http://www.daily-journal.com/archives/dj/display.php?id=405816Is religious fundamentalism good for a society? There are many meanings of the word "fundamentalism," and many suggest that it is a strong set of beliefs ... so strong, in fact, that critics state that the fundamentalists take stubborn, entrenched positions that defy rational thought, argument or evidence. These people are the ones which give the devout a bad rap.
When I think of religious extremists, I think first about the hijacking of Islam by Islamic fundamentalists. Their intolerance of others, called "infidels," automatically leads to confrontation and ultimately to war. Muslim fundamentalist terrorists are the de facto enemy of the civilized world. How can we tolerate those who are intolerant? Isn't that cowardice, as someone said long ago?
We certainly have Islamic fundamentalists living in the U.S. Are these Americans our enemies because of their religious beliefs? If they are living in respect of our national, state and local laws, I would say no. If they only recognize the laws of their faith, I would say yes, and call for their immediate deportation.
But not all religious fundamentalists and fanatics are Muslims. What about "born again" Christian evangelists? Are they reaching a threshold of defying rational thought, argument or evidence? Here are two unnerving examples of Christian extremism from within our own military. The Christian Science Monitor reported a story this week in which a Marine recruit at Parris Island, on his first Sunday in uniform, was ordered to attend an evangelical Protestant service, even though he was Catholic and missed Mass because of the order. What is going on?