A cheap religion that embraces your prejudices

[Onlooker]

Isn't fundamentalism appealing? Not only does it favor cutting taxes, it allows you to keep almost all of your prejudices.

Fundamentalism is not a religious philosophy, it is the only logical philosophy for people who are looking for an excuse to be selfish and bigoted. How else can they justify their attitudes if not in the name of God?

[SaintAnne]

1. also

fundamentalism means you don't have to think anymore. I am sometimes tempted by the loveliness of following blindly, wouldn't that be easier. But I know how stupid it is to jump on the bandwagon. and no matter how hard it gets, I will always try to be a progressive individual!

[fertilizeonarbusto]

2. Bravo!

Brilliantly put!

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. It's easy.

It tells you how to think and freezes life into a solid cube of meaning. "a defense against the overtones of life, the richness and polytheism of imagination." (Thomas Moore)

Fundamentalism is for people who don't have the energy to think for themselves.

[Selwynn]

4. Right on!

This Christian* thinks you're right on target.




*term not affiliated with right wing religious nutballs, zealots, fanatics, fundamentalist literalists, the Christian coalition, the moral majority, PatRobertson, James Dobson, Jerry Falwell, Tim LaHaye, or any other leader, spokesperson or representative of the politics of fascism and pseudo-theocratic tyranny in the name of faith. Unauthorized use, reduplication or cooption of this term by war mongering, fear imposing, homophobic, bigoted, sexist, racist, hate-spewing, religiosity-worshiping hypocritical buttholes is expressly prohibited.

[schultzee]

5. And they are going to become worse; they are getting rid of "works" and

replacing it with the word "love." So they can talk all they want then kick the poor harder. I really hate this inhumane neanderthral philosophy masquarading as a religion.

[Mojambo]

6. Yep.

The only sacrifice involved in fundamentalism is the one of critical thought.

[fertilizeonarbusto]

8. ROAR!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm SO stealing that!
:yourock:

[RPM]

7. wow - 7 words...

... that say so much

you should consider brand marketing.

edit: spelling

[Cocoa]

9. are you sure this attitude isn't itself bigoted?

I worry about discussions that are devoted to denouncing, rather than understanding, other religions.

A more enlightened discussion I think would be aimed in the other direction, admitting that you don't know everything about fundamentalism, and working to understand it further, rather than working to cement your present prejudices further.

[RPM]

10. fundamentalism is not a religion...

... its a lifestyle based on seleective ignorance of scripture

ohhhhh - can we compromise fundamentalism the same way those assclowns called homosexuality a lifestyle

[blurp]

11. As a former fundamentalist and now atheist, I say you're way off

Most fundamentalists don't care about cutting taxes. They don't care about maintaining their prejudices. They are for very little except for a few things.

#1) There is a god.

#2) The word of god is in the bible. They believe it provides all the rules of living and all the answers. Just follow the book and you can be content with the knowledge that you're being a good person. Being good means following the rules.

#3) They have a genuine desire to do what is right and to make sure evil is punished. There is a strong emphasis on sin and guilt.

Really, there isn't that much more.

Let me add you that your suggestion that fundamentalists are just trying to excuse selfishness and bigotry is itself bigotry and reprehensible.

Again, I'm an atheist now, but I've seen the other side.

[Nicholas_J]

12. Well not exactly

The real meaning of fundamentalism has nothihg to do with any of the things that you are suggesting. After all, Osama Bin Laden is what would be called a fundamentalist, and he does not beleive in lowering taxes. AS a muslim fundamentalist beleiving in a theocracy, he has a totally different vore of taxes than Christian Fundamentalists.

This is something mre insideous than mere religious fundamentalism, It is the linking of the political with the religiously conservative.

The Republican Party has linked itself to this religious conservatism.
In the language of the ancient Greeks, the Repulbican Party, in allying itself with Conservaitve Churches has stooped being a komma(party) and started being a kinesis(movement). This implies activism. This is something that has been done by all dictatorships historically, so when you see the republican party engaging in such an active alliance with religion, be very wary. Sure sign that a political dictatorship is about to begin. Historically this is how the Mussolini formed the Fascist Party in Italy, and this was piccked up by Hitler. Unfortualtely for democratic parties, they try to keep such allaices at a minimum. Poliitics is separate from other aspects of life to those with liberal values. Not with conservatives. Religion and politics become intertwined and eventually twisted. It may staert out tha all relgions are tolerated. BUt the signs are already there. Religious consevaitves who supported Bush are already calling those Catholics who have questions about the Churches stances as apostate catholics. If these people reatin powwer for a few years, we can expect all religious that are not Christian to become illegal. And then all Christians that do not comply with there interpretation of the Bible to become heretics. This is not just an American concern. IN the last few weeks the religious right has used the current problems that they have had with Muslims in the Nederlands to try to activate old laws on "blasphemy" in order to reduce the amount of offense Muslims take to the growing secularism around them. Very clever attempt to impose religious values on the non religious. Of course, the liberal Dutch government not only stopped this attempt, but began to sugget removing such outdateds legislation form the books. Do not be surprised if you see it in the U.S. soon. Without the liberal buffer to prevent it.

