What is the solution to right-wing religious fundamentalism?

Question

LIBERALISM.

Not more prayer in the schools, "traditional values", and religion in government. The middle east has too much of that crap. What they need is more feminists, secularists, humanists, and liberals and much less fundies/conservatives.

Muslim liberals do exist. Read the following. While reading it see if you can draw any parallels between the middleast's and Americas liberals/conservatives.

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I wrote the latest book just to say that the problem is not from outside, the problem is from ourselves; if we don't change ourselves, nothing will change," Hamad said over coffee in the green marbled lobby of an upscale hotel near Dammam, the city along the Gulf where he lives.

His earlier books challenging sexual and political mores remain banned.

Hence, Hamad writes novels to try to jolt young Saudis into re-examining their own society. Fawaziah al-Bakr, a college professor, agitates for women to question their assigned roles. Hassan al-Maleky, a theologian, argues that no one sect, such as the Wahhabis in Saudi Arabia, should hold a monopoly on interpreting Islam.

Here and elsewhere, Arab reformers tend to be isolated dissidents, sometimes labeled heretics. Even those who pursue the mildest forms of protest are slapped with long prison sentences. The right to assemble does not exist, political parties are banned along with nongovernment organizations, and the ruling princes constantly tell editors what they can print.

Local television is almost all clerics, all the time.

http://www.metransparent.com/texts/neil_macfarquhar_saudi_reformers_seeking_rights_paying_a_price.htm

THenextJ,

I'm not forcing people to believe what I believe at the barrel of a gun. I'm convincing them with the TRUTH!

Answer 1

The solution to any fundamentalism rests in the non-fanatic members of that group.

The non-fanatics have to limit the ability of the fundamentalists to cause problems. And allow more moderate heads to prevail.

Anything else -- especially attacks by the opposing side -- just make matters worse and fuel their fundamentalist fervor.

Answer 2

The most striking thing about religious fundamentalists is their inflexibility. This is what makes them so radical and dangerous, but it is also a sign of their weakness. There beliefs are so rigid because they are afraid if they concede that 0.1% of what they believe is not correct, all their extremism becomes unjustifiable. So they must remain 100% certain that their beliefs are the right ones.

The solution is education to simply expose the many fallacies in their arguments. Educated free thinking people will quickly reject the extremism and the remaining fundamentalists become marginalized. All evidence, reality and truth goes against the beliefs of the religious fundamentalists. If you believe your interpretation of ancient religious texts is infallible as if you had gods own voice in your ear, you are not basing your beliefs in reality. This is why when their beliefs are questioned or challenged they become emotional instead of defending their views with reason. There will always be some manipulative people using religion to exploit the weak minded into blindly following them. The exploiters gain power by getting large numbers of loyal radical followers who are easily mislead. The followers like to believe that they have the one truth that makes them special and gives them an inside track to get to paradise and eternal life and all that. Education minimizes the problem, but I don't know if it can ever be eliminated.

Answer 3

Doesn't it contain the seeds of its own destruction? Ultimately each of us, sooner or later, discovers we are accountable to ourselves, including being accountable to ourselves for our understanding of God. Over thousands of years knowledge of our societies and knowledge of God has become increasingly accessible beyond the "ruling classes," today's democratizing information technologies accelerating that process.

Let's be careful about looking for "the solution." Any attempt to deny fundamentalists' their legitimate perspective is likely to emulate and therefore endorse their own behaviors of censorship, exclusion and stigmatization. The reactionary and liberal ideological extremes are possibly necessary components for political evolution. From the center the first reminds us of the horrors of our more primitive past and the other challenges our unwillingness to change.

There are many examples around the world this very day, of how unfettered power is being rejected and in some cases being reigned in. That is not to say the problem is solved. There are tragically many more examples of abuse than of change. However, an encouragingly effective evolutionary force appears to be the light of international and global opinion in an economically interdependent world.

Answer 4

Relax! The USA has been getting less Christian all the time. Congress has many Jews. We just elected the first Muslim US Representative (MN). I just saw an interview with a US Navy Muslim fighter pilot. Obviously, America isn't ruled by Christian fundamentalists. It's the same type of propaganda that says Muslims / Jews / (insert religion) are taking over. Most adherents of different religions are tolerant of other religions.

Answer 5

Interesting approach!

Then the goal would be to make certain that everyone thinks like you and believes only what you believe.

How does that work in a "free" society or culture?

Isn't that what Hitler, Stalin, etc. attempted to do?

Would you follow their plans in terms of dealing with those who chose not to toe the party line?

Answer 6

Desperately yearning to rule with the "Iron Fist of Jesus", the Christo-Fascists and Machiavellian toadies like Karl Rove were instrumental in thrusting a grossly inept George Bush into the office of the President to do their malevolent bidding. While Bush has certainly made decisions which have displeased the masters of the Christo-Fascists, and has at times distanced himself from them, "God's Favorites" could not have conjured up a more desirable denizen of the Oval Office, even in their most gratifying wet dreams.

When the Higher Power set the universe in motion, they planned for the evolution of Christo-Fascists to lend balance to the universe. America has Pat Robertson, who has called for the assasination of Hugo Chavez, a leader dedicated to improving the lives of the impoverished in his nation. The Bush regime will probably answer Robertson's call. The US capitalist aristocracy (built by stealing Native American land and resources, enslaving Africans, seriously exploiting American workers, and imposing neocolonialism and imperialism disguised as democracy and free market economics) can ill afford for a leader of one of its South American fiefdoms to threaten the prevalence of their exploitive system by rallying the serfs against them. For each Osama bin Laden in the fundamentalist Muslim world, there is a Pat Robertson in the Christo-Fascist world. The difference is that while the Pat Robertsons have the US government to perpetrate their acts of terror, the bin Ladens have little choice but to do their own dirty work.

Answer 7

Extremists (fundies) whether political or religious are bad for society. It is best to be right up the middle. Mainstream politics will return and so will emphasis on mainstream religion.

Answer 8

the solution is to keep religion out of government,, like the wise writers of the US Constitution intended,,,,, America was not founded on religion,, but by those trying to escape theologies,,,
stop allowing churches to be tax exempt,, like Jerry Falwell,, and his evangelism,, Pat Robertson,,, and his followers,, Jimmy Swaggert,,, Pastor Ted Haggard,,, we have decades of brainwashed,,, if people are better educated,, perhaps they will learn to read and study religious persecution,,, the bible can be interpreted by those who want to learn and lead,, but those who want to follow will always be swayed.

Answer 9

Christains don't have a "convert or die" policy like the fundamentalist muslim does. Christians aren't suicide bombing Chuck E. Cheese's, and they aren't sawing people's heads off on videotape.
If you don't like what Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell have to say, turn off their stupid tv shows, they will never bother you again. it worked for me.

Answer 10

Ok how about leaving them alone!