Why is it that people think being a fundamentalist is a bad thing?

Question

Can't we just admit to the fact that being a fundamentalist means that we are following what was followed before our time and living with the concepts and morals that our fathers before us had??

By fundamentalist, I don't mean extremist. Let me clarify. Someone who follows the ways of Christ, or their religion, as it was set up. Not using it as an excuse to go kill people or against people, just people who keep the values and concepts that were always around.

Answer 1

I think that often when "fundamentalist" is used in a bad way, the speaker really means extremist, which I agree, is bad- religious extremism is what caused the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, etc.

Another often mis-used case is when the speaker means "traditionalists." Yes, there are some traditions that are changed for the better... like the dominance of the man of the household. In Abraham's time, it was totally within his right to kill any member of his household at any time, for any reason.

But at the same time, I personally think that there are some traditions that exist because they worked, they still work and should be lived by when possible. Marriage- it provides a stable environment where children can be raised and taught... Just ask me some time about my husband's childhood, compared to mine.

It's just another reason to study vocabulary and semantics.

Answer 2

yeah brother ...... I dont know why myself but i'll try.....

Actually fundamentalism was a movement by the Christian missionaries some centuries back to prove that not only Bible is the word of God but every letter and word of the Bible is verbatim the word of God!!..... well if someone can prove that then the movement is a good movement ... but if someone fails then it is a bad movement

But if you look now in the Oxford Dictionary the word fundamentalist.. it says that someone 'strictly adhering to ancient priciples or doctrines ("especially Islam") '

they've added that esp.Islam because thats what the motto of the media is--- malign Islam, more malign Islam , even more malign Islam, hell lot malign Islam!!... and u can see the two results

1) The more the media maligns Islam, the faster it spreads (some people want to make sure if Islam is all that **** and when they read the Holy Qur'an they are shocked at the myths and unbelievable criticisms made by the media on Islam and also become Muslims

2) Some people also get misguided and don check if what the media says is true or not and they too start maligning Islam

I think i strayed from the topic.... yeah definitely I did ..so what i wanted to say is that

" I am proud to be a Muslim Fundamentalist beacuse i know , I strive to practice and i follow the fudamentals of Islam and beacuse i know that none of them are against humanity in any way ( infact I challenge any one to point out a single..... a single teaching of Islam which goes aganist the basics of humanity , [e-mail] )... i'll be obliged to dispel the false myths

Being a fudamentalist is good if you follow the fundamentals of something which is positive and has a positive effect on the society

hope that answers the question;
may peace, mercy and blessings of Allah (unique Arabic name for God) be on you and the viewers

Answer 3

An unchanging belief system doesn't work well with an ever changing world.

Even though you claim the concepts and "morals" of your forefathers, it is almost certain that some of those ideals have changed. It's when you claim that SPECIFIC things CAN'T change yet accept nearly unquestionably that other things change... that is when I have a problem.

It's either, or. Either nothing changes... or most things change. Picking and choosing based on YOUR ideas then condemning others for THEIR choices while picking and choosing is just plain wrong.

I don't believe for a second that you or anybody you know lives like people lived even a hundred years ago. Don't try to pretend otherwise.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with YOU choosing to live any way you decide is right. It's when you insist that everybody else should live the way you do... because you say so... that is where most PROGRESSIVE people have the problems.

Answer 4

I will admit that being a fundamentalist is "following what was followed before our time", etc... if you will admit that being a fundamentalist, because of those concepts, necessarily entails refusing to consider other points of view because they disagree which what you had previously learned was correct.

That is the problem that most moderates (and 99% of progressives) have with fundamentalists: the stubborn refusal to admit the possibility of being mistaken. Even when the (stereotypical) fundamentalist is correct, he does nothing for his cause by being abbrasive and condescending; character traits which are prevalent enough through the most vocal among the fundamentalist movement to have created the "fundie" stereotype.

Answer 5

I admit that fundamentalists DON'T keep up with the times and are INCAPABLE of accepting change. Therein lies the problem with your being a person that follows the living concepts and morals of our forefathers. It's that stagnation of belief that causes problems. A great example is that Cathilocs being against birth control despite our world becomming over populated and depletion of resources by humanity. Of course you must realize that it's self serving to promote no birth control...more potentiall believers along with more potential $$$ for the church. The whole religioius system is fudamentally and theologically unsound. PEACE!

Answer 6

I don't think of fundamentalism as being "bad". It has been my experience that at least some fundamentalists limit their curiosity and natural inquisitiveness in many areas of life because they believe it is "not their place to question" what is written in the Bible. Sometimes they can't see the forest for the trees. They become too caught up in dogma and miss seeing how the message might apply in a different, non-literal way.

I don't believe fundamentalism is wrong. I believe it is incomplete.

God be with you.

Answer 7

Err... Maybe it's because part of the word "fundamental" is "mental? and they don't want to fund a mental?

Seriously though, have you ever considered that there were quite a few people out there that had radical and extreme fathers before them as well as before their time? For example, the killing and fighting in the middle east isn't actually a new thing, you know? Hopefully you also know that "someone that keeps trying the same thing over and over expecting different results" fits the definition of crazy for quite a few people.

Answer 8

Because fundamentalists believe in only the Bible. They have split from the Church of Jesus Christ. If they followed history, all Christians belonged to the Church before the protestant reformation.

Answer 9

Jesus said that the world would not love him or those who follow him. So the fact that the world looks at fundamentalism as a bad thing should make fundies feel good. If the world loves you and thinks you are cool, Christ can not be present.

Answer 10

That depends on the morals your fathers had. Seriously, not trying to be a b*tch. But if you ancestors were part of the Church that caused the Inquisition and killed a few hundred people, calling them heretics, in order to gain their land... YET maintained that they were following their God and it was completely Moral to do so... Everyone who does something in the name of their God feels they are holding a higher moral standard than others, even when what they do goes against what that God says.

*Exodus... God gives Israel the 10 commandments... thou shalt not kill is one of those commandments... then he sends Moses and his people into a neighboring nation to kill everyone and everything except the virgins. according to many people who follow the bible, this is MORAL.*