Religious fanaticism, Hitler, and monkeys.
Adolf Hitler
From several of my perusals of IM’s articles and from what respondents say on Religion issues, here is my two and a half cents.
The greatness of every mighty organization embodying an idea in this world lies in the religious fanaticism and intolerance with which, fanatically convinced of its own right, it intolerantly imposes its will against all others
(Adolph Hitler – German Chancellor, leader of the Nazi party, 1889-1945)
“Whoa! IamIsaid, get real will you. Have you gone bananas?” that would be an immediate outcry. “Are you a Nazi fan?” or “How dare you defile IM by quoting Hitler?” could also possibly be yelled at me.
Hitler was a personification of Nazi fanaticism; how could he be so profound, so eloquent to make that statement?
Let us read it one more time, more carefully and word by word. Hitler states what he considers that makes an organization mighty – religious fanaticism and intolerance; that it intolerantly imposes its will against all others Indeed, it was a self-fulfilling statement for Hitler.
However, this article is not about Hitler, his book “Mein Kampf” or his religious beliefs. Rather, it is about the way I see religious fanaticism. I began with Hitler’s quote merely to get you to do some olah raga by throwing bricks at me.
I shall begin with this analogy.
Monkeys
The monkey looks out from inside the cage and sees a man. The monkey goes shriek-shriek as it figures, “Why? What a strange looking monkey. Why is it not like me?”
The man on seeing the creature, recognises it as a monkey. The man says, “Why? What a mischievous monkey! Why can’t it be human like me?
Despite whatever our good old pal Darwin postulated in his Theory of Evolution, I have lost all monkey ness and am unable to say exactly in what form the monkey sees man.
Therefore, a poor analogy one might quickly add and then ask, “so, what has the monkey got to do with religious fanaticism?”
Being man, I would be able to say what man thinks as in the following.
Given that the etymology of the word “fanatic” is explained as:
ORIGIN from Latin fanaticus ‘of a temple, inspired by a god’, from fanum ‘temple’. Hence once upon a time, it lent an air of divine legitimacy for the fanatic. Therefore, going by the Latin rootword, the fanatic is on a divine mission.
However, in modern day language, the word “fanatic” has its meaning as:
“¢ noun
1 a person filled with excessive zeal, especially for an extreme political or religious cause.
2 informal a person with an obsessive enthusiasm for a pastime or hobby.
“¢ adjective
filled with or expressing excessive zeal.
“” DERIVATIVES fanatical adjective; fanatically adverb; fanaticism noun.
Too bad, it downgrades the fanatic from being on a divine mission to being a zealot or being obsessed.
Are there similarities?
A religious fanatic considers man as strangely deviant in his ways and needs spiritual redemption. “Be spiritual like me and you’ll have a safe passage to heaven” says the religious fanatic.
A man considers a religious fanatic as dangerously spiritual and needs mental redemption. “Be strange like me and this world would be like heaven” says man.
Right down the middle, there are those that would be regarded as the rabble monkeys. The rabble that in the words of Shakespeare’s Macbeth is “full of sound and fury signifying nothing”.
So, probably after having confused you with monkeys, man, linguistics and similarities, I thank you for your patience if you have reached this far.
Swat
What exactly is religious fanaticism to me?
I offer a simple answer.
In order not to offend any Religion, let us say that there is a religion called Swat.
There will be the Swat fanatics as well as the anti Swat fanatics. Both fanatics being no wiser because all that they do is swat (pun intended) each other silly.
As it is amongst monkeys, habitually raising their eye brows as an expression for “I dare you”, gingerly scratching their bottoms as an expression for “you are a pain in my butt” and with outstretched flailing arms, to swat at the pesky intruder; so too it is with man with his fanatical perception of others religious belief while at the same time fanatically defending his own belief. It is status quo between the religious fanatic proponent and the religious fanatic opponent.
They thrust and parry as though The Infinite Being approves and needs suspicion, rivalry, dissension, hate, bloodshed or martyrs.
