--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, sgrayatlarge <no_re...@...> wrote: > > You are a one trick poney >
Are you a fundamentalist? What's a poney? > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "do.rflex" <do.rflex@> wrote: > > > > > > Why fundamentalism will fail A seemingly unstoppable force is being > > undone from the inside By > > Harvey Cox > > <http://search.boston.com/local/Search.do?s.sm.query=Harvey+Cox&camp=loc\ > > alsearch:on:byline:art> > > > > The very nature of human religiousness is changing > > in a way inimical to fundamentalist thought. > > > > The most rapidly growing spiritual groups today focus > > not on someone else's authority, but on a direct > > encounter with the divine. Whatever else it may mean > > that so many people call themselves "spiritual but not > > religious," it suggests they still yearn for contact > > with the sacred, but are suspicious of the scaffolding, > > the doctrines, and hierarchies through which it has > > often been conveyed. > > > > > > Excerpts: > > > > IN 1910, A COHORT of ultra-conservative American Protestants drew up a > > list of non-negotiable beliefs they insisted any genuine Christian must > > subscribe to. They published these "fundamentals" in a series of > > widely distributed pamphlets over the next five years. > > > > Their catalog featured doctrines such as the virgin birth, the physical > > resurrection of Christ, and his imminent second coming. > > > > The cornerstone, though, was a belief in the literal inerrancy of every > > syllable of the Bible, including in matters of geology, paleontology, > > and secular history. They called these beliefs fundamentals, and proudly > > styled themselves "fundamentalists" - true believers who feared > > that liberal movements like the social gospel and openness to other > > faiths were eroding the foundation of their religion... > > > > > > As the 20th century ended and a new one began, fundamentalism has taken > > on more formidable shapes, both politically and religiously. Though most > > of its adherents work through spiritual and educational channels, the > > small minority that turn to violence have caught the media's > > attention. If some seem ready to die for faith, others are ready to > > kill for it, gunning down abortion doctors in church, hijacking planes, > > and exploding bombs at weddings. > > > > For plenty of thoughtful people, fundamentalism has come to represent > > the most dangerous threat to open societies since the fall of communism. > > > > However, the truth is that for all its apparent strength, the > > fundamentalist sun is setting on all horizons. Throughout the Muslim > > world growing numbers of people are becoming impatient with violent > > groups that, in the name of Allah, seem capable of killing but incapable > > of producing jobs, food, or health care. > > > > Observers on the ground report that popular support for the jihadist > > wing of the Taliban is falling off as it fails to address the real life > > problems that afflict people in Afghanistan. (The other parts of the > > Taliban are inspired less by fundamentalism than by tribal loyalties and > > a traditional aversion to foreigners.) > > > > Al Qaeda faces a similar dismal prospect. Dr. Audrey Kurth Cronin, a > > professor at the National War College in Washington and author of a new > > book, "How Terrorism Ends," says, "I think Al Qaeda is in > > the process of imploding. That is not necessarily the end. But the > > trends are in a good direction." > > > > In Iran, the fact that the clerics have resorted to beating and > > imprisoning their critics reveals the shakiness of their hold. > > > > > > IN AMERICA, the religious right, which started as a crusade, is becoming > > a niche. Randall Terry's Operation Rescue, which stages > > demonstrations at abortion clinics, has just announced that it is > > nearly bankrupt. > > > > The shrillest TV evangelists are losing audiences to more moderate > > "evangelical-lite" preachers. Fundamentalist congregations are > > ceding ground to Pentecostals and mega-churches, which embrace a wider > > social agenda and teach the spiritual authority - not the literal > > inerrancy - of the Bible. > > > > Surveys have shown that the rapid growth of evangelical Protestantism in > > Latin America has not produced a replication of the American religious > > right, but rather a moderate leftward tilt. A majority of Brazilian > > evangelicals, for example, voted for President Lula, who ran as a > > Workers Party candidate. > > > > In South Korea, Christianity has grown faster than anywhere in the world > > and now accounts for over a third of the population. But its theology > > tends toward moderate evangelicalism with an ecumenical bent. > > > > The fading of fundamentalism marks a decisive change in global society. > > It has already freed Christians, Muslims, and Jews to explore what all > > three have in common as they now begin to cooperate in confronting > > nuclear weapons, poverty, and climate change... > > > > > > But fundamentalist movements share another quality. They are inherently > > fractious, and this is one reason for their broad decline. > > > > When your view of reality is the only acceptable one, you cannot > > compromise. Almost from its inception, American Protestant > > fundamentalism split into warring factions. Its bellicosity toward > > "liberals and modernists" was quickly turned on fellow > > fundamentalists who were seen as not tough enough on the enemy. Since > > the Bible told them not to be "unequally yoked together with > > unbelievers," the question of with whom one could properly > > associate became deeply vexed. > > > > The most ardent partisans seceded from their denominations, and soon > > began to quarrel about whether they should even fraternize with their > > fellow fundamentalists who wanted to remain in their previous churches > > to fight the "liberals."... > > > > Similarly, the modern religious right, the political arm of > > fundamentalism, foundered on its inability to compromise or build > > coalitions. Local branches of the Christian Coalition became furious > > with national office staffers for cooperating with others in order to > > pass legislation. > > > > The same fragmenting logic eats away at Jewish "land > > fundamentalists," who base their claims to the West Bank on a > > literal reading of the biblical book of Joshua ("conquer and > > settle"). > > > > They despise the Jews who disagree with them even more than the > > Palestinians whose terrain they claim. Some ultra-orthodox Jews still > > refuse to accept the legitimacy of the state of Israel, since only the > > Messiah is supposed to reclaim the Promised Land... > > > > > > ANOTHER REASON WHY fundamentalists are faltering today has to do with > > the world outside. The fundamentalist world view is unbending and > > monochrome, but today's world is variable and multi-hued, and the > > plurality is more and more visible. > > > > Thanks to the increase of immigrants from Asia and the Middle East, > > mosques and pagodas now share streets with churches and synagogues in > > Europe and America. People of the previous generation could retreat into > > a culturally isolated community and pull down the shades, but their > > children live every day with a heightened, web-enhanced awareness of a > > diverse world... > > > > > > Fundamentalism is defined by its one-way-only exclusivism. But today > > spiritually inclined people view the once-high walls between religious > > traditions as porous. They borrow freely. > > > > Synagogues and churches incorporate Asian meditation practices into > > their services. Instead of a single churchly allegiance, people now > > assemble "repertories" of elements from a number of sources. > > They may attend Mass, take a yoga class, and keep a Buddhist devotional > > book on their bedside table. Clerics often denounce this as > > "cafeteria style" religion, but the current of religious > > history is flowing against them... > > > > > > The very nature of human religiousness is changing in a way inimical to > > fundamentalist thought. The most rapidly growing spiritual groups today > > focus not on someone else's authority, but on a direct encounter > > with the divine. Whatever else it may mean that so many people call > > themselves "spiritual but not religious," it suggests they still > > yearn for contact with the sacred, but are suspicious of the > > scaffolding, the doctrines, and hierarchies through which it has often > > been conveyed... > > > > > > A new and promising chapter in the long story of human faith is > > beginning. Its untidiness often reminds me of the exuberant earliest > > years of Christianity. Maturity comes with time. Future historians may > > look back on the 20th century as a time when something called > > "fundamentalism" interrupted, but only briefly, the age-old > > human search for a way to live in the face of mystery, and to envision > > what Martin Luther King called a "beloved community." > > > > Full article: http://snipurl.com/t524x [www_boston_com] > > >
