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fun·da·men·tal·ism ( P ) Pronunciation Key (fnd-mntl-zm)
n.
A usually religious movement or point of view characterized by a return to fundamental principles, by rigid adherence to those principles, and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism.

I have a problem with it. I think it's one of the largest growing problems in our world today whether it's taking place over seas where terrorists violently attack those they consider 'infidels' or even at home where laws are structured for the needs of special interests rather than the common good.

Human beings are inherently different from eachother for a variety of reasons. Conflicts arise when we confront those differences from a stance of intolerance rather than understanding. You have no right to force your personal beliefs on others, no matter what references you have to support those beliefs or how many people there are that agree with you. It's perfectly fine to disagree with someone, it's not okay to persecute them over a disagreement.

Thank you for remaining civil in what will potentially be a touchy subject.

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"That Light has bestowed upon me the greatest black magic!"

Fundamentalism is also associated with intolerance of dissent, marginalization or elimination of women and women's rights, decreasing importance (and even availability) of education, decreasing quality and availability of health care and an associated higher mortality rate, and plenty of other social problems. And those problems are part of why fundamentalism is popular among its adherents--usually, going back to a 'fundamental' religion and associated social hierarchy places people who are disenfranchised under our current ideas about rights and social welfare back at the top.

And, uh, great pronounciation key there, without any vowels.

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Veni, vidi, dormivi.

Main Entry: fun·da·men·tal·ism
Pronunciation: -t&l-"i-z&m
Function: noun
1 a often capitalized : a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching b : the beliefs of this movement c : adherence to such beliefs
2 : a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles

I'm not sure where the definition you found was located, TA, but it sounds a bit biased, with a comment in it like and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism. But whatever. This definition came from Merriam Webster Online.

This post has been edited by Hamedo on 9th December 2005 19:57

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Quote (Hamedo @ 9th December 2005 19:56)

I'm not sure where the definition you found was located, TA, but it sounds  a bit biased, with a comment in it like and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism.  But whatever.  This definition came from Merriam Webster Online.

I'm guessing he got it from here:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=fundamentalism

That's the one I use, same definition.

I agree it is very wrong to persecute someone because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, or beliefs. Fortunately a lot of people do seem to be less bigoted in their views these days.

I respect people for who they are and what they believe in and I hope they can do the same for me. I think we all deserve this right.

This post has been edited by fatman on 9th December 2005 23:54

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'Let that be a lesson to all oppressive vegetable sellers.'

I'm going to try really hard and try to step lightly. If I step on any toes, I sincerely apologize!

Fundamentalism seems like the Communism of this generation, the challenge, threat and fear we have to overcome.

Islamic Fundamentalism (who don't know what the hell they're talking about, Allah is not cool with suicide, killing the innocent or subjugating women. I looked it up, Allah is not cool with Osama Bin Laden.) is all over the Middle East, North Africa and in parts of Europe, it's going to provide tons of instability and chaos there if it escalates further. Remember those riots in France? Those may push some French Muslims to go fundamentalist. Those bombings in London in July? Islamic fundamentalists, English born muslims..

Christian fundamentalism exists too. I saw Jimmy Carter on Larry King toting his new book on fundamentalists. He didn't like the ideas of it, he said it was ruining many good things about his religion. Bill O'Reilly of FOX News fame challenged The Daily Show with Jon Stewart about a joke about Christmas last year. Jerry Falwell said that 9/11 happened because of ACLU, abortionists, feminists, gays, and the People For the American way, Pat Robertson agreed. (They apologized for the comment a few days later.)

Let me make myself clear. I don't hate God, I don't hate Jesus, I don't hate Islam, I don't hate any religous beliefs. I don't want to get anyone furious at me. I'm really, really sorry if you have/eventually get offended. But these ideas, these people that believe so absolutely in their faith that other stuff is just wrong or needs to be destroyed/discredited or whatever scare the stuffing out of me. The amount of power both Christain and 'Muslim' fundamentalist have in the world is frightening.

