Why are Fundamentalists Growing in Major Religions?

As long as fundamental means more compassionate, less judgemental (as practiced by Christ) and do not force everyone to accept religious concepts, I am all for fundamentalism.

 

no actually you're 100% right about it. You can't really condemn it because some asepct of it is in line with your views and you probably have thought about that aspect of it at least a little bit, so to condemn it would be like condemning your own views. At the same time you can't condone it, because it just doesn't feel right. It's like a cancer, you try to kill it with chemo and wind up hurting yourself, but you cant let it sit there cuz it is harmful to you.

 

I think Fundamentalism is resurging because of the failed promises in technology and liberal-thinking government's potential. There's still war, famine, disease, and corruption. Fundamentalists can't directly challenge science or government, but they have a strong platform when they detail the social ills that are the result of social change- increasing social liberties and the scary and dangerous potential of technology upon groups of people.

Any platform can claim they know how to fix, "what's wrong with the ills of today", but Fundamentalism is credible because of its established traditions borrowed from the root religion, and it is accessible to the minority populace of those who have fallen through the social cracks or those willing choose to do so because of their unwilling acceptance to current social changes.

So you have the combination of youth: the foot soldiers and thinkers who gets things done, and the the elderly: rich and thoroughly established in power and networking, to propagate their fundamentalist message.

 

Perhaps it's because glynch touches himself at night.

 

DEVOlution.

 

i dont see much of a problem with it either.

 

Are you kidding? Muslim can have four count them (FOUR) wives!

 

i really find it odd that people really believe that people commit suicide and go into battle just for "72" virgins...

many of the people labled as doing it for the sex are married, were married, have kids etc etc... so i highly doubt that is the reason

also, islam promises everyone that reward, not just people who are killed in jihad.

 

I can think of many things I could do with four wives. hmm...

 

remember this tho, homosexuality is forbidden in islam, even for wives of the same husband, so a 3some is out of the question

 

Did you see Barbra Walters interview with the failed suicide bomber in her "Heaven" program a couple of weeks ago? He claimed it to be true. And they said you get servants and neat stuff.

Anyways.. I think a lot see fundamentalism is the way to go because the living values of their tradition are missing. All we see are superficial forms. Society is changing so fast that they need something to cling to. But undamentalism can also be ultimately superficial.

 

I guess that's why they are frustrated then.

 

Hungry hungry hippos?
Monopoly?
Form a basketball team?
Have a makeover party?
X-Box?

 

What do they say about women getting sloppy seconds?

 

Actually, I disagree with your basic premise that "fundamentalism is growing", I think they're just louder these days than they have been in the past, empowered by newer technologies that make it far easier for them to promote their messages and garner an audience.

If anything, fundamentalism has vastly declined across the world in the past 4-5 centuries, although in some cases secular fundamentalists have taken over for religious fundamentalists.

Anyways, fundamentalism isn't the problem, it's the willingness to inflict violence and enforce your views/values on others that's a problem, and has been throughout history; it isn't unique to our world today in any sense.

In the marketplace of ideas, fundamentalists, moderates, and others will always be around, and you would only do more harm if you attempt to silence those voices, and that's when the violence takes place.

 

glynch -- i don't want to get into it and i didn't take any polaroids, but i'm christian and i'm not sexually frustrated.

 

glynch....you should check out religious fantacism in japan.


anyhow...i think you are just seeing the media showing religious freaks more. i don't think it has really grown.

 

I would say that the Dalai Lama and followers of Zen are fundamentalists Buddhists.

I think what you're getting at is more than just fundamentalism, in terms of strict adherence to original beliefs, but about that playing a role politically. In that case then Bhanata Jal Party in India certainly qualifies and even the Dalai Lama's movement since that is is trying to force political change in the PRC.