Pilgrim vs religious zealot

Many of my posts are based on questions people have asked me.
A friend at the gym asked me if I was one of those "crazy" Catholics?  My brother asked me if I was a religious zealot?
So we come to this weeks post. 

A Zealot is defined as a person who is fanatical about a belief or cause, often religious

The name Zealot was a Jewish movement of the first century A.D. that fought against Roman rule in Palestine, as incompatible with strict monotheism.
Zealot was formed from the word zeal, which is enthusiasm for a particular cause. 

Every religion is true one way or another. It is true when understood metaphorically. But when it gets stuck in its own metaphors, interpreting them as facts, then you are in trouble.” 

― Joseph Campbell

I tried to think of some examples of zealots, in various religions;

The . . . Crusades were 2 centuries of military campaigns, waged by much of Catholic Europe, particularly France and the Roman Empire. The specific crusades to restore Christian control of the Holy Land were fought over a period of nearly 200 years, between 1095 and 1291.

But in the name of faith the crusaders captured Jerusalem in 1099, and killed Muslims, Jews, and native Christians indiscriminately. 

 Spanish Inquisition. The Inquisition was the monarchy's way of making sure people stayed within the Catholic faith. The driving force of the Inquisition were the Inquisitors, who were responsible for spreading the "truth" of Christianity. 

A little religious humor thanks to Monty Python

The inquisitors generally saw themselves as educators helping people maintain correct beliefs by pointing out errors in knowledge and judgment. . . .Punishment and death came to those who refused to admit their errors. . .The inquisitors had to invent all sorts of techniques, including torture, to ascertain whether new converts' beliefs were genuine.Again thousands died in the name of faith, or lack of faith.

Of course we, as Westerners, all now know about radical jihad lead by Osama bin Laden.

The Islamic actual meaning of the term is very different In the religious context. Jihad is better interrupted as a means of working urgently for a certain godly objective, generally a positive one. Most Muslims reject violence. This is an example of a small group of people bringing a very bad name to religious group.

Balance, that is the simple word that most of us try very hard to achieve. Again, because of my inquisitiveness (not to be confused with The Inquisition!) I struggle with filtering many of the sins of my faith. The one thing that I can say that my faith brings me is comfort. I feel the love surround me. I just want to dismiss all the other junk...

Christians and Muslims have plenty of company in the area of extremism for their religious beliefs. Almost every religion has an arm of the faith taken to great extremes. 

You have to quit confusing a madness with a mission.”
― Flannery O'Connor

Vic and I are going to walk the Camino to learn, meditate and experience more about OUR faith. I can't wait!