belief in a higher power
divinity and fanaticism
lines blurred
Yeah its good to have faith and to believe in some power that is making this world go round but how far can it be taken?. As Buddha once answered when someone asked him.. What is poison? His answer.. Too much of anything is poison…..
My questions here…..
1. Is blind faith a good thing?
2. Where does divinity end and fanaticism begin?
Day 6 of the WriteTribe Fest, this post is linked to Question. For more memes click here
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Fanaticism is destroying humanity. Thought-provoking post and picture.
http://vishalbheeroo.wordpress.com/2014/10/15/blog-action-day-2014-equality-in-a-society-infested-with-inequality/
No, blind faith is not a good thing….neither is fanaticism… I think one should always be humble and respectful for others faith…
Nope neither the blind faith nor the fanaticism is good. Blind faith is like refusing to look at a map while confidently telling everyone that you know where you’re going. One must investigate, reflect, reason and then accept!
Nope! Neither are good! Loved your question! Very relevant in today’s world!
Thought-provoking question! In this, as in so very many other situations, I think balance is the answer.
I believe it was Sri Ramakrishna who once asked – can faith be anything but blind? (Or something to that extent). The point is that faith in a higher power is faith only till one has actually experienced the Divine Presence. Once that experience comes, it becomes knowledge of the Divine.
But fanaticism has nothing to do with faith. It is only an extreme tendency of the mind which refuses to accept anything that opposes it. So I am not sure I could even compare the two in any way. If faith has to compared with something it should be with Reason, not fanaticism.
Just my two cents. I hope you don’t mind my candid response but your question was very interesting, you see 🙂
its always good to hear the different views and thank goodness there are differences. If everyone had the same views life will get extremely boring no?
True 🙂
Too much of anything is certainly bad…There are so many examples in history and even in the current events that show that
Random Thoughts Naba..Join Us & Say No To Inequality…
Blind faith and as you have quoted the words of Buddha, i.e. too much of everything, both are not a good thing. But how will you judge if the faith is blind or not?
To me it is good to follow our heart, if we have faith. But when we turn rigid about what we believe in and start insulting those who differ, divinity ends and fanaticism begins.
P.S. Thats a timely capture! 🙂
1. Personally, I am a bit too rational to have blind faith. But I won’t say it’s always a bad thing. Sometimes, it can be a good thing. For example, some people in hopeless situations have not given up hope, have worked to overcome their problem, and have eventually succeeded, only because their Guru, in whom they have complete and blind faith, told them that they will overcome their problem. Was that ‘blind faith’ or was that ‘optimism’?
2. In my opinion, fanaticism has nothing to do with genuine faith/divinity. It is only persons with half-baked or heavily distorted faith who become fanatics.