If you fundamentally believe in the truth of the Bible/Qu'ran/whatnot...?

Question

why would the term "fundamentalist" be pejorative?

Happy birthday, God's Kitty. Wow, you're a youngin.

Answer 1

It really was not meant to be pejorative from the start. The word began as a description of a type of conservative Christian in the early 1900's that believed in a set of "Fundamentals." They felt that in order to be considered a Christian, you had to believe these fundamental points. This movement developed as a response to an increasing liberalization in Christian theology where people were saying things like that Jesus may not have really risen physically, and so on. So they were re-emphasizing their fundamental beliefs, including things like, belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus - and that it worked for salvation; belief in the Scripture as the Word of God; and so on.

You don't have to agree with these particular beliefs to appreciate that there's nothing inherently negative about being a "Fundamentalist." But of course, they have gotten a bad name, because some have come to be viewed as intolerant, or because of opposition to Evolution, and things like that.

I think that those who believe in the Fundamentals of their faith ought to be able to call themselves Fundamentalists without being stereotyped or ridiculed.

Answer 2

"fundamentalist" sounds like you have to kill someone or something.

The bible (I don't know about the Qu'ran) can be totally believed in, but what it specifically means can be taken differently. Was the 7-day creation literal, or figurative? When Christians take communion are they really drinking Jesus' blood, or just metaphorically 'drinking' it? The verses in the New Testament about women not speaking in Church - was that directed to specific women in a specific church in a specific historical place/time > or is it to applied to all women across time?

People can 'fundamentally' believe that everything in the bible is true, but still believe some parts of it in a very different way to other 'fundamental' bible believers.

So unless 'fundamentalists' can believe quite different things (and act differently), we are not all fundamentalist. The way the term 'fundamentalist Christian' is used denotates Christians who all think pretty much the same (black and white thinkers - they are right, everyone else is wrong).

Answer 3

Fundamentalism has come to mean a literalist approach to Scripture which allows nothing for interpretation, discussion or spiritual exploration.

Interestingly, in the early to Medieval Church fundamentalism of this kind was regarded as the most primitive and limited way of appreciating the Bible (which leads one to question just how backward they actually were in those days!). They distinguished between four levels of understanding Scripture, with an ascending level of importance and insight: 1) the literal ie what we would call 'fundamentalist' 2) the allegorical ie the idea that Scripture employed metaphor, revealing a meaning behind the meaning 3) the tropological or moral ie that Scripture had a moral meaning which needed to be understood and 4) the anagogical or mystical ie that Scripture had a meaning which related to our Eternal Life.

Thus the highest minds of that period believed in the necessity of going beyond the literal truth of Scripture into its eternal reverberations. The Jewish Kaballists and the Islamic Sufis thought the same. Indeed, in Judaism one was and is encouraged to debate, explore and argue about the meaning of Scripture lest one misses a nuance or ambiguity which could be important. To rest at the first level of interpretation was to limit oneself dangerously. Not such an unwarrented fear, it would seem, given how, as we see in our world today how literalist interpretations of Scriptures seem to be leading people to believe that killing those who disagree is somehow justifiable.

Answer 4

well I am not so sure about that.

first different people have different beliefs on what the truth is of the Bible/Koran and other texts.

Secondly if a person fundamentally believes in Newtons Laws dose that make him a fundamentalist?

Answer 5

Fundamentalist go strictly by the book, without taking account of the time and place it was written, and/or any advancements in knowledge.

Answer 6

I guess I'm a muslim fundamentalist since I follow the fundamentals of islam but its not used in that way.......when someone says fundamentalist they actually mean crazy fanatic I think. which I'm not. well....not a fanatic at least

Answer 7

It's not that the IDEA of going back to fundamentals is bad. Fundies don't actually do that. The term is pejoritive because it describes people who are bigoted and stupid.

Answer 8

Because some people take it with a negative connotation and others use it derogatorily. Don't believe me? Stick around R&S for a while and you'll see what I mean.

Answer 9

No idea! My dad thinks its a derogatory term and is highly offended - even when I explained it to him. But then, dad thinks that people use the word "pre-columbian" to make him feel stupid and suggests they use the words "Before Columbus came here."

Answer 10

For the same reason that 'liberal,' which means generous, has come to mean 'hippies bent on undermining society and tumbling the world into chaos'.