Putting the fun into Fundamental
 

I saw an amazing programme on the TV last night about religion which is normally a complete turn-off for me.
Its about this young guy Elliot Gerner who is looking at religious fundamentalists of all descriptions over the coming weeks and programme No 1 was the religious right in America.
Focusing on the "Rapture" cult and the end of days preaching going on.
He interviewed evangelist authors Terry James and Tim Lahaye who have sold around 58 million books between them(got to get the royalties sorted before going to Heaven).
He also went to the Bob Jones University and speaking to the chosen few "Stepford Christians" there it seems a real scary place.
What is it with young Christians,well polished shiny faces,quoting scripture but with that far away look in their eyes!.
I'm curious to know just how much influence these people actually have over there or is it all media hype.
Anyway a question from over the pond,are these people really in control of Bush and the button, because if they are from what I saw then we are all fucked.... :D

My opinion, for what it's worth.

The majority of Americans are Christian--in some cases nominally, in some cases observant. The more extreme fundamentalist/conservative variety are a minority within the broader category of Christians. However, they are an extremely vocal and visible minority. As for Bush, I believe he has manipulated the fundamentalists to gain their support. I say that because I haven't seen much evidence that he's actually a devout Christian or that he shares much of their agenda. But to the extent they played a big part in getting him elected, yes, they have real influence.

They also seem to have a lot of the casually observent Christians cowed. They seem to be able to sell themselves in some Christian circles as people to be emulated and listened to, despite their hate and their body counts. It's too creepy.

While fundamentalists are a minority, they are a very determined and politically active one. If a person believes he's on a mission from God, he'll stop at nothing. 9/11 happened because of another set of determined fundamentalists who are a minority among their faith. Fundamentalism of any flavor is very spooky stuff. People give over their intelligence and free will to the Bin Laden or Bob Jones of the moment and the results make heaven weep.

From www.sinfest.net, a wonderful webcomic full of humorous pointed social commentary, good for the occasional cheap gag and is sometimes just WRONG. :thumbsup:

This is because you have to remove all critical thinking, common sense and rational judgement from your head in order to buy a literal interpretation of Biblical scripture. Doesn't leave much in there, thus, the vacant stare.

Sinfest...every day...plus the books :thumbsup:

On the way home from work tonight I was listening to an NPR radio interview with John Dominic Crossan . He's a religious historian who tries to treat Jesus and his apostles from a historical perspective.

He had an interesting take on Paul, and what he may and may not have written directly. He also had some comments about fundamentalism and politics. It's a great interview and you can listen to it at Fresh Air on NPR .

In college, I was invited and sat in on a "literalist" group prayer meeting or whatever. As a Christian I was open to the invitation.

But, shortly into the meeting, I began to grasp that they really took every word at face value! When I pointed out that Jesus spoke in parables and allegories in order to offer his considerable wisdom to generations beyond his own, I was greeted with a less than enthusiastic response.

My short encounter with, for lack of a better term, the literalists, was as brief as it was enlightening. For me, anyway.

Middle ground
 

I also heard an interesting story on my local NPR station. The hook for me was about a person who wrote a book called "Mezzaterra" about the middle ground and how it's shrinking. At the risk of looking like a shill for the book, here's a brief description from her website:

Egyptian-born author Ahdaf Soueif, who has made London her home, worries that the rise of Islamophobia is eroding what she calls the "mezzaterra:"

“This was the world that my generation believed we had inherited, an area of overlap where one culture shaded into the other, where echoes and reflections added depth and perspective, where differences were interesting rather than threatening because they were foregrounded against a backdrop of affinities.”

Ahdaf Souief, 'Mezzaterra'

Sounds like a much better headspace than the current one for many people I read about.