In
comparative religion,
fundamentalism has come to refer to several different
understandings of religious thought and practice, through
literal interpretation of religious texts such as the
Bible
or the
Qur'an
and sometimes also
anti-modernist
movements in various
religions.
Fundamentalism is a continuing historical phenomenon, characterized by a sense of embattled alienation in the midst of the surrounding culture, even where the culture may be nominally influenced by the adherents' religion. The term can also refer specifically to the belief that one's religious texts are infallible and historically accurate, despite possible contradiction of these claims by modern scholarship.
