[simoneaugie]

I recently watched the movie The Mist. In it, there was a woman portrayed as a religious fanatic. So, do you think that she was unbalanced? Or is her character a portrayal of someone truly attempting to spread the word of God?

[Credendovidis]

... do you think that she was unbalanced?...

Every (religious) fanatic is unbalanced, because they fail to link what they BELIEVE with what they can PROVE to be REAL and FACTUAL !

... Or is her character a portrayal of someone truly attempting to spread the word of God? ...

That depends on how that "spreading the word of god" is being understood and implemented.
If forcing that "word of God" through other people's throat against their wish is seen as acceptable, I think we should call it just what it is : intolerant unbalanced biased fanaticism.
;)

[Fr_Chuck]

I will say I have not seen the movie, so on this character I have no idea but any fanatic is incorrect, since they will not act rational, even according to their own beleifs, The examples of this are the Christians who formed the KKK or the muslims who blow thierself up, they fail to follow their own teachings as a whole and merely get fixed on one part or section.

Just as in any compulsion, or mental illness issues can arise that are directed in many directions, from emotional, physical and at times religions extreme behavior.

But of course Credendovidus is just silly since by his opinon any beleiver is unalanced, since they have faith in the one true God which has to be accepted by faith. So he would merely doom everyone to hell, which is of course the worst case and one could say that someone with no faith can also be a (science) fanatic since they have lost the human element in their soul also,

And as noted, both Christian and Muslim as well as other faiths have used because of mankinds evil nature, forced their beleifs by force on to other men, but then so has science they often force their social advances onto mankind in the form of laws or by forcing them to accept as a nation or state by economic blackmail if people do not go against their faith to accept the social and science teachings of man.
So it is not the "thing" be it religion or science that is the good or bad, it is man who has evil nature and hearts that use anything they can to control others using it.

[RickJ]

I saw it. I'd call her fanatical, rude and not "spreading the Word" in the way Christians were taught.

Not only that, but her mean-ness and name calling were very un-Christian like.

Sadly there really are people like that in the real world, though. I've run into them many times in my life.

[Credendovidis]

I saw it. I'd call her fanatical, rude and not "spreading the Word" in the way Christians were taught. Not only that, but her mean-ness and name calling were very un-Christian like. Sadly there really are people like that in the real world, though. I've run into them many times in my life.

Indeed!!

[Galveston1]

Fanatic or believer? Not knowing the character, she could be either one.

Observation: I am sincere, YOU are a fanatic. I am resolute, YOU are stubborn. I am a believer, YOU are a FANatic (religious, sports, etc).

Fanatic or believer depends upon your own point of view. Those Muslim suicide killers are only fundamentalists in their own eyes. It becomes a matter for law to deal with when belief becomes a menace.

Another observation: In this country, few people have anything forced down their throat. They can refuse to read the posts, change the radio station or TV channel, not attend the meetings, etc. I've seen several posts here complaining about religious views being forced on them, and that is just absurd.