The Jargon File (version 4.4.7, 29 Dec 2003):

religious issues
 n.

    Questions which seemingly cannot be raised without touching off holy wars
    , such as ?What is the best operating system (or editor, language,
    architecture, shell, mail reader, news reader)??, ?What about that Heinlein
    guy, eh??, ?What should we add to the new Jargon File?? See holy wars;
    see also theology, bigot, and compare rathole.

    This term is a prime example of ha ha only serious. People actually
    develop the most amazing and religiously intense attachments to their
    tools, even when the tools are intangible. The most constructive thing one
    can do when one stumbles into the crossfire is mumble Get a life! and
    leave ? unless, of course, one's own unassailably rational and obviously
    correct choices are being slammed.


The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (30 December 2018):

religious issues

   Questions which seemingly cannot be raised without touching
   off holy wars, such as "What is the best operating system
   (or editor, language, architecture, shell, mail reader, news
   reader)?", "What about that Heinlein guy, eh?", "What should
   we add to the new Jargon File?"  See holy wars; see also
   theology, bigot.

   This term is a prime example of ha ha only serious.  People
   actually develop the most amazing and religiously intense
   attachments to their tools, even when the tools are
   intangible.  The most constructive thing one can do when one
   stumbles into the crossfire is mumble Get a life! and leave
   - unless, of course, one's *own* unassailably rational and
   obviously correct choices are being slammed.

   (1996-08-16)