LIBERTY:
Rights & Tolerance | May 17, 2005
THE
FUNDAMENTAL
PROBLEM A
Posting in "GordonTalk"
fun·da·men·tal·ism...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
--Merriam-Webster
Online Dictionary
I
(your guest-blogger, Doug Drenkow) am a religious man, trying my
best -- like most of you -- to love God and my neighbor; but
there is no way around it, folks: Both at home and abroad, one
of the greatest threats to both liberty and security is religious
fundamentalism.
In
the (uneasily) United
States, isn't it religious fundamentalism that makes Red
States red, and leaves the rest of us blue?
When
conservative, Republican-appointed federal judges are accused of
being "liberal activists", isn't it because of such
things as the prohibitions against organized prayer in public
schools and displays of the Ten Commandments in public
courthouses as well as not striking down laws permitting
abortion and gay marriage -- all "hot
button" issues for religious fundamentalists?
When
the US Senate is on the brink of overturning
centuries of precedent by eliminating the filibuster, thus
relegating the viewpoint of the minority party to irrelevance,
in order to win the approval of a handful of judges nominated by
the president and advocating ultra-conservative positions
primarily on those very "hot button" issues, isn't it
religious fundamentalism that is attacking our Constitutional
balance of power?
When
schools
overseas fill children's minds with hate in the name of God;
when men kill themselves and scores of innocent bystanders in suicide
bombings; or when bastards with box cutters plow jetloads of
passengers, crew, and volatile fuel into the Twin Towers and
Pentagon, killing thousands upon thousands of human beings whom
they have never even met, isn't it religious
fundamentalism that is attacking us from abroad, as it is from
within?
When
two people or two groups refuse
to ever compromise on certain important issues, because they
have sworn to never deviate from norms in books written
centuries ago and held to be -- in every aspect -- the
very words of God, can we not see that fundamentalism
ultimately offers the world nothing but a self-fulfilling
prophesy of armageddon
and doomsday?
There
is, however, one realm of agreement, amongst fundamentalist
Christians, Jews, and Muslims...
They
all treat women
as chattel.
How
did the rest of the world ever emerge from such Dark Ages of
thinking?
With
the Enlightenment and consequent technological advances.
Unfortunately,
the material prosperity that ensued has enriched
some much more than others, indeed many individuals and
nations at the expense of others.
Fundamentally,
fundamentalism appeals to many because it promises a return to
"the good old days" (which never did exist) in which
selfless sacrifice
for a greater good took precedence over selfish ambition for
no one or nothing else greater than one's
self.
I
wrote previously of a great
schism in the Republican Party, which I believe offers at
least us in the US an avenue out of this Right Wing hell in
which we find ourselves.
To
the extent that we Democrats can contrast the heartless,
harmful policies of the Administration and Congress with the
heartfelt, helpful policies that we offer in opposition, we can
turn the Christian Fundamentalist concern for the poor and the
sick and the aged et al. against the Economic Right.
At
the Last Judgment, the King will say, "Whatsoever
you did to one of the least of these -- you did it unto
me."
And
Jews
and Muslims
are also, fundamentally, charitable.
We
who are tolerant of different beliefs will never be able to
shake the faith of fundamentalists in their fundamental beliefs.
The
best we can hope to do is to find and emphasize whatever common
ground we can, primarily on issues of helpful social programs,
and then provide as much enlightenment to the world as we can,
by media and example (knowledge
is indeed power...for better and worse).
Otherwise,
all of us may one day be treated as chattel.
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