Fundamentalism Stops A Thinking Mind

[fyemaster]

That's an idea common about atheistic/Secular/Humanist, etc circles. I'm interested particularly in what religious people have to say to this.

[J-Excel]

This kind of sums it up...

"Fundamentalism demands believers, not thinkers. The powerful fundamentalist belief system prevents converts from examining information presented by any source other than its own. Knowledge from other sources is condemned as "dangerous to the faith."

Fundamentalists are convinced that liberal scholars want to wipe out religion. True believers must stand firm against compromise, be on guard against worldly thinking and secular learning, holding to revealed truth.

The net effect: fundamentalism favors stability over innovation, predictability over experimentation, conformity over original thought."

You can read the entire article at http://www.ptm.org/02PT/JanFeb/fundamentalism.htm. The source is a Christian source, not atheistic/Secular/Humanist.

*EDIT - fixed the link

[M_Six]

Horses are often fitted with blinders when they must travel along busy roadways. The blinders keep them from becoming spooked when traffic passes close by. Blinders also keep them on the straight and narrow, pointed where their master wants them to go.


The same can be said for fundamentalism.

[Centurion]

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[Epidemic]

Centurion,

Perhaps your thought is very deep but could you un-bury it somewhat.

[Centurion]

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[caddmannq]

fyemaster:

"Zealots to the left, please...Blasphemers to the right."

The "freethinker" and the "fundamentalist" often both fall in the same trap from opposite sides. Non-consideration of an issue may be just as limiting as super-consideration.

Undoubtably, the understanding of "fundamentals" (in any context) does neither preclude nor guarantee devotion to them; yet often mere familiarity is recognised from the "outsider" as quasi-mindless servitude. A man dasn't quote a scripture without asuming the cloak of a bible thumper: regardless of his intent. And a slip of the tongue labels men (in some circles) as virtual animals...heratics probably beyond redemption.

I can tell you that my "fundamental" Baptist upbringing was quite a bit removed from my "fundamental" Catholic upbringing. (...don't ask...) and if you speak of Muslims, I believe that the (practical, if not theoretical) deviation is far greater among those sects. "Fundamentalism" is a label that some paint over a host of ideologies and sub-sects with one broad brush. A concise definition would be helpful to narrow the issue to focused considerations; that is to say, "what constitutes a fundamentalist in your opinion"?

To me, there's a lot of flavors. It's not a commodity based analysis.

[osprey4]

Definition of a fundamentalist, please? Isn't it used of people with whom we disagree? Just another name we like to call people we don't understand, perhaps?