How to tell an evangelical from a fanatic

Many people live by the old rule of conversation, that is to avoid religion and politics. If you are someone who is worried that you’ll get in a heated conversation with a religious fanatic, you can relax once you can learn to understand the differences between evangelicals and religious fanatics.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Understand just what it means to be a fanatic. There are really two types of fanatics. The first is what fanatic actually means--someone who is extremely dedicated to or about something. The second is what we come to associate with religious fanaticism and is considered a slur. A fanatic is not bad if someone is a baseball fanatic, for example. A fanatic is thought to be bad if their focus is religious in nature. However, even a religious fanatic is not bad if someone is truly dedicated to what they believe. The fanatic you want to avoid is the one who is unreasonable, unable to listen and gets dramatic in a loud discussion.
2. Look for the ability to reason. If you can talk to someone and get them to admit they don’t know have all the answers, this person may be reasonable. A fanatic will be devoted to the subject regardless of weather it makes sense or not. However, an evangelical will be devoted to something even when they don’t understand. There is a key buy subtle difference. You may not understand the laws of gravity but you can see that it is true. Someone who says they believe in something solely because someone else told them so, is not being logical.
3. Look for the ability to listen. When talking to someone about religion check to see if they have heard you and can follow what you’re saying. An evangelical may be passionate but should be able to follow you in a conversation. A fanatic is only waiting to turn around what you have said to convince you they are correct. An evangelical wants to show you what they believe is the truth. A fanatic wants to convert you to their cause. Again this can seem like a subtle difference but it’s not. The difference is wanting someone to have freedom, not be a slave to a cause.
4. Look for the ability to be calm. An evangelical might whole-heartedly believe in God and what they are trying to tell you, but they should be able to be calm. A fanatic will lose control because they want to win the argument.
5. Watch their vision. The easiest way to tell the difference is by looking at someone’s ability to see the forest from the trees. A fanatic will think that the ends justify the means. An evangelical, who has sincerely held religious beliefs, will realize that you cannot use any means necessary to achieve a goal.