I think it would be a lot safer if I didn't say anything more. I don't want to start something harmful to the discussion.

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Really Random Quote of the Day: "Short of changing human nature, therefore, the only way to achieve a practical, livable peace in a world of competing nations is to take the profit out of war." - Richard M. Nixon

So if you're done reading this, you know I have nothing to say and you've wasted your time. Thank you come again.

I think religion is a remnant of an extensive belief system that once included such things as religion and superstition. While in our modern world, scientific/rational/logical thought have largely dispelled this system, religion lives on in one of two ways:
1. tradition. inertia to change. People have been believing and practicing their religion for centuries now, passing it from one generation to the next. (This isn't necessarily a bad thing; it's often a good thing since religion usually comes with morality, and culture is preserved. However, it does produce those ironic situations where a person has all the religious 'quirks' (e.g. not eating a certain meat) but little of the devoutness (such as daily prayer).
2. for hope. As we all know, the world doesn't quite go our way all the time; people often turn to religious figures (such as deities) to seek hope that things will be better in the future. Same goes with people who care about their afterlife. This condition especially applies to 'societal fallout' people--those who often aren't quite accepted into the mainstream for whatever reason.

Both reasons can lead to fundamentalism. Fundamentalism itself seeks to idolize a particular religion and shape the world according to its ideal image. In the former case, it's people who don't think that society is progressing in the right direction, taken to the extreme. In the latter case, it's people who are disgruntled with the way society is treating them, and they take inspiration from religion to counter that, taken to the extreme.

Quote (Hamedo)

and often by intolerance of other views and opposition to secularism.

I'd say that, if you're really a fundamentalist, and your religion says that all people who don't believe in your religion are damned and must be saved and/or are infidels, then 'intolerance of other views', especially religious views (as well as just about anything that contrasts with what your own religion says about various issues). Opposition to secularism comes from the strong faith that a fundamentalist has in his/her religion, and hence opposition to any questioning of that religion.

That spoken, I'd say I personally admire those people who don't spam their religion anywhere, but simply let it shine through humble, considerate personality. The best way to convince others to believe in a certain religion, in my opinion, is to treat them with respect, honor, dignity, and morality, and then humbly reveal only later what your religion is. Make people admire you, and then you'll get followers. Spam them with religion or force it down their throats, and they'll hate you for it.

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I don't think it's particularly fair to associate fundamentalists with religion exclusively, as very few of the most prominent fundamentalists worship anything save their own respective agendas. Fundamentalism started as an aspect of Hamedo's previous definition, but has since metamorphosed into the definition touted by many liberals today - that of the intolerant, heavy-handed, invasive bigot.

As a Christian myself, I often find the behavior of so-called Fundamentalist Christians to be embarassing and/or infuriating, perverting a righteous faith for the sake of political power and media exposure. Though I am certain that there are some belonging to that particular camp who enter with the best of intentions, they are quickly warped by a corrupt system of social belief that ruins their capacity for wisdom and compassion. Though Fundamentalists believe in a set of valid principles, they all too often reach the conclusion that moral victory is best achieved through physical strife.

At the same time, I can't help but admire the spirit if not the method of early Fundamentalism (not its modern-day counterpart). In an age dominated by the existential notion that nothing is sacred and morality is what you make of it, I think it is important to stand up for what you believe in. I am a religious person, and as such I believe that my religion is correct, and other beliefs are, when incongruous, to some extent incorrect. But I wholeheartedly disagree with the modern ultra-conservative idea that belief must be expressed through the polarization of thought and the demonization of all who disagree, as well as the arrogance and ignorance that springs from foolishly perceived moral superiority. Such pigheaded stubbornness can do nothing but harm people on both sides of the spectrum, accomplishing nothing.

This post has been edited by Super Moogle on 10th December 2005 16:47

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