Guest Kelleee Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? Suggested Reading: Karen Armstrong; The Battle for God Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 I think it's because science has become so intricate and complex that it goes above people's heads most of the time, and most wants the easy fix, the simple explanation, so religion is more attractive, and fundamentalism even much more so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted April 25, 2006 Share Posted April 25, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? I think that it is a mistake to think that the mind is logical/rational, and that such is the or ought to be the mind's main function.. What we think of as ourselves, our conscious mind has its origins in what we think of as emotion. Emotion always trumps logical reason. Even when you decide to be logical about religion you do so because you feel it to be the best course. See Antonio Damasio, The Feeling of What Happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonwhatever Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Well, when you consider The Scriptures, they indicate that ungodliness would increase more and more, not that the world would become more and more righteous. "When The Son of man cometh, shall He find so much as faith on the earth?" "...that day shall not come except there come a falling away first." "...in the last days, evil times shall come, for evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived." So, the increase in fundamentalist preachers must be a mark of increased ungodliness, that the Bible is wrong, or that these are not the end times. I think the first option. Most preachers, especially the ones on tv, are hypocrties, "...and through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you, whose jugment of a long time lingereth not, and whose damnation slumbereth not." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Good point. If fundamentalism is on the rise and the bible supposedly is right and it is the end time, then fundamentalism would be the ungodliness it talks about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellyb Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Good point. If fundamentalism is on the rise and the bible supposedly is right and it is the end time, then fundamentalism would be the ungodliness it talks about. Unless you're a premillinealist who believe the thousand year reign of Christ will be a world wide Christian theocracy, which many fundamentalist authors believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Premillinealist... say that three times fast! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexandrian Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Premillinealist... say that three times fast! It provides an extraordinarily simple version of Christianity, which helps provide certain people with a need for order and for the world to be understandable. It's alot easier to state a simple Fundamentalist argument "You need to have a relationship with Jesus to get forgiven and go to heaven", then it is to understand the more complex belief systems of Catholicism and mainline Protestantism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Emerson Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 I wonder if this keeps on going, will fundamentalism be the fall down of America? ugh, I hate to think so but sometimes I just wonder...not trying to make it political, but i see how certain politicians are trying to turn this country into a theocracy. why are we more "religious" than other countries? I already know that the early settlers of America came for religious freedom, but honestly its really getting worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thurisaz Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 From my observation post in Northern Germany, it looks like it's a combination of two things really. First is, indeed, the basic desire to view the world around us as a simple thing. Too bad that the world just won't do us that favor, but we can always try to delude ourselves into believing it is simple. The wholly babble (and probably just as well the koran) is a nice and handy tool for that. Whatever happens or doesn't happen is "da will of da lawd", period. Second is the mindboggling ignorance of the standard type of people who become fundies. Ya know, it' s much easier to believe in babblical cretinism if you don't know shit about science - that way the cretinist führers can tell you every fairy tale they want, how are you to know they're lying to you? Same goes for "evil immoral atheism" et cetera ad nauseam. Yup, as I see it, ignorance is The Magic Potion making fundyism grow and prosper. Why are we more "religious" than other countries? A brief history of US fundyism (as found on www.creationtheory.org) Quite a good answer if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Unless you're a premillinealist who believe the thousand year reign of Christ will be a world wide Christian theocracy, which many fundamentalist authors believe. Minor point: This is postmillinealism. That is Christ comes back after the 1000 years of theocracy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 I think there are parallel universes, and in one of them Jesus did exist, came back and everything is a happy place. Unfortunately I happened to end up in the wrong universe... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaoi Huntress Earth Posted April 26, 2006 Share Posted April 26, 2006 Let's not forget the destruction of logical, intellectualism, and critical thought in this society. I'd sudjest this web article on the fundyization of America at: http://jesusneverexisted.com/america.html From what I've read, Islam is really catching on among Hispanics: http://www.hispanicmuslims.com/ The world (especally this country) is in some dire need to rethink a lot of things in life (marriage, child raising, living life, etc) if you ask me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chefranden Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? The Third Wave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ouroboros Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 Chef ... wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yaoi Huntress Earth Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? The Third Wave I remember seeing a TV movie version of it in middle school. While I can understand the reason the teacher did it and the lesson he was trying to teach, but overall, even as teen I thought it was a rather sick trick. Imagine if he didn't stop the experiment soon enough, could some kid who didn't fit the Thrid Wave's standards get hurt or a kid who had put his heart and soul into the experiment only to find out it was a trick, how would that effect them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob Posted April 27, 2006 Share Posted April 27, 2006 I think I was a fundamentalist. I believed the bible was the inerrant word of God. I remember a time when I was a King-James-Version-Only zealot. It was a sin for a woman to wear pants. Men were to keep their hair cut short, women long. I even swore off shrimp, catfish, and pork in an attempt to follow