I'm opening this question to fundamentalism in any religion, including Christianity and Islam, but not limited to them. Please, don't quote your holy book to defend your fundamentalism. That's a circular argument. If you say that you have faith in your holy book because your holy book tells you to, that's unhelpful, because it doesn't really explain anything, if you think about it.
2006-10-04 16:42:09 · 11 answers · asked by Ivan 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
To clarify, by Fundamentalism, I mean people who believe that a holy book is the literal truth.
2006-10-04 17:16:59 · update #1
Thank you, everyone, for your responses. However, I'm not sure that anyone truly Fundamentalist responded :). I can certainly relate to having a personal relationship to the divine, but I don't think that's fundamentalism.
In fact, I personally have found something very similar, but in other Deities (whom I see as one Light). What those of you who talk about having an encounter with Jesus seem to be describing is what I found in Michael Harner's _Way of the Shaman_, a book that changed my life. He believes that we can all have a direct connection with the Divine, not through holy books, but through meditations (which he calls shamanic journeys). After reading that book and practicing, I came in touch with aspects of the Divine, myself, but these were not Jesus (unless all Deiteis are one).
I choose the answer I did, because, not only do I agree with the author about why people become Fundamentalists, but the author also elaborated on moderate religion.
2006-10-04 17:22:47 · update #2
Ooops, sorry, this is my first question on Yahoo Answers. I was GOING to select a question (due to the flood of responses), but apparently I have to wait for 4 hours.
2006-10-04 17:26:41 · update #3
They don't choose. The difference between on the one hand a fundamentalist of any persuasion and on the other hand a moderate like me and, I suspect, you, is that a fundamentalist is a slave to his or her upbringing, and it doesn't occur to them that they might be wrong. Bush calls himself a Christian, Osama a Moslem, Hitler a national socialist and Kim Jong Il a marxist. But all these fundamentalists are pretty much the same. They all think sex is dirty, and pleasure corrupts, so It's OK to send kids to war but not to let them enjoy x-rated movies, young girls aren't corrupted by the hideous sights nurses see in a military hospital but you've got to stop them haxing sex with their boyfriends or enjoying porn movies, and so on. There are real differences between moderate Moslems, Christians, socialists and capitalists, but very little difference between the fundamentalists in all these categories. It's a very good question.
2006-10-04 17:03:42 · answer #1 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Whichever one they're told to believe in ONCE, then they're never able to change their mind.
That's the essence of fundamentalism, that you've received unalterable truth (usually from a "holy book"), and nothing can ever change that truth -- no evidence, no new knowledge, no convincing argument, nothing. So you never get to change your mind (not that most fundamentalists have enough mind to change anyway). So if their mommy and daddy tell them the bible is the true and literal word of god, that's it -- they're bible fundamentalists for life, no changing their minds.
2006-10-04 16:53:47 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I have faith in the Bible because I have a personal relationship with Jesus. If I chose to believe in Jesus, then I made the same choice to believe His Word. That is why I chose the Bible...
2006-10-04 16:44:34 · answer #3 · answered by ToYkaT04 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They believe in the Holy Book they were exposed to at age 5. Bible or Koran.
2006-10-04 16:43:33 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
As Christians, our faith is based upon a relationship with God. We are witnesses to Christ, who said, "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” And so our faith is not in a belief system which itself is dead, but our faith is in that which is living! This is why it is said that we are "born again." For just as our physical bodies were born into the world, so too now have we experienced a spiritual birth through the power of God. I pray that you may experience this for yourself...it is not based on merit or intelligence (so no one has any right to boast)...but you can remove obstacles to the Spirit of God by humbly opening your heart to receive this revelation through prayer. God Bless.
2006-10-04 16:49:06 · answer #5 · answered by whitehorse456 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Indoctrination during youth, or more often, insidious proselytizing on a person when they're in an emotional crisis. That's when many are most vulnerable to such tactics.
2006-10-04 16:46:02 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
im Protestant Not fundament WE HAVE MILLIONS OF CHRISTIANS IN THIS WORLD with Jesus living in their hearts. Thats about sa personal as it gets...and ppl can choose their own answers. You dont run the world or this section...if you dont want answers then why bother??
2006-10-04 16:45:19 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
think what you are asking, fundementals are basics, every religion has lots of fundamentalists, extremists are bad since they have misinterpretted the religion whether basics or reasoned alterations, peace
2006-10-04 16:45:01 · answer #8 · answered by HK3738 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
90% of the time? Whatever their parents told them to believe.
2006-10-04 16:59:12 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
Then later:
"I tell you not an eye for an eye, but to turn the other cheek."
2006-10-04 16:43:39 · answer #10 · answered by TrainerMan 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