Interesting post, Bill. I would dearly love to know the name of the organization paying American Jews to migrate to Israel. If you have that information, I would much appreciate it. I read last month that even during all the bombings this summer that over 40 families had moved this year, and wondered if they were group sponsored. Christian fundamentalists accept the finality and literal truth of each word of the Bible. They have made the philosophical leap of faith that the secular world's laws are not their first loyalty. Many Fundamentalist Christians really resent Caesar, after all, and pine away for the heavenly kingdom that should have been accomplished on earth. This reveals some of my deep cynicism about the faith of my fathers. So too many operate, like planetary immigrants, under secular authority but recognizing only the heavenly authority. Moving God's chosen people to God's chosen land is but their faithful way of helping to fulfill the prophesies, and no better than a teenage video-game enthusiast living in a fantasy world of Sony's creation. Generally speaking, the rise of fundamentalism is partially explained as a human reaction away from the complexity of modern life; many CONVERTS to the more fundamental denominations in America in recent decades have chosen a way of life that makes decisions for them (ie. Jehovah's Witness and even Mormons, but not to overlook the stricter minor evangelicals). Families become social club members in an organization that not only welcomes them into close fellowship, not something to be trivialized, but has membership rules and guidelines that take the work - and chance of failure - out of myriad decisions that all too many "liberal arts" educated parents find impossible to navigate in life. If you raise a child under the strict guidelines your church provides you but the child rebels, you might believe his rebellion stems from not following God's laws, not because you are a negligent or abusive parent. There are a lot of reasons for this mass nervous breakdown, not just in the lower classes. As Western society evolved at an even faster rate in the 20th century, we left behind the familiar parameters of our parents and grandparents restrictions and hard-earned lessons. Space travel, for one, is a symbolic departure for a new generation that some, if not all the old rules no longer automatically apply. In my opinion, both in the West and in the Asian and Islamic cultures, fundamentalism is tied to class struggle, to losing out, and to be overwhelmed IN ADDITION TO being a real spiritual revival for many. Karen Bill wrote: Keith,
I agree with your view that increased fundamentalism is evidence of decline. In addition, fundamentalists have been working on aggrandizement of wealth. The Christian right justifies accumulation of wealth as having been blessed by Jesus for good works. With fundamentalism growing rapidly among Muslims [also the fastest growing large religion in the World] and Christians, what about Jews? I believe that the same thing is happening with Jews as well. What is scary here is that we could always rely on the small Jewish minority in the past to challenge right wing excesses. What staggers my mind is the willingness of Jews to accept support from right wing Christians who see Israel as biblical prophesy fulfilled. Christians see this as an end of world fulfillment. There is even a group of right wing Christians paying Jews to move to Israel from the US. What is the symbolism there? Any Christian [even the left wing types like myself] who talks to other Christians is aware of latent anti-Jewishness in the Christian right wing and knows that their support for Israel has nothing to do with love of Jews. Also scary is the accession of Ariel Sharon to leadership in Israel at the cost of the peace efforts of Rabin and Barak, truly 2 men of peace. Even though I would love to see Saddaam out of Iraq [he assassinated a friend of mine], the current right wing Christian/right wing Jewish coalition is moving with such speed that it has even frightened a lot of conservative Republican leaders. Bill Ward On Sun, 18 Aug 2002 09:16:36 +0100 Keith Hudson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: > Karen, > > That was a useful item you pointed us to (see below). However, I > would like > to generalise in a short note following a chain of thought that was > started > in considering Ray Harrel's latest message (under "America in > Decline"). > > I rather think that fundamentalism is a very significant symptom of > a > civilization in decline. I mentioned a few days ago Bernard Lewis's > opinion > (after a lifetime of studying Islam) that the principal motivation > that > drives the imams and clerics in several pockets of Islam (Saudi > Arabia > being an outstanding example) was not so much a fear (hatred) of > other > religions or philosophies (or even America-the-nation one might > infer) but > of western technology itself. > > (In Lewis' book, he mentions an instance when, after a naval battle > sometime in the 1500/1600s, an Islamic victory yielded the capture > of a > western ship, and all sorts of advanced innovations in its > construction and > armaments were discovered. Such was the state of Islam at the time > [that > is, already declining as a powerful civilisation] that there was > considerable debate among the clerics whether such innovations could > be > copied by themselves for their own warships. They decided that in > the > interests of self-protection it was allowable to copy these > innovations, > but already Islam was in a state of mind by which any ordinary > innovation > of western nations was strongly resisted.) > > The religious programme on the radio this morning reminds us that > in > western countries, religious belief is generally still declining. > Formal > religions have hardly any place in most young people's minds today. > The > great controversies of the 19th century in western countries > between > science and Christianity have long since died away with, apparently, > a > clear victory for rationalism and humanistic thought. > > Yet, in the last decade or so, in the most advanced country in the > world, > America, Christian fundamentalism has been growing apace (and also > now > happening in England), even trying to impose its anti-evolution > agenda on > State school curricula (and largely succeeding, I understand, in one > or two > States). This is very worrying because it is blunting the minds of > large > numbers of young people (even intelligent individuals, as you gave > an > example yersterday). > > But it's not just Christian fundamentalism. There is a wider secular > body > of resistance to scientific development -- for example, blanket > opposition > to genetically-modified food. (And one African country followed > western > oppositionism yesterday by refusing the importation of GM grain > from > America even though millions of its people are dying from > starvation.) I > don't want to get into discussion of GM food because biogenetics > certainly > needs a great deal of careful investigation, but it is the nature of > the > instant, automatic opposition to many developments produced by > science > that's worrying many observers. > > I am not so worried myself. I don't think the new western > fundamentalism > will become powerful enough to stop scientific development (which I > believe > will be absolutely essential if we are to survive in reasonable > condition > in the next century or two) because man's curiosity is too great. > But, in > the way that it is invading and subverting the educational system, > it is > certainly doing a lot of damage. In fact, I think it is another > symptom of > the decline of America as the leading power in the world. (Another > symptom > being corruption and ethical fragility at the highest levels of the > American [and English] administration.) > > Keith Hudson > > At 10:17 17/08/02 -0700, you wrote: > >George Will joins the debate promoting strategy that attacking Iraq > to > >activate domino theory political change is in everybody's > interest, > >especially Europe's - while using Friedman's sociopolitical > economics for > >support. In answer to Brad's question about what is a modernist, > in this > >context, it is users of birth control, a "novelty" item I would > certainly > >include in Hudson Economics affecting poverty and the rise of the > middle > >class globally. > >Vive la difference. - Karen > >A Mideast Specter: Modernity > >By George F. Will @ > >http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A19837-2002Aug14.html>