[Cocoa]

13. I agree that's what we should be worrying about

the very scary (no hyperbole) linking of politics and religion.

To attack the religion itself is actually counterproductive, it empowers the leaders that can exploit the sense of grievance, and the idea that religion is under attack.

And it undermines our credibility, how can we claim to be opposed to bigotry if we aren't careful about what we're saying and doing?

[Nicholas_J]

14. Religion, like anything else, can be used or abused.

Religion, in the hands of people like Martin Luther King, was one of the most powerful forces for equality that this nation has seen. The religion of the oppressed always is.When in the hands of people like George W. Bush, can be a powerful reactionary force as well.

Religion was one of the most powerful; weapons which was used AGAINST the very revolutionary ideas of the Founding Fathers and the political philosophers of the 18th Century whose ideas led to both the American War of Independence (incorrectly regarded as a revolution, rather than the coup d'etat of one class of rich people trying to wrest power from another group of ricjh people) and the French Revolution which was the REAL democratic revolution of that period. The French Revolution was a real peoples rebellion, while the American War was a war in which the rich got a lot of other people to fight to help them change the reins of power. One can tel by the differences in the two constitutions that came out of these events.

The Declaration of the Rights ofMan is a far more powerful document in asserting the rights of all people against ruling classes. From the vsery staet the Declaration of Independenmce and the Constitution were designed to keep power in the hands of the owners of property. In fact initially, the right to vote in rthe U.S. was restricted to the classes who owned more than a certain amount of property. THe Electora College, designed to prevent a someone desribed by the powerful as a populist demegogoe, from fooling the people into supporting them by promises of distributing wealth.

Some of the differneces are very clear.
1. Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be founded only upon the general good.

2. The aim of all political association is the preservation of the natural and imprescriptible rights of man. These rights are liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.

*******************************************************************
Some rather clear distinction here. Social class and distinction here is subject to those distinctions being beneficial to all.

*******************************************************************
4. Liberty consists in the freedom to do everything which injures no one else; hence the exercise of the natural rights of each man has no limits except those which assure to the other members of the society the enjoyment of the same rights. These limits can only be determined by law.

5. Law can only prohibit such actions as are hurtful to society. Nothing may be prevented which is not forbidden by law, and no one may be forced to do anything not provided for by law.

6. Law is the expression of the general will. Every citizen has a right to participate personally, or through his representative, in its foundation. It must be the same for all, whether it protects or punishes. All citizens, being equal in the eyes of the law, are equally eligible to all dignities and to all public positions and occupations, according to their abilities, and without distinction except that of their virtues and talents.

http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/rightsof.htm

The wording of the Declaration of the Rights of Man are clear and they would most easily prohibit the kind of legislation that has been attempted in 11 states to deny gay marriage. Though it has not been legalized in France, any attempts to ban it would be clearly held as unconstitutional under this declaration.

Though this is not the constitution of the current french republic, their constitution is based clearly on this document. It is the French Republic that is the truie guardian of liberty and democracy in the world, while our government is based on a less than democratic ideal

[porphyrian]

15. Fast Food Religion

Welcome to the latest incarnation of Darwinian meme achievement, fundamentalist Christianity! You don't have to understand it, they'll preach it to you in easy-to-repeat sound bites! Just don't question any of it, not that any True Believer would want to, or everyone already infected will turn on you! And, as long as you perform the appropriate rituals and propagate the meme at every opportunity, you are guaranteed forgiveness for anything, even beating your wife and raping your own daughter! Externalize all responsibility today and become a fundamentalist Christian now!

[KT2000]

16. Excellent Point

they must keep all their money for themselves. Paying taxes helps other people than themselves and that is a bad thing. Of course they fail to see how they benefit - they are owed that for being better than other people.

[meow2u3]

17. In America, it's Counterfeit Christianity

Real Christians are not supposed to be prejudiced against the poor, the opposite sex, or races or ethnic groups which are not theirs.

You can't be a Christian and a classist, sexist, or racist at the same time.