Fundamentalism

                       Fundamentalism
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Definition: 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.
Example: Bush's brand of political fundamentalism represents only a "small minority," but his power
is significant...   And the casualties resulting from his "Christian" fundamentalism are more significant
than the 3000 which can be attributed to the Saudi Arabian fundamentalists who attacked America.
The CIA-trained terrorist Osama is small potatoes when compared with the behavior of the Bush administration. This regime has created a system of prisons worldwide which includes at least 14 thousand political detainees subjected to various forms of torture.
      History will record these crimes against humanity. The death toll is 60- 600,000 and rising. The collateral damages, in the longer term, may be millions of lives and trillions of dollars. Domestically, fundamentalism of this sort is rank treason. Internationally it is a war crime.
This situation is untenable and cannot stand.
Timothy Martin Flanagan

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Fundamentalism and the Modern World

A return to the Dark Ages? Or a modern rebellion against secularism? Either way�as we've so painfully learned�we ignore this phenomenon at our grave peril.
by A dialogue with Karen Armstrong, Susannah Heschel, Jim Wallis, and Feisal Abdul

The Movement
http://www.americanfundamentalists.com/movement.html in America (updated 10/19/04)

Fundamentalism is a way of thinking.
Or, perhaps, not thinking.

Fundamentalism is all about being sure, without questioning.
Fundamentalism is binary (yes/no right/wrong good/evil).
Fundamentalism has nothing (necessarily) to do with religion, but it helps.
Fundamentalism says all markets must be free, the bible must be inerrant, and only one political party can be patriotic.

Fundamentalism is not about a way of thinking. Fundamentalism is about knowing: KNOWING that you're right. Fundamentalism is about believing - no, ACCEPTING something as truth, something SO true that it's unthinkable to even consider the possibility that it might not be true. Because, even ESPECIALLY because, the core of that truth is usually something TOO good to BE true - something so good that, like the guy with the gold bricks in the desert, you would rather die than give it up.

The three branches of modern American Fundamentalism have somehow converged, opportunistically using each other even when their ultimate goals sometimes conflict, because true Machiavellian ethics doesn't require you to agree with anyone, even your allies, as long as you might get your way. By themselves, each has struggled for credibility; together, they have the potential to destroy American civil characteristics of plurality and tolerance - and, ultimately, freedom itself.

The three branches of modern American Fundamentalism are:
Religious (you only get to heaven through our god, our way),
Economic (to not profit for yourself and your friends is a sin), and
Political (we are right about everything, and you are right about nothing)

But the Bible contains many things we now find repulsive and wrong, including slavery, selling your female children, and abandoning your family for god...
But all markets are not free - we can but shirts from India, China and Mexico, but not prescription drugs from Canada...
And one political party running everything and branding all others as traitors is called Fascism and/or Totalitarianism, but NEVER Democracy...

My problem with Fundamentalism is that Fundamentalism is not Reality


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