Idolatry and The Mortal Danger of Fanaticism

This term is generally defined as a passionate, blind, intractable zeal or admiration toward someone, a party, a religion, a doctrine, etc. This definition makes it clear that it is something extremely dangerous. In fact, faith in the revealed truth never requires a blind faith, excess, or violence. This is self-evident, and it suffices to condemn any fanaticism, wherever the fanaticism comes from. It is useless to say more about it.

We must be on guard against certain forms of fanaticism which are sometimes concealed under the guise of patriotism, morality, or religion. It then becomes a veritable caricature of these real values. People sometimes allow themselves to be led by persons dominated by pride, the hunger for power, a foolish narrowness of spirit, or by gain. This leads to intolerance, violence, racism, and their attendant suffering, as well as to terrorism.

Only love and the personal freedom of a person responsible to a personal God can alter one's life, and not ideologies or totalitarianism, even if these hide behind words which fool the naive. Thus it is necessary to combat all fanaticism, whether it appears in the form of dubious sects, pseudo-gurus, dishonest politicians, or even sectarian believers, who may be sincere, but who, in their narrow and rigid views, forget about the dignity of the person standing free before God. The latter desire to impose by force what they consider to be the true faith. The pride that comes from having a clean conscience can even turn religion into a weapon with which to beat others.

Fanaticism turns the object of faith into an idol. It is idolatrous. It sets up evil as good. It leads to blasphemy against the Spirit. (2)

As soon as we place absolute value on anything that is created, we turn it into an idol. Whenever we identify with God himself something which should only lead toward him, we make an idol of it -- we think that we possess God, whom even the heavens cannot contain. It is possible to turn the Bible, the Church, the liturgy, the law, or morality into idols. Fundamentalism, clericalism, ritualism, pharisaism, moralism, and many other "isms" are all forms of idolatry and lead to fanaticism.