On the term 'fundamentalism'

[mahnmut]

Books like the Bible are so long and complex, and with so many authors, that it is impossible to really coherently follow what they teach. The reason is of course because they don't teach a single philosophy except in a most bare-bones way. The Bible is contradictory (apologists try to argue otherwise but it takes so much mental straining and effort that even those that can produce some "explanation" for every contradiction are so far out on a limb that they simply aren't credible), and in many points its philosophy is contradictory. So being a real "fundamentalist" is impossible as there is no way to coherently incorporate all of the Bible's teachings together. Thus you are left either with simply ignoring parts of the Bible, or relying on a personal interpretation that has no more or less support than numerous other interpretations.

All fundamentalism is is an excuse to take the socially conservative and evangelical portions of the Bible and thereby give social conservativism religious support. It's no more linked or divorced from the Bible or the roots of Christianity than most liberal or mainline Christian denominations.

Comments

[alphistia.livejournal.com]

I prefer to ignore the whole book. Interesting as a historical document and perhaps as literature, but that's all. I"m a fundamentalist about that ;-)

[hannahsarah.livejournal.com]

My parents tried to raise me in a Fundamentalist household. I studied the bible backwards and forwards, but I could never reconcile the contradictions that I kept finding.

Fast forward many years - I converted or Orthodox Judaism. If you just take the first part of the Bible "The Old Testament", everything lines up quite nicely. Some of it is still very mysterious and complicated, beyond my comprehension certainly, but it doesn't have that jarring feeling of disconnect anymore. Now, the more I learn, the more certain I am that I've found the right path. I have more answers than I do questions, and that's a good feeling.

BTW, some of my favorite rabbis are from South Africa! :-)

[abomvubuso.livejournal.com]

I always wondered. Do fundies like fondue?