CQQ #11: Fandom as Religion...?

Fandom, a rising church in today's world?

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A fandom (fan club or fanbase) is a community of enthusiasts of a particular shared interest, be it a sports team, a work of fiction (and often a certain character or romantic pair), a singer or music band, a celebrity or popular YouTuber or content creator... Anyone and anything with an enthusiastic, loyal following can become the center of a fandom.

The people who engage in said fandom (the fans) may don a creative label to represent their fanhood; for instance, 'Trekkie' for those who love Star Trek, 'Whovian' for Doctor Who fans, 'Brony' (or 'Pegasister') for My Little Pony fans, etc.

Some may perhaps enjoy their interest(s) casually and harmlessly, while others may treat it as a way of life with undying loyalty, expressing their "love" by craving endless merchandise (and anything that reminds them of that interest), and becoming easily offended and hostile when someone disagrees about anything regarding their interest, any "insult" perceived as blasphemy no matter how small.

Others may take their "love" for their interest so extreme that actual riots ensue for whatever reason, be it their favorite sports team lost a game, or McDonalds didn't make enough Szechuan sauce to satisfy those diehard Rick and Morty fans.

CQQ #10: The Apocrypha...?

Is there anything to pull from non-canonical texts?

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Thank you, Paul Ahnert and HonnieBunnie007, for inspiring this topic!

During my college years, I once attended a class titled "The Bible As Literature", the required "textbook" being The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha (NRSV). I still have that very thick, heavy, red study bible on my shelf today.

I've yet to go through the rest of that book; we were only required to read parts of the New Testament for the class. But thinking about it recently has peaked some curiosity.