Religious Fundamentalism is NOT inherently evil

Or: Stop whining about the fundies, seriously.

I've seen a common trend among certain people, both here and in the world at large, that use the word 'Fundamentalist' as a kind of catch-all shorthand for 'evil git'. This really gets on my nerves, as I find Religious Fundamentalism to be at least as productive of a belief as Atheism, Agnosticism, or whatever you kids are calling it these days.

There certainly are groups in the world that are intolerant, Bible/Qu'Ran/Book of Mormon-waving witch-burners, but to say that all Fundamentalists on the planet are the same in that regard is just downright wrong.

I'd like to point you in the direction of the Amish. These people are incredibly conservative, and take everything written anywhere in the Bible as being literally true. However, I defy you to find a more peaceful, tolerant, accepting, pacifistic, loving people anywhere. These people are about as 'fundie' as you can get, yet they live in what is arguably the ideal society.

Point is: Stop saying that all Fundamentalists are evil. It's just silly.

Is somebody actually saying this?

kash@Sheep is making a good point about fundementalism because it has gotten a bad rap over the years.Its not unfounded but sometimes it gets tiring to hear a stereotype over and over gain.

The Amish do basically load the deck to make it all but impossible for their kids to be able to adapt to life outside the compound in some cases, practically ensuring theyll stay.

Fundamentalism is only as bad as the beliefs it espouses.

I only consider fundamentalists to be bad if they attempt to force people to follow their standards with no practical reasoning. Otherwise, they're just quaint, or obnoxious...

You mean, except when they send them away from home at age 18 to go live in the big city, encouraged to have casual sex and use illegal drugs? And then don't even ask them to come back?

Yeah, that's real oppression.

Not all amish sects do that. Besides, keep in mind, its all fun and games,. until you realize "going english" means you can never see your home or family again.

I don't really have a problem with religious fundamentalism on its own. What people choose to believe is none of my business, and if a person believes that the Bible/Qu'ran/Torah/ other religious book is the Truth, written by the God or gods he/she believes in, it's not my right to tell them not to.

The problem is that religious fundamentalism often leads to one or both of two things:
1) Religious proselytism (including Holy Wars) / forced conversions / Bible-thumping, etc.
2) Breaking of civil or criminal laws enacted by the established government.
I do have a problem with both of those two things, especially the second. As for the first, if people want to try to convert people peacefully and respectfully, that is their right. However, it is not their right to use or threaten violence to force any person to follow their religion.

Basically, I'm fine with whatever people want to believe, but when their beliefs start adversely affecting my life, I feel the need to speak out against them.

edited 2nd Oct '11 8:55:50 PM by DarkConfidant

There is a problem of fundamentalism (religious or otherwise) when its outside extreme circumstances, which is about 99% of the time, because absolutes in a normally balanced world tends to unbalance said world. During that other 1% it can be a fortifying effect on the population.

Ah, but take Moral Relativism into account.

For certain breeds of Christianity, not doing everything in your power to make everyone Christian is a sin, erego it's better for them to try to force their beliefs on you than to not.

edited 2nd Oct '11 8:59:44 PM by TheEarthSheep

However, violence and oppression are also sins. Ergo, respectful conversion it it, or at least, should be...

"Religious Fundamentalism" has come to mean "Religious person I disagree with" it's sort of ridiculous.

Its less that and more its become associated with a specific strauin of christian. namely the literalist, young-earth, vehemently pro-life, vehemently anti-science type.

Not always. Remember, some of these sects place the burnings of Sodom and Gommorrah higher than Jesus' 'love everyone' business.

edited 2nd Oct '11 9:03:29 PM by TheEarthSheep

Those sects wouldn't be very Christ-like, then...

"Sheep is making a good point about fundementalism because it has gotten a bad rap over the years.Its not unfounded but sometimes it gets tiring to hear a stereotype over and over gain."

It's gotten a bad rap for specific manifold reasons. I am not, however, questioning the existence of the stereotype so much as the idea that there are people on this very forum not shutting the fuck up about fundamentalism being fundamentally evil.

Christ is God. God burned Sodom and Gommorah, and so by being violent in order to further the purpose of the church, they are being like God. Erego, violence in order to build up the church is Christlike.

edited 2nd Oct '11 9:10:11 PM by TheEarthSheep

Well, to be fair, in the story they did try to gang-rape an angel...

If you say so, Sheep. I didn't see Jesus running around with a BFG screaming "DEATH TO THE NONBELIEVERS!" though...

edited 2nd Oct '11 9:15:38 PM by USAF713

"God burned Sodom and Gommorah, and so by being violent in order to further the purpose of the church"

The Church has nothing to do with Sodom And Gomorrah, and what Christ said about the Church would seem to counter the notion that it is an establishment that has any purposes of this sort.

I am a fundamentalist atheist.

Fundamentalists that participate in the world are evil because they try to force everyone else to follow their moral guidelines which may not be for the best benefit of people who would be affected by this.

And just because some sects consider it a sin not to try to make everyone Christian, does not mean that is the right way to do things.

Violence in order to further a faith's agenda, that's just all kinds of wrong.

^^ Perhaps you can enlighten us on the fundamentals of atheism, then?

Religious Fundamentalism is not inherently evil.

However, certain aspects of it CAN be.

The belief that you need to "save" everybody lest they spend an eternity in torment? That's evil. Or to put it more precisely, it's a moral poison.

edited 2nd Oct '11 10:18:32 PM by Karmakin

the fundamental aspect of atheism is that there is no fundamental aspects of atheism.

Amusingly enough, that fundamental aspect happens to be very similar to the fundamental aspect of tautology, which happens to be, the fundamental aspect of tautology.

So I guess I am fundamenmtal tautologist as well.

edited 2nd Oct '11 10:18:19 PM by Baff