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posted by
Star5_
on November 2, 2008 at 4:08 AM
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mousehop - I agree with what you are saying but feel the explanation given
by cantey_1975 was more a depiction of how fundies view themselves in the world.
There is a subtle difference between describing how they view themselves and describing who and what they have pitted themselves against. I see the fundamentalists of this world, of any religion, as people intent on reconciling a non compliant modern world and its realities with increasingly redundant ancient doctrines. In this reconciliation effort, quite often the truth, be it scientific or otherwise, is manipulated and distorted to serve the desired outcome. The common themes of their efforts always seem to point fingers at everyone else but themselves and harbor the ludicrous notion that if everyone simply believed as they do that the world would be a perfect place.
As if they have the answers, or a track record that indicates a workable underlying philosophy. All any fundamentalist has ever offered the societies they live in are internal conflict and divisiveness. We can only hope that we are reaching a point in history where they are becoming increasingly marginalized and we must further hope that in the process of their fading social influence that the damage they do is repairable.
posted by
gomedome
on November 1, 2008 at 10:37 PM
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Divisions
I agree with you that the question of Christian influence in American history must be treated as the complex legacy that it is, but I don't accept, as you seem to, cantey_1975's division of the world into his fundamentalist Christians and everyone else, as if only those fundamentalists believed in the philosophical foundations of the American system of government. In my experience, it would be better to divide the world into those who value education and those who prefer the indoctrination they received as children as the final word on all subjects. Fundamentalists of any religion or philosophy tend to be closed-minded and defensive, and thus inevitably create divisions in society whenever anyone disagrees with them for any reason. It was fundamentalists who fought against Copernicus and Gallileo, and who still fight against the whole field of biological science in America. Those divisions have nothing to do with beliefs about freedom, but the willingness to learn more than you were taught in Sunday School. Progressiveism is only one idea that opposes fundamentalist Christianity. Science is another. Humanism is another. Humanists, scientists, and progressives all get along.
posted by
mousehop
on November 1, 2008 at 6:21 PM
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