So…if we all believe the same things,

why do we hate each other so much?

After considering the basis for the major religions offered in other sections of this blog, you might conclude that most religions promote similar fundamental beliefs:

• Respect and honor your family;

• Respect others, including their property and their family;

• Respect and honor your environment;

• Avoid violent conflict with others that could lead to defamation, injury or death;

• Collaboration is better than individuality;

• Community-oriented behavior benefits society;

• When a society thrives, individuals thrive;

• Core beliefs should guide behavior; 

• Recognize that there are some concepts greater than self, perceptions beyond our current understanding;

So… If we all believe the same thing, why do we hate each other so much? 

The answer - it’s the ZEALOTS!

Zealots are people with significant intelligence and self-interest who create personal beliefs they are convinced are superior to other forms of belief.  Such individuals are often described as extroverted, energetic, charismatic, forceful, aggressive, callous, manipulative, (i.e. Myer-Briggs ENTP type); in its most exaggerated form this personality type is narcissism.  Zealots believe that they are wiser than others and posses meaningful answers to the conundrum called life, the uncertain or unexpected circumstances common to life that confound others.  Zealots have an ability to profess their beliefs in convincing manners that appeal to individuals who are looking for more meaning in life, individuals who become convinced beliefs professed by the zealot can offer them a more meaningful way of life.

While zealots have very strong feelings about some things such as religion or politics, they seek reinforcement about their beliefs by recruiting others to adopt their beliefs as a form of confirmation.  Contrary to their outward expression of self confidence, zealots often harbor some degree of inferiority.  They require adulation by others to overcome this inferiority in order to affirm their superiority.  They often express profound anger when their beliefs are challenged.

Over time, as they recruit others to their beliefs, zealots create a cult, an organization of people professing or sustaining similar beliefs.  Jo Thornely recently (2020) published a book, Zealot: a book about cults that describes many of these traits.  Thornely points out that cults are built on the lives of ordinary people.  These people, like everybody else, seek purpose in their lives.  Unfortunately, the groups and movements they find refuge in are often run by psychotic, manipulative, megalomaniacs (i.e. Zealots).  Zealot reminds us why sometimes good people do very bad things.  Thornely notes that the modern zealot is someone who is very effective at seeking approval by excessive action or rhetoric.  Recall the Myer-Briggs ENTP personality type (above), the energetic, charismatic, forceful, aggressive, callous, and manipulative person.  What sustains these personality types?  They crave adulation.  They feel profound self-righteousness as they express their anger toward the non-believers.  This moral outrage undermines the legitimate issues of the cult members who allow the zealot to take over as their spokes-person.

Back to - why do we hate each other so much?  Because the zealots have usurped  the best aspects of all religions, remolding those beliefs to fit their distorted view of what is right, and then require their followers to adopt these modified beliefs.  The zealot takes the view that if others do not adopt their (distorted) belief, they must be bad, they must be immoral themselves, they must be destined for hell (or whatever entity the zealot defines as the worst place for sinners).  

Who/what are the religious zealots and extremist cults?  While small in numbers, they are integral to most religions.  Among monotheistic sects, one can find radical groups.  Major modern groups aligned with Christianity include The Army of God, Eastern Lightning, The Lords Resistance Army, The Phinias Priesthood, Ku Klux Clan, as well as some Christian fundamentalist groups, anti-abortion and anti-minority groups, the best example being QAnon.  

Among my own Catholic Church culture, zealots believe that if one does not adopt Christ as the sole role model, one cannot accede to heaven.  As a result, the Catholic Church in decades past forced other cultures to either adopt Christ or be damned.  The best current example is the manner in which the Catholic Church treated Native Americans, an organized long term activity for which the Pope recently apologized.

Radical Jewish groups include Covenant of Zealots, Kingdom of Isreal, Gush Amunim, Lehava, and others.  Best known radical Islamic groups are Levant, Wahhabism, Salafism, Boko Haram, al-Quaida, Muslim Brotherhood, and others.

It is interesting to consider whether there are non-monotheistic radical groups.  Perhaps because most non-monotheistic religions preach pacifism, radical groups in this arena are difficult to find.  Conflict between Buddhism and Taoism can be observed, but is not usually extreme. 

Ultimately, this leads to the fundamental question - Do monotheistic religions create an environment supporting radicalism?  Does the requirement to acknowledge God/Allah engender radicalism?  I do not have an answer for this provocative question, but find it an interesting conundrum.

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