be called spiritual. Often such people are completely insensitive not only to wisdom, but even to logic, facts and common sense. They may know by heart the thick religious works, occupy a high position in their organization, and at the same time not have an elementary understanding of the foundations of spiritual philosophy. Religious fanatics can be divided into two groups:

1) Religious fans for the idea (their church is the coolest, teaching is the most advanced, only they receive real revelations from God, only they truly worship, only they have the most correct understanding of Scripture, and so on);

2) Religious fans of their religious leader, who often becomes for them an apostle, prophet, and father of all times and peoples.

The religious fanatic receives pleasure not from his activity, but from the very fact of the existence of an ideal or idea. He dissolves in his addiction, wants to experience passions and emotions. He is not self-sufficient, which is why he creates an idol for himself - from an idea or some strong and bright personality. He finds something of paramount importance outside himself.

Imitating a bright religious leader, a religious fan seems to become a part of this successful personality; he reflects the radiance of a person who has achieved something, has ascended a pedestal. A religious fanatic transfers responsibility for himself into the hands of his idol and subordinates himself to someone else's idea. He is a vain, but unsure of his strengths and capabilities. It is easier for him to live by the reflected light of his idea or his ideal.

The religious fanatic has a need for like-mindedness and like-mindedness. He is looking for fans of his own kind, among whom he feels like among his own, speaks with them in the same language, they “savor” their idea or their hero and understand each other perfectly.

The environment of a religious fanatic is a kind of mental association of people, electrified by a common feeling, which grows in its circle and can reach unknown values.

Religious fanaticism is aimed at destroying someone else's culture, religion, and value system. Considering his idea to be the most correct and his leader to be the most "advanced", a religious fanatic aggressively subverts other ideas and the authority of other leaders. This is done as a proof of love for your leader. Because only his true idol and his church are the best! Religious fanaticism is often a teenage illness. Many outgrow it, but not all. In adolescence, a person begins to reject former idols and authorities. His parents and teachers no longer satisfy his spiritual and moral aspirations. They need to feel part of the group.

By and large, a religious fan is of no interest to himself. Religious fanaticism impoverishes a person as a person. Religious fanatics are easy to manipulate and control.

The stronger the religious fanaticism, the more the person is drawn into what is happening. Some unfamiliar energy begins to overwhelm him. In this strange state, he disconnects from himself, begins to sincerely rejoice, grieve, wait for a miracle together with everyone.

However, one should not confuse the concepts of religious fanaticism and dogmatism. A religious dogmatist scrupulously adheres to his beliefs, traditions and faith. He, like religious fanatics, can admire a religious leader and often considers representatives of other religions to be heretics.

However, the goal of a religious dogmatist is to follow his faith, he is pleased with his own activities, he remains integral to himself. Admiration for someone does not go beyond reasonable boundaries, does not impoverish his personality, but only complements it.

Conclusion

Religious fanaticism is a disease that brings grief and distress through delusion, insanity, inability to hear and understand others. And they are infected with this disease through human passions and addictions, to one degree or another developed in every person.

Therefore, guarding oneself in passions, fighting them, being a strict self-critic is the way to protect oneself from religious fanaticism. It's all about us, and you need to start only with yourself, but not with the fence from others.