Having said all that, I can expect some who can barely wait to swat me now.
Freeze your swat! I am with the rabble.
P.S.
Now that we are hopefully going to be man and not behave like monkeys, hopefully too the swatting will end and the possibility that Patung would take me to task privately for the reduction of traffic at IM.
Yes, yes, I heard someone say, “IamIsaid….dream on!”
Dear crusader iamisaid,
Out of curiosity, did you rearrange ASWT (Allah Subhana Wa Tala) to read SWAT?
Hello Patung,
You says, “The Hitler part is I think similar to Spengler’s view of moderation in religion – that it is impossible, or illogical. That a moderate Muslim, or a moderate Christian, is just a non-Muslim or non-Christian in the making, i.e., that moderate religions will fail, you’re either all-in or all-out, fanaticism wins.”
I don’t know what meaning of moderation in Christians. But, surely, in Islam there is no mediocre. You are all-in or you are all-out. If we say about fundamentalism in Islam, its very different from Christians Fundamentalism. As I know, fundamentalism in Christianity refer to rejection of some scientific theory. Islam has never deny all scientific theory even Darwin Theory. Then, if we talk about fanaticism, there is still different between Islam and Christianity. As moslem, we must heed only to Quran, and Hadist. It is not fanaticism if someone behave as they heed Quran and Hadist.
I really don’t believe that in this world will be war between Islam and Christianity. Or, Hindusit versus Buddhist. Or, Protestant versus Catholic. Mebbe I am a dreamer, but as I read the history Islam has prove that succeed to develop a community with diversity. If really that your preposition “that moderate religions will fail, you’re either all-in or all-out, fanaticism wins” I wonder this world will never be safer for everyone?
I believe too that this world will never be safer place for the believers (whatsoever they believe). I think there are two factions that vis-a-vis intentionally will brawl each other and hold this world in their only hand. Firstly, they that those who “fear of god” (whatsoever their god). And, secondly, they that those who “no fear of god.” Even they claim themselves as believers (whatsoever they religion) truthfully that they are never fear and believe in god.
I believe this world will be end coz of the war between they who “fear of god” and they who “no fear of god.” And, the war has begun already.
@imisaid:
Wow, you’re a very active writer. Your writings are fun to read too, though I don’t necessarily agree with all of ’em.
(Disclaimer: this comment doesnt mean that i change my previous opinion about you being a sick old man 🙂 )
The Anti-swats: “This imisaid is a coward! he dare not to choose any stance!”
The Swats : “This imisaid is a co-conspirator of a much much larger plot against the ever great swat!”
Me : “well, using his own confession: this guy is noisy and furious about nothing”
*me runs 🙂
@Aluang:
Dear crusader iamisaid,
Out of curiosity, did you rearrange ASWT (Allah Subhana Wa Tala) to read SWAT?
It is interesting to note that you imply a deliberate mocking of imisaid part. are you really that easy to offend?
@all:
is there really no other ways? a forth ways besides swat, anti-swat, and rabble-monkey?
There is the recovered swat anti rabble monkey… (usually a white monkey) I’m one of them.
Sorry IamIsaid,
What on earth are you rabbiting on about ?
Sorry, mate, you share about 98 % of a Chimp’s DNA so you haven’t lost all monkeyness at all. We embody alot of ape behaviour.
Achmad.
Mankind are susceptible to “magic”. It is a weakness we inherited. Due to this weakness, people with evil intentions normally will take advantage of the situation.
No matter what calamity befalls on you, you should use your God given strength and mentality to overcome the situation. Do not seek priest and imams, nor hang objects supposedly called “lucky charms” for neither is able to assist.Have faith in yourself and God and give it your best shot in whatever undertaking.
If I am not mistaken, Hitler was an atheist, who misused the citizen of germany’s weakness in their christian faith and low moral during the depression. He knew how they would respond and how to control them, merely by misusing their religion and race. In the end, the germans admire and worshipped him, so much that they sacrificed everything for him, family, included. Just like the priest and imams, hitler does not care for his followers. they are merely pawns and easily sacrificed. How many millions of germans died under his rule. He says he loved germans but eventually obliterated them, together with countless millions more europeans.