the old testament dietary rules. I think I did all of this because I had the "follower" mentality. The church pastor was the spiritual leader and I was the spiritual follower. I am not sure why it seems that fundyism is on the rise. Not sure if it actually is, or is it that those that are left are just more vocal. I have read that the numbers claiming to have a religious faith, in North America, has declined by about 7% in the past 10 years. Could it be that fundyism is declining at a slower rate than liberal faith, therefore it just gives the appearance of growth? I sure hope that's the case. I shudder to think that there is a growing number of people out there who think the way I used to think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Kelleee Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 Actually, if you want to see a more accurate picture of the numbers of people and their religious beliefs, check out this poll by Barna, http://www.adherents.com/misc/BarnaPoll.html Barna is a very accurate polling company. I have been involved in politics in my state for many years and of the polling companies that measure the pulse of the populace, Barna is pretty darn good. I have wondered if fundamentalism has to do with not wanting to take responsibility for one's own life. I also wondered if it had anything to do with having weak parents. Are these people looking for a parental figure. I wonder if findamentalism will ever be called judgementalism? It seems to attract people who like to sit in judgement of others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted April 28, 2006 Share Posted April 28, 2006 I think part of it's because we live in uncertain times, and people want assurance they won't die permanently when they actually die. They basically want a security blanket. Part of it's because of Dubya and his rise to power. The right wing has essentially been hijacked by the fundies (btw, I'm liberal). And it could be because people want to fit in, so they're joining churches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobo Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 I think there's a far simpler answer. Most people are Christian in this country. When they have kids, they teach them to Christian values and stories. (Whether or not they stick is another question.) This alone Evangelical Christianity is also quite well organized. Even with all their denominational spats, they form one huge, scary united front. They've become adept at marketing and propaganda...because they believe it's the right thing to do. Win souls at any cost (well, short of breaking the Ten Commandments)...God would want us to be slick and savvy. In more recent years, evangelicals have developed their own media empire. Christian movies, musicians, bookstores, television networks. Practically every church with more than a handful of members is on TV. They are motivated, mobilized, and they have plenty of money...hell, a lot of them have a PROFIT MOTIVE. In the USA, Christianity has gotten into bed with capitalism. Many ministers (Joel Osteen comes to mind) understand human psychology very well. Everyone thinks of himself/herself first. So they've tapped into, "What's in it for you!" That's why his hugely successful book is called Your Best Life Now. Whereas Billy Graham never charged a penny for admission to his crusades, you actually have to BUY tickets in advance to see Osteen. T.D. Jakes is ridiculously wealthy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted June 11, 2006 Share Posted June 11, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? I don't think fundyism is on the rise. It's still a minority, a small one at that, and with the growing popularity of movies and tv shows and such that criticize or at least poke fun at Jeezus, as well as the overall rise of freethinkers and Pagans of all stripes, I think Xianity is on the decline. It still must be fought, but fundyism will perish of its own accord. I think more people are starting to see the overall stupidity of Xianity and are either becoming more liberal in their Xian belief, or are rejecting the cult wholesale. If it grows, it's because of the reasons Amythest gave. But if it grows, it only does so in areas that are already fundy, and more than likely amongst people who are in fundy families to begin with. I don't see fundyism as a spreading phenomena. Islam is a bigger threat, yes. Xianity is on the decline, but Islam is the only fundyism we really have to worry about. Granted, that's bad enough... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astreja Posted June 14, 2006 Share Posted June 14, 2006 I think fundamentalism is a convenient shelter for people who are being carpetbombed by life. Think of it this way: You work long hours at a crappy job, can't get ahead in the world, constantly in fear that sickness will wipe out your life savings and destroy everything you've worked for all your life. Meanwhile, your friendly neighbourhood evangelist is telling you not to worry, that *this* world isn't the one that counts. Voilà! Instant mass of easily-herded footsoldiers, who will sit down, shut up and do whatever their religious leaders tell them to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thackerie Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 We know so much about science and mythology, yet Fundamentalism is on the rise. Why do you think this is so? I don't think fundamentalism is on the rise. I just read an article a week or so ago about how the percentage of people who believe the bible is the "inerrant word of god" is now about 28 percent, down from (I think) around 33-34 percent about ten years ago. (I think I saw this on the "What's New" page of Netscape.com, but I can't find it now Don't you hate when that happens!) I do believe the fundies are getting a lot of attention, and making a lot of noise, because the jerk in the white house encourages them. Hopefully, it's just the last gasp of a dying breed -- although I'm not so optimistic or naive to think we'll be free of the plague of fundamentalism in my lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julian Posted June 16, 2006 Share Posted June 16, 2006 It's a combination of many factors that is hard to determine. Science is probably serving as a part of it, but opposite of what it should. There is a big whiplash against science, so it adds more fuel to the fundy fire. Secondly, people are becoming more conservative, and fundamentalism goes hand in hand with this. Another thing is that fundies think that society is falling apart, and that their "morality" is under siege. The very presence of things which are not completely sterile and devoid of real life to their liking (movies, music, music videos...take your pick) make them react and try to cling onto "gawd". Lastly, people are just stupid. You don't see this kind of nonsense in Europe, which has a much more fundamentalist history than the US, mostly because people there have an understanding of the world and reality. IMO, ignorance is the most central tenet of fundamentalism, and at present the US has quite a bit of it. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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