Fanatics

Fri Jul 29,11:26 AM ET
SARAJEVO (Reuters) - Christians are flocking to a northwestern Bosnian town to view an image of Jesus Christ that allegedly appeared in a section of a cut tree branch two days ago, Bosnian media reported Friday.
The image resembling Jesus' face cannot be seen from a close distance but only from a few meters away. The branch in the town of Bijeljina was cut about a year ago, said Oslobodjenje daily.
Sceptics have dismissed the image as a freak of nature, but pilgrims have been streaming to the tree, kneeling before it to pray, lighting candles, leaving money and cutting off bark to take home.
The region's Serb Orthodox bishop Vasilije visited the site and said church officials would discuss the phenomenon and advise believers how to behave. He appealed to visitors not to destroy the tree and not to leave money at the site.
Source: Yahoo News

If a person feels they must go to such extremes to find spiritual fulfillment, then they have a void within them that may never be filled.
Some would say, “C’mon Rick, this is an isolated incident involving extreme fanatics.” Wrong. Stories such as this are commonplace all over the world and have been for ages. These are only the folks that make headlines. Furthermore, the people in these stories are common, working, consuming, voting, citizens that function alongside the rest of us everyday.
Whether they’re Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Catholic, or whatever, they have an agenda that guides their thoughts, emotions, and ultimately their actions.
All organized religions start with the idea that their belief is the only right one- everyone else is wrong. The violent actions by these religious fanatics make headlines daily. The beliefs of others have a direct impact on all our lives. They always have.
What’s disturbing about the bizarre- almost comical story above, is that the extremists that strap explosives to themselves and try to take as many with them as possible, are searching just as hard to find their own spiritual fulfillment.
”Praise the lord.”

According to David B. Barrett, the researcher who compiles religious
population estimates for the Encyclopaedia Britannica and World
Almanac, there are about 10,000 distinct religions in the world today.

Fanatic:
Pronunciation: f&-'na-tik
Function: adjective
Etymology: Latin fanaticus inspired by a deity, frenzied, from fanum temple --
: marked by excessive enthusiasm and often intense uncritical devotion
Source: Merriam/Webster Online.