If you are like me, and do not believe in religion, you will see the evil in this institution. But those with religion cannot see their evil ways. Even killing another person is justified in religion. If you are an apostate in the religion of islam, you will be found guilty and sentenced to death. I am sure many out there, including muslims will find this deplorable, but they will come up with an excuse on why this is justified, overcoming their common sense with religious mind control.
Christain europe was under similar spell for centuries, until recently. So they understand very well what the muslims are facing and the threat that comes with it. Galileo, corpernicus all had to hide their scientific findings until just before their death for fear of religious persecution or backlash.
Darwin too suffered fierce criticism from religious authority, and until today his findings are not taught is certain counties in the US, despite the evidence.
There is nothing good in any religion except mind enslavement of mankind to a religious authority. some of us will quote religious text. But how do we know the text are reliable. some will say, do a chapter like what is found in certain religious scripture. But some text of the same scripture makes no sense and many verses contradict one another.
So the religious authorities made another rule.
If the verses contradicts, then the last verse holds true. trouble is who wrote the last verse. God who have made us cannot make a simple, rule for humans over a lifetime of a desert prophet? That is simply unbeilivable.
The fact is, these contradictions are made by men. Only men cannot comprehend what goes on in the heaven and the earth. Hence if the month of ramadan falls in the summer, and the eskimo were muslims, they would surely die of starvation as the sun never sets. similarly the people who invented the 5 daily prayers thought the world was flat and commanded that muslims pray in the direction of mecca.
The europeans have forsaken their religion as they have seen how the followers were treated, by taxation and mind control. I see another 100-150 years before muslims doing the same, as islamic religion is 500 years younger.
If this happens, then indeed, the world will be a better place, but only if religion is not replaced by other man made marvels.
IamIsaid
LOL This ain’t no sh*t.
I have read elsewhere here “pbuh” and don’t know what it stands for
Pbuh = Peace be upon him.
Hey come on iamisaid:
What is all the sh*ts sh*t men..And you forgot Christianism..Holy sh*t.
Many years ago I read a Chinese publication that wrote about supernatural things and among them was one that said.
Adolf Hitler was on his way to conquer Asia when he visited a place near India or Pakistan perhaps close to Tibet when he saw lots of beautiful and fair skinned looking people and he wanted the Germans to be like that kind of race. After that he captured a lot of POW and test them like the Japanese to Chinese, hoping of creating a special gene to produce the perfect person.
Maybe that was why the holocaust.
And
We embody alot of ape behaviour Like garut garut…ha.ha..ha…
iamisaid..looks like you are full time with IM and u even have OU by your side. must be 2 days old..cuddly..
Sputjam wrote:
If I am not mistaken, Hitler was an atheist, who misused the citizen of germany’s weakness in their christian faith and low moral during the depression.
As usual, the religious pass along unsubstantiated myth as dogma to make what brownie points they can with those who similarly conceive the world on the basis of faith. As usual, the facts and truth are quite different.
Hitler wrote in Mein Kampf:
… I am convinced that I am acting as the agent of our Creator. By fighting off the Jews. I am doing the Lord’s work.” Years later, when in power, he quoted those same words in a Reichstag speech in 1938.
Three years later he informed General Gerhart Engel:
I am now as before a Catholic and will always remain so.
Sputjam said,
There is nothing good in any religion except mind enslavement of mankind to a religious authority.
Hon, if that’s whats good about religion, then i loathe to think about what’s bad!
Copyright Indonesia Matters 2006-2023
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Contact
The Hitler part is I think similar to Spengler’s view of moderation in religion – that it is impossible, or illogical. That a moderate Muslim, or a moderate Christian, is just a non-Muslim or non-Christian in the making, i.e., that moderate religions will fail, you’re either all-in or all-out, fanaticism wins.