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From Wikipedia:

Religious fanaticism, or religious extremism, is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm which is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism which could otherwise be expressed in one's other involvements and participation, including employment, role, and partisan affinities. Historically, the term was applied in Christian antiquity to denigrate non-Christian religions, and subsequently acquired its current usage with the Age of Enlightenment.

Some recent forum activity got me pondering this. Vote and comment. I have no dog in this dog fight.

People called Anabaptists are sometimes religious fanatics. Past and present.

I think there are various levels, now that I think about it more. The "world" may consider some groups fanatics due to appearance of plain dress and simple living. To that end, I also think there are those among us that could be considered a fanatic. They may have a different view that many may consider, you know, different.

If I may, Wikipedia is an inadequate resource since it is crowd-based vs scholarly based. Too often the information therein is incomplete and incorrect. Soap box finished.

There was only one aspect of that article that approached a correct concept and that was the implication that the definition is relative to context. In short, one man’s fanatic is another man’s saint.
Example:
Jesus and the Apostles were considered fanatics by the ruling hierarchy of the day.

Historically, whenever the ruling hierarchy feels threatened, it will attack a person or group with derogatory labels.

As for Anabaptists, if I may offer a non-Anabaptist perspective: Anabaptists of today, (i.e those within a stable fellowship based on Biblical values) have a good sense of their identity. I do not see this as fanatical nor a fevered fervor.

Was Jesus Christ a religious fanatic? He didn't do the status quo, taught to not love money, taught to die for him.

Wash Paul a religious fanatic? Taught to not love self, war with the flesh of self, considered himself buried in Baptism, and lived 100% of his converted life in service to God suffering persecution, imprisonment, shipwrecks. Wrote long letters (even in prison) and ultimately died for the faith.


Anabaptism is not supposed to be about fanaticism -> it's about conversion to a full new life in Jesus.

Some good replies so far.

Something else that came to mind. We as a society becoming too quick to label everything that is different, IMO.

I, so far, am the one voting 'yes'. I did not take this question to mean all Anabaptists but according to this definition below I believe certain Anabaptists are quite excessive in zeal for certain religious issues.

Using this definition - a person filled with excessive and single-minded zeal, especially for an extreme religious or political cause.

For example, imo, some here are quite fanatical regarding the issue of headcoverings and other dress requirements. I am likely labelled fanatical with an emphasis on being guided by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes things that may not qualify as 'religious' topics have very fanatical views that are based on specific political issues. It is surprising to me the fanatical approach to politics taken by many Anabaptists as in my Pentecostal and Evangelical Baptist and Salvation Army experiences, politics were seldom talked about. Actually not even in my experience in an MB church.

I think if we look at our involvement on this forum, the quantity of postings on certain topics, it would seem to me we have certain areas with excessive zeal. Whenever our 'pet topic' (excessive zeal ?) shows up, we are quick to give our views. And this includes non-Anabaptists.

Coming mainly from a non-Anabaptist background, it would seem that many Anabaptists have extreme zeal talking about all the various Anabaptist groups and to what extent they can be considered 'liberal' or 'conservative' based on their beliefs and practises. I don't know of any other Christian group that has so much zeal in this area.

I do think being fanatical will be what the unsaved will label us but what they call us fanatical about is very important. Do they just see us living in a non-conforming to the world way or do they regard us fanatical due to both our ways of living and our conversations with them about Jesus.

My opinion?

Most Anabaptists (and most Christians generally) are not religious fanatics using whatever definition of fanatic that you want to use.

However a few are. And you can find them in every denomination, not just Anabaptist.

I would apply that label to our recent visitor to this forum who seems to have left. The one who spends all his time going around to harass and film other Anabaptist churches and attendees for not being correctly Christian as he views it. That smacks of religious fanaticism in my mind.

I haven't actually looked up dictionary definitions of "fanatic" but in my mind it carries the connotation of someone who is not just zealous but zealous in a very narrow-minded way. I know plenty of people who are zealous about religion but are open, caring, loving etc. I would not consider them fanatics. So I don't view zeal and fanaticism as the same thing.

Of course it is all about what definition you want to use.

steve-in-kville wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 8:04 am From Wikipedia:

Religious fanaticism, or religious extremism, is a pejorative designation used to indicate uncritical zeal or obsessive enthusiasm which is related to one's own, or one's group's, devotion to a religion – a form of human fanaticism which could otherwise be expressed in one's other involvements and participation, including employment, role, and partisan affinities. Historically, the term was applied in Christian antiquity to denigrate non-Christian religions, and subsequently acquired its current usage with the Age of Enlightenment.

Some recent forum activity got me pondering this. Vote and comment. I have no dog in this dog fight.

Judging by forum activity, I'd say Anabaptists are political fanatics, not religious fanatics.

I don't think that's true, but MennoNet forum activity doesn't seem to be particularly Anabaptist.

I think there are people, and even specific groups, with the anabaptist community that are given to religious fanaticism. But more broadly I believe the majority hold some fanatical views while being rational in other areas. I say this because often there are positions that are taken that just don’t hold water, and no amount of rational discussion will change it.

But I’m guessing many groups/organizations/churches have these kinds of flaws.