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What are the characteristics of fundamentalism
Characteristic of fundamentalism
Two features of fundamentalism
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1 Proposed title
Is anti–fundamentalism the fundamentalism of the anti-fundamentalists?
2 Background
This study is, in the first place, not a study about the object of fundamentalism, the fundamentalist, but rather about the subject, the anti-fundamentalist – about the accuser rather than the accused, about the prosecution not the defence. I use the word ‘anti-fundamentalist’ instead of ‘non-fundamentalist’’ to make a distinction between those who publically oppose fundamentalists and those who can not be classed as fundamentalist.
The meaning of the word ‘fundamentalism’ has been redefined so often that the meaning became ‘obscured’ (Carpenter, 1997: 4). Definitions became relative to changing contexts and have almost been denatured as a descriptive term. It became evaluative and pejorative with the aim to stigmatize. Juergensmeyer says the term is “less descriptive than it is accusatory.” (De Sousa, 2007:86).
Yet, the word remains emotionally charged. The question is – why would people use such a strong word? This question is at the core of this study.
Karen Armstrong describes fundamentalism as a reactionary movement against modernity, and globalization, and as a reaction against Enlightenment ideals such as Darwinism and empirical science. (Armstrong, 2004:ix-xi). Or as Ruthven says, fundamentalists “do not or cannot fully accept religious pluralism” (2004:46). Is it equally possible that liberalism, the secular society or liberal theology have difficulties in dealing with principled commitment to the established, sacred and transcendental values of conservative Christianity? ” Reactions are fierce which is clear from James Barr’s feelings: “I think we have to be clear … that we must get rid of the whole thing, ...
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In The Battle for the Mind, which was published in 1980, LaHaye discusses how conservative Christians could “take back America” around a conservative political agenda, and from the standpoint of the field of anthropology, focuses on the struggle with modernity among those who reject it, although LaHaye was unlikely to be thinking in those terms. In this book, LaHaye clearly identifies what he sees as the real enemy of American Christians. He uses the phrase “secular humanism” to describe the enemy, but gives it a new conspiratorial definition. Simply defined, humanism is man’s attempt to solve his problems independently of God. According to LaHaye, humanism seems so credible and logical to the man who does not understand God’s wisdom, that it is adopted readily by the masses. He also believes that today’s wave of crime and violence can be laid right at the door of secular humanism.
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The religious Maximalist approach to religion Lincoln notes, rather than "fundamentalist" a Maximalist believes that religion should permeate all aspects of social , indeed of human existence"(5). Basically what Lincoln is saying that Maximalists believe religion should take precedence in our social order and not be constrained to any singular facet of our social world. Lincoln also uses the term Minimalist which is more or less the opposite of Maximalist. Minimalists, believe that religion should be "restricted to an important set of (chiefly metaphysical) terms, protects its privileges against state intrusion but restricts its activity and influence to its specialized sphere"(5). The Minimalist makes sure that religion stays within its own "sphere" and does not spill over into economical or political order.
Strauss, Leo, and Joseph Cropsey. History of Political Philosophy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Somerville, John and Ronald E. Santoni. Social and Political Philosophy. New York: Anchor Books, 1963.
“Death to God, all hail reason!”, cries out the secular world, fervent for nothing but themselves. The new age of skepticism has come, ushered in by God-hating men and dictators bound to satan; and its zealots follow in the footsteps of the rest of the world. They lay down cheerfully in valleys of dry bones and their banner stands, waving through air that is choked by the smoke that rises from their fathers burning in Hell, its motto, “Love and Tolerance.” Words bought by the blood of anyone who dissented. This is the fruit of the religion of Atheism.
Atheists say that not only there is no God, but religion has bad consequences in practice. The Inquisition was torturing people, burned them at the stake, were led and are still "holy" crusades or jihad. Fundamentalism refers more victims, and there are religions that are granted immorality, drug abuse, collective suicide ... The combination of church and state has always been in the history of bringing
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At first glance, transhumanism is an impressive and fascinating idea, for it intends to enhance the human in order to guarantee them a better life, thus making endless improvements and upgrades the goal. (Mossman, 141) There are different types of transhumanism ranging from technologies that are already accessible such as different medical and pharmaceutical technologies that enable better physical and cognitive abilities, to scenarios that are far in the future if not completely science-fictional such as “discarding the human body entirely and uploading the human consciousness unto artificially intelligent “immortal” machi...
He first defines cosmopolitanism, and then moves to discuss the role of formal education in societies, saying that it is “only a small part of our socialization – the process by which our society shapes our ideas, our habits, our practices”(139). The reality is that very little is learned from formal education in comparison to the socialization of our cultures over a long period of time. Each society has different social rules, languages, and even belief sets that may not be taught in a classroom, but are undoubtedly learned and put into practice. This socialization has a huge impact on how people in a particular culture view the rest of the world, which is why Appiah claims that cosmopolitanism and engaging in discussion over differences is essential to cooperation. The goal of cosmopolitanism is not to criticize differences or to simply “agree to disagree,” but rather fully understand why the opposing side believes what they do. This is difficult to accomplish across countries, thus Appiah suggests we should be “encouraging young people to go abroad and work and study with young people in other nations, and inviting young people of other nations to study here” (142). Appiah considers that cross-cultural educational experiences will be a valuable aspect of the socialization process, making it easier to embrace differences rather than change them as fundamentalism aims to do. The author discusses “the fundamentalist challenge” (145) in claiming that it very distinctly opposes cosmopolitanism and calls for an extreme universalism. He eventually resolves to say that there is no reason that fundamentalist religions and their beliefs cannot also be cosmopolitan, it is just a matter of proper education with consideration of differences in
CHANDRA, ABHIMANYU. "Review: The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid." The Yale Review of International Studies RSS. N.p., Aug. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2014.
Religious Fundamentalism is not a modern phenomenon, although, there has received a rise in the late twentieth century. It occurs differently in different parts of the world but arises in societies that are deeply troubled or going through a crisis (Heywood, 2012, p. 282). The rise in Religious Fundamentalism can be linked to the secularization thesis which implies that victory of reason over religion follows modernization. Also, the moral protest of faiths such as Islam and Christianity can be linked to the rise of Religious Fundamentalism, as they protest the influence of corruption and pretence that infiltrate their beliefs from the spread of secularization (Heywood, 2012, p. 283). Religious Fundamentalists have followed a traditional political thought process yet, have embraced a militant style of activity which often can turn violent (Heywood, 2012, p. 291). To be a fundamentalist is to wholly believe in the doctrine they are preaching or professing and will go to any lengths possible to have these beliefs implemented by their government , even using force or violence ( Garner, Ferdinand and Lawson, 2007, p. 149). All religions have a fundamentalist element, however, there is more of a significant conflict with Islamic fundamentalists and Christian fundamentalists. It is wrongly thought fundamentalism is exclusively linked to Islamic fundamentalist such as the jihadi group al-Qaeda nonetheless Christianity is the world's largest religion and is bond to have some fundamentalist component such as the Christian New Right in the Unites States of America (Garner, Ferdinand and Lawson, 2007, p. 150).