The only religious fanatics I am adverse to are the angry and hateful. Otherwise as long as they abide by the law in their respective country I have little thought of them. I guess the most fanatical are really the ones with little faith and become strident in discussing other peoples religion. .

Fair is fair... can I have a few moments of your time to speak to you about the Flying Spaghetti Monster? As a Pastafarian, I consider it my mission to lighten the hearts and minds of the sad, lost souls who have chosen to remain blind to him. I know he exists because he has spoken to me. Unbelievers scoff at such a notion, but we must remember to be patient with them. It is they who dwell in darkness, never feeling the radiance of the divine noodle. If only you would open yourself to him, your life will never be the same again... I promise. I only want to share the good news with you, ye of little faith; poor misguided follower of false idols. He warned us to be wary of your ridicule, but in the end, only those who believe in him shall inherit the kingdom. It is only because we care for you that we evangelize.

Reposted to correct spelling:

No more than I dislike Philly football fans, or fans of Eddie Van Halen. Reviewers on the Left "and Moderates" place Donovan and others here in a group that doesn't really exist. If you attend Church on Sunday and post opinions about your belief...You're a fanatic. Never does Magellan, or anyone on the left bother to make the distinction. Canadasucks and others here are equally fanatical in their disbelief, they can't type their comment fast enough to rebut. Adding atheists to this list?? I think Magellan should add it?

I'm with Donovan...(once again). why encourage the hating of any person? How about we add "encouragement of hate" to this list.... that's the strongest sense of hate that' i'm feeling as i read these comments. The term "Religious Fanatic", since there is no description for the item, one can only assume is meant to refer to people of faith who try to force their beliefs on others.  I don't believe I've seen too much of that around here, (with a few exceptions) but even so it is no call for hatred.  I believe it is equally objectionable to "fanatically" attack people who are faithful enough to share their beliefs in a public domain such as RIA. I just find "hating" this person or that person to be pointless.  At the risk of sounding like a hippie... if there's room for hate in a man's heart, his heart needs more love.

  Depends - if only meant as a label or a very loose stereotype, then no I don't hate them. The real answer, I think, is that  there are indeed some bellicose, super- judgmental and ignorant fools that come around and  spew nonsense and  basically insult the very ultimate meaning of whatever faith they espouse, and seem incapable of thinking that someone might even have a differing belief- but there are also instances when the label is applied to someone for merely having a certain ethos.

Real, hardcore, militant, violent, incendiary religious fanatics is another story. In a perfect world, they'd all get sent to The Planet of the Apes.

Some of them don't care for me, but I'm not concerned. That's their problem, not mine.

UPDATE: Flying Spaghetti Monster dude, you forgot the part about pirates and global warming, which is a key part of Pastafarian dogma. (I may have heard the Pastafarian pitch on the ole college campus once or twice)

Hate is a very strong word, but I certainly roll my eyes at those - and there seems to be a bunch on the site recently - who attempt to jam their own personal beliefs down the throats of others.  It's tiresome, and it seems to hint at insecurity of some kind.

UPDATE: It blows my mind how many people admit to hating others. Some mock those with faith in God, others mock God himself and others just hate period.

Original Message: Why would anyone hate someone religious. If having strong convictions makes someone a fanatic, then so be it. I don't hate anyone.

religious fanatics are empty-minded individuals following an ideal because its their hobby of sorts.living in the bible belt, i know a thimg or two about them. they are usually lonely, insane, guilty of their actions earlier in life, and/or weak-minded and should be avoided like the plague. fanatics try to force their brand of religion on everyone with their picket signs and tracts. they think that everyone else goes to hell but their denomination, cult,or branch. them being arrogant is an understatment. oh how i loathe

i cannot stand during big events here in salt lake city like when the olympics here those that stand on each of the corners across from the temple and sticking big signs in your face yelling do you know god or have you found jesus i just tell them very politely that its clear they havent because their actions are done with anger and contempt for others that believe differently and though i am not mormon nor any organized religion i made my own peace with god and i never once had him ask me to go on a street corner and bully people into believing in him. you have every right to your own beliefs but not the right to force someone into seeing your way as the right way because you havent the capability to do it through peaceful means and how much could you truly believe yourself if you think its not strong enuf to stand on its own spirituality. i remember this prayer we used to say at meals and it begins god is good god is great. you cant compare that with the actions they take to promote him.

Shorten this to fanatics, of any ilk, and I'm with you. While there are certainly degrees of fanatics, and religious ones are among the worst, I can't stand any of the SOBs.

