Religion - Fanaticism

      With the events of September 11’th those two words have again joined forces to reek havoc on a civilization. It hasn’t been the first time in history nor is likely to be the last, as long as the psychological factors fundamental to the promulgation of these two philosophical concepts continue to exist in the minds of man.
      Fanaticism has never been something the purveyor recognizes in himself. It is and always has been a fault of another, in this case the demon, Osama bin Laden, and his al-Qaeda. We conveniently ignore comparably vitriolic responses from religious "leaders" of the opposite persuasion or from "supposedly good and responsible Christians" who incite by their words, "lets go over there and bomb all those diaper heads." It doesn’t matter how those words were said; they still express what should be an unacceptable thought, no matter how latent.
      Fanaticism is fanaticism regardless of politics. It is the subversion of a belief structure for personal advantage and to the detriment of another. There are no degrees. There are no magic "lines in the sand" that you must step over before you advance from simply evangelical to fanatical. If in your heart and mind you promote your beliefs to diminish the worth or value of another, that is fanaticism. A free expression of ideas assumes all participants have equal credulity.
Religion is almost totally based on a faith in concepts that can not be proven; otherwise, it would be a science. Inductively, that implies none can be any better or worse than another. Any intent to the contrary is fanaticism. Faith is the sustenance that maintains the human psyche; whereas science is the nutrient that promotes the body. A spiritual vacuum is the basis for insanity and an almost certain, eventual death to a society. A denial of proven facts is the dismantling of an evolutionary process that has preferred the human species.
      When comparing science to religion, it is like comparing "what is" to "what could be". Science is the "ship" while religion is the "rudder". Both are absolutely necessary to life’s travel. Neither can be allowed to be subverted. Or, the ship potentially sails off course into rocks of oblivion and annihilates mankind. It is critical that each does the job for which they are best suited. Just as science is not based on faith, religion is not based on facts.
      Often science is interpreted to be the protagonist of religion. It happens when people decide their religion is science and substantiated by facts; when, in actuality, not a single one of the religions of the world have any scientific merit. So based on that criterion alone, no religion should be preferred over another, not Christianity, not Judaism, not Islam, not Hinduism, not Buddhism, nor any of the seemingly infinite nuances of each.
      The only criterion valid to determine the worth of a religion is "how good of a ‘rudder’ is it." Science has already demonstrated that the longevity of an organism is based on it ability to adapt and tolerate change. These entities promote diversification, not specialization. They grow strong in the differences they encourage, not restrict. They extract order from chaos, not anarchy. They abhor single mindedness in religion as intolerable fanaticism.
      Maybe there is a lesson here for all of us, especially the Jerry Falwell thought processes that infect our society that I hear in so many people when they symbolically want to "go out and bomb the diaper heads". The only real abominations of mankind are those, who based on their religious beliefs, claim that condition for others. I am proud of the maturity our leaders in the White House whose first and continued thoughts were to build a coalition of equals of people of all faiths. They reached out to embrace Muslims, not demonize them. They clearly recognized evil for what it is - the force that aims to divide by subjugating one person's beliefs and self-worth over that of another.