This is an honest question: Is there something about fundamentalism that stops adherents from searching?

Question

within themselves, going deep within to hear the voice of spirit, to feel their own feelings, to examine their own experiences and beliefs? Please, no offense, but I just see a pattern of fundamentalist preaching, proselytizing, and quoting, without the willingness to go deep, look at themselves, or share from the heart. This seems true of Christians, Buddhists, Course in Miracles students, agnostics, atheists, you name it. Could just be my observation or projection. So do not attack. Just tell me what you think.

On hindsight, I do not think I am projecting in every case, although I may be overgeneralizing. I am not judging. I am merely asking and trying to understand why so many preach what they have been taught while not doing the courageous work of self-reflection and sharing their own experiences.

Answer 1

A fair observation I am sad to say.

Many Christians are more concerned about "being right" than about "doing right." Many believe that they are no longer "sinners" when they become Christian. They believe that they can work hard to follow that Bible and completely squeeze sin out of their lives.

They are wrong.

They may sin less, but they are not sinless.

This leads to thinking that they can make themselves righteous (literally self-righteous). Such thinking is in direct contradiction with their belief that Jesus died for their sins and that they obtain righteousness through Him.

Self-righteous people who don't think they sin anymore are not likely to do much self analysis. You have noticed this. I am sorry that this is your impression of Christians.

Fortunately, there are Christians who understand that they sin. Who are willing to go deep and look at themselves. Even further, to recognize their flaws, confess them and try to eliminate them. I pray that you find some of these Christians and develop relationships with them. They might actually have something to show you about God.

Answer 2

Of all the religious sects that bother me the most is fundamentalism of any religion. I am scared that they could control the government of the United States. This to me would be the end of freedoms as I know them. We would have religious prayer in schools, creationism taught in schools, a Supreme Court that would not look at the Constitutionality of the case but on the religious merits, we would have Congress spending my tax dollars on religious symbols and monuments, we would have the President telling me how to pray.

To me fundamentalism is one step away from Fascism. I will never forget the Holocaust. I do not want my country to be the next one to be Fascist, enable a Holocaust, or rid the nation of civil rights.

Answer 3

People fear the unknown, so rather than looking within ourselves, find our own voices and thoughts or simply accept that we don't know and may never will (without associating it to defeatism)... some have embraced and relied on "assurance" in the form of ideology... atheism, christianity, paganism, etc.
Labels which, in essence, are meaningless, as none have definite answers, all we have is speculation and notions, some historical, some mythological, and a whole lot of questions.

Answer 4

I am not a fundamentalist. I have known fundamentalists who fit your description, but I have also known fundamentalists who do indeed keep searching in the way you describe. I think there are different strains of "fundamentalism" (many of the latter type would prefer the term "evangelical")

For that matter, when I look at members of my own faith, Catholicism, I see both types there as well.

Answer 5

I sense a "THEM" and "US" tends to enter any discussion on Fundamentalism In truth, there is a trait of fundamentalism in us all, who care for a genuine spiritual insight ,
We are (forgive the pun) fundamentally insecure. We are all pilgrims and despite our faith, we, as living beings, are. always tacking our understanding to good intent (hopfully) I don't truly believe that sincere people are WILLINGLY at all clam-shut to revised insights.
Enter" INTENT".. People who do not wish to even entertain a challenge of exegesis. may find themselves in a neurotic perceived cosiness of the status quo.. This can be well accounted in say the challlenge "I'm saved, how about you?" This when so voiced, is the vice of presumption which is so offensive to the theological virtue of "HOPE". The colollary of this is to downplay any differing belief, by going back to OUR COMMON memory of the crass inquisitions of decaying feudal times. Alas, power as ever found it's corrupters but that in no way takes from core orthodoxy..
The niddling introspection of texts. will of course seek it's own orthodox affirmation, BUT to put mere words in devine exaltation, is, to miss the point that in Christianity, the WORD WAS MADE FLESH in the incarnation of our Saviour A mere word smithing does a diservice and may be an IDOLATORY of itself.
The Koran, however, is not made flesh in the word, means in Islam, the WORD stands alone in supremacy.
Not by bread alone or heart alone but with Descernment of the Holy Spirit do mere words and literature converge. Long held understandings, become imprinted on our mindset and as such can have a obsessive imprint on our attitudes which can be confusing to thought processes. Descernment is.a gift of the HOLY SPIRIT.of LOVE. There can be no "THEM and "US"

Answer 6

What I think: they intuit, at least on a subconscious level that their faith systems are shaky and based on men's precepts of exculsion and sectarianism, not on God's love.

They have an inkling -- or more than inkling sometimes -- that if they question or analyze too much, they will find out how flimsy their opinions reallly are and have to admit that and start all over with another belief system.

That would take time and effort and as far as I can see, fundamentalism is not about putting time and effort into finding the truth. It is more about accepting what a man, usually a leader of their church, says to believe.

Answer 7

I AM a fundamentalist because I went deep into myself and deep into God's Word seeking for truth. I examine all of my experiences and try to see why the things that are happening around me are happening. I think you may be projecting, and no offense taken!

Answer 8

i think there are two types of fundamentalists. one is motivated by fear and has been told so many times that man is evil and needs a babysitter that they are afraid of anything they might find inside themselves. the other truly believes with every part of their being. they have taken the time to look within and search their souls. what they have found is their truth.

Answer 9

I think to search, and question what you believe, if you've set up your whole world around this belief, is dangerous to your psyche. So they don't question because they accept some things to be true and don't look back and remain constant, unchanging.

I also think that admitting doubt shows weakness of your faith for them, so that's another reason for not searching further.

Answer 10

I can't speak for everyone, but all of my answers come from a process of research and/or introspection. I usually don't quote unless quoting is necessary (such as when telling believers that their bible does say something contrary to what they're writing in their posts).