No worse than those who are intolerant of people of faith.

The worst. It doesn't matter what theology they allegedly believe in- they have more in common with each other than they care to admit. They all hate your freedom, they all want to reverse science and discovery, and some actually want your money. Then again, you do have to respect people with deep religious convictions. . .or else they'll kill you.

I don't hate religious fanatics. They make me laugh, especially the ones who keep praising the Lord while asking for your money. (Does Benny Hinn ring to mind?)

Feeling strongly about your belief really is not something to hate; if anything, it is something worth praising because it shows someone most likely has strong convictions. It does, however, perplex me when some base their opinions on only religion because they typically have a valid point but fall short of convincing someone who thinks differently. I guess I'm just more pragmatic about it.

Well, the ones that are so extreme that all you can do is hate. Religious people? No. Religious fanatics? Yes.

Can't stand these people. How dare they force their beliefs on others. Guess what we ain't interested!

Religous Fanatics are easy to hate. They go on and on about stuff they really don't even know about. And then they get mad at you if you do not agree with them.

Religious fanatics are the world's biggest troublemakers. They cause wars, they bomb abortion clinics, they fly airplanes into skyscrapers;they generally wreak havoc and destruction. They also impose their beliefs on others because they are convinced their way is the only way to live. It's ok to be religious, but these fanatics just go to dangerous extremes. I can understand now why John Lennon sang in Imagine about a peaceful world where there was no religion. It might not be such a bad thing.

IMO, it seems like the ones that are most fanatical about religion and pushing it in your face are the ones that used to do the most sinful things before they became born again. My mom always used to say Those damn born-agains! when she would see one get all fanatical. Now I know why.

I am not religious myself, but I don't have a problem with religion or religious people. Most faiths teach respect and compassion. However, some people who claim to be religious twist their faiths to support their hatred and feel that they are somehow superior to anyone else. It's annoying to walk through campus (when I was in college) and have some guy tell me I'm going to hell because I'm not white and I'm female (according to some beliefs, luckily not that many, being a woman is a hellworthy sin), and then watch him tell some other guy that he's going to hell because he's jewish. Killing in the name of a god is also puzzling, when from what I understand, there's that whole Thou Shalt Not Kill rule.

Need to be stuffed inside a closet where we can never hear from them again. These people are dangerous. Calling doctors who perform abortions and making death threats. Sometimes even trying to bomb the clinics which perform abortions. Or the ones who drive planes into world trade centers. Or even the ones who threaten the local wiccan girls saying they're going to burn the witches. Religious fanatics of our time are Fred Phelps, Wanda Barzee, Jerry Falwell, Pat Robertson, Pat Buchanan, and Osama Bin Laden.

I agree with hendo that there is very little point in debating with these people. Which is why they should be rounded up and placed in the middle of the Australian outback. Give them some sheep and some fishing rods and let them pretend they are living in the time of Jesus or Mohammed. They seem to think that life was so much better back then, or at least the legal system was. I'm not claiming that science is the ultimate answer, but let them live without all the modern day luxuries that we enjoy and which enrich our lives. It's not as if the church ever lifted a finger to provide people with ways to an easier and more fulfilling life. Every instance of scientific, techonological, and moral (that's right) progress was vehemently opposed by all major religions and their leaders since religions began. The church certainly did nothing to aid in the abolition of slavery, or women's suffrage, or the advancements of medicine and heathcare. Let these people live out their natural lives in a place that closely resembles biblical Judea, or ancient Arabia (but uninhabited, unlike those places). Don't worry about wild animals, they'll have fashioned primitive handguns before they even establish living quarters.

I am not fond of religious fanatics because they tend to preach their beliefs to you when you do not want to hear it. They also tend to be very oppinionated towards other people and use the bible as an excuse to pass judgement on others. They act as if they are holier than thou. I find them annoying especially when they are in my home and act as if they disapprove of us.

These are some of the nuttiest people of all. I've got no problem with religion, but like anything, when taken to the extreme it is out of control. This is where you get Fred Phelps, Osama bin Laden, Jerry Falwell, Hamas, and Matt Hale. This is where you get people for whom the name of God has become a driving force for hate. I thought religion was supposed to comfort people, not frighten them to death.

Horrible. I'm not sure if I'd use the word 'hate' but I really dislike religious fanatics. They are human beings just like anybody else, yet they think they have some sanctimonious right to impose their views on the entire population. Some religious fanatics don't act like they just believe in God...the act like they ARE God. And, like racists, there's no reasoning with them, there's no constructive discourse with them.