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Have you ever wondered, “What did he mean by that?” In Mark 13, after Jesus describes the conditions leading to the end of the world and his things have taken place.” It certainly appears, doesn’t it, that the same disciples that Jesus castigated for never getting the gist of his stories, got it wrong again. Obviously, many generations have passed away since the disciples‘ deaths. Shouldn’t we learn from this scripture alone that Jesus did not wish the apostles to take him literally…otherwise we have a real problem with Jesus. Yet, aside from the fact that a higher level of education for the general populace exists than at any other time in history, the fundamentalist movement is growing in religions of every faith. To be honest, I never REALLY read the bible until I began to question why people were Today, I can never understand how anyone who has read the Scriptures could ever state that THE QUADRILATERAL: I was taught in seminary that one should read the Bible with tradition, reason and experience as a guide. Imagine a three legged stool: The legs are tradition, reason and experience and the seat is Scripture. If one of those legs is broken/missing, the stool will not stand. All three must be present in order to read the Bible accurately. Generally, a text of the Bible will not stand as authentic without all of them.
Another example, read the Bible with three lens: reason, tradition and experience. For example, if you experience God as loving, God asking you to bash infants heads against a rock could not be true. That is, your experience tells you that this must be a story, part of the tradition that the ancients told each other and it was included in the Bible as a historical fable. Reason dictates that conclusion. Read about the Quadrilateral: most mainline churches are teaching this method. How one reads the Bible is of growing concern. According to a news story in the 
November 15th
return, Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these
Most scholars believe that the disciples never wrote about
Jesus immediately following his death, because they believed Jesus meant that he
would return in their lifetime. And if you take Jesus’ words literally it makes sense.
Why write for future generations when Jesus, they thought, predicted that the earth
would end in their lifetime? Why indeed?
A young woman in one of my churches was terribly depressed after her divorce, spending most of her time and conversations dwelling on every event that led to this traumatic event. Suddenly the visits and hour long phone calls regarding her ex-husband’s behavior ceased. Much to my surprise, when I went to visit her I was met by a very vital woman. She had joined another church, a fundamentalist church, she stated, and now was very involved with the anti-abortion movement, the anti-gay movement, and anti-Muslim groups…..it took all her time. “They are an abomination against God,“ she explained, then added. “I’ve never been happier working for God‘s causes.“
getting into serious disagreements regarding some passages. Before seminary, I had thought every word was the inspired word of God…..
the Bible should be taken literally, word for word, as the inerrant truth. It doesn’t make sense. Take the matter of content. For example, how can anyone believe that God really commanded the deaths of all those babies in the Old Testament?
January 8th, 2006 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Rick Warren, author of
“The Purpose Driven Life” says Christian "fundamentalism, of all varieties, will be 'one of the big enemies of the 21st century.' ... 'Muslim fundamentalism, Christian
fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism, secular fundamentalism - they're all
motivated by fear. Fear of each other.'"
Excellent: Please view the famous theologian, Daniel Crosson, as he explains. Click on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6f0ZHaoSnf0
Pastors, Isn't it our responsibility to teach as well as preach? We need to teach our
congregations not only to read the Bible, but how to read the Bible. Think About It.
I was very concerned becase I believe, fundamentalism, which stresses strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles, is worrisome in any form, whether it be social, political or religious. Religious fundamentalists, however, are particularly dangerous. In attempting to impose their views on the rest of the world, religious fundamentalists can be quite hostile to anything that disagrees with their religion. We have seen the results with 8 out of 10 wars throughout our history caused by religious conflicts and/or desire for religious dominance.
We can see it today with the deadly effects suffered by suicide bombers and their innocent victims, but I also reminded Rita (fictitious name) of the murder of the doctor who performed abortions and of the many tortured and killed gay brothers and sisters of her Christian faith. Needless to say, I was shocked when she defended those actions of her group! Why would this young, attractive woman get involved in such activity?
I believe Rita felt society had let her down with its lenient attitude toward divorce and was thrilled when this new church offered her a return to the “old time religion” which condemns the practice. Fundamentalism defines the old order idyllically because it seeks to counter the uncertainty of the postmodern world. The great psychological appeal of fundamentalism is that it offers certainty. Thereby, in individuals shaken by uncertainty, which Rita certainly was, fundamentalism gives rise to the hope that a wise, all-knowing leader/ father figure has appeared to guide and protect her.
Trying another tack, when I questioned her about the confliction in Biblical texts, I was referred to the pastor of her church whom she claimed could answer all my questions. She raved about his Biblical brilliance. “He knows,” she said, “what is allowed and condemned by the Bible.” Unfortunately, this black and white reading is exactly the way a fundamentalist leader achieves psychological control over his followers.
Rita did not see herself as a mindless sheep in his flock, even though she became one. Although she was now submitting to the dogmatic control of a Patriarchal figure who claimed to possess absolute truth as a religious and moral standard bearer, she saw herself as an ardent member of a crusade that was battling for the betterment of humankind.
While the rallying cry to a crusade may sound great, the historical record of the crusades of the Middle Ages shows how feudal lords, out to gain competitive power, enlisted under their banner thousands of eager youths longing for excitement and religious exaltation. As they believed, they marched east to fight evil and the Infidel. On their "glorious" way they ravaged villages and slaughtered uninvolved peasants, all in the name of their Great Cause.
But Rita never thought about the dark side, Now, at last, she could rejoice with a clear-cut belief system and a sense of meaning by participating in a “God-given” program that would replace her position as wife…… that which had given her a sense of importance before. We have seen a horrible example in the murder of Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin by a law student-an intelligent, seemingly nonpathological young man who seems to have felt driven and actually killed on behalf of the extremist convictions he took on.
The psychology of a fundamentalist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHB5cQ5QWRw
I find fundamentalism frightening! History provides us with many examples of average people (not just those with extreme pathological or economic needs) who were co-opted into autocratic movements such as McCarthyism, and Islamic fundamentalism. And we see it today in the United States, what better resonates with our society than merging morality with majority rule, as does the so-called Moral Majority, without having to prove the accuracy of either claim.
View: No one takes the bible literally
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFHlylTCbfQ
Nevertheless, many members now dominate U.S. school boards and agitate to break down church/state barriers, threatening politicians, doctors, etc. In 1990 Ralph Reed, executive director of the Christian Coalition, wrote of the organization's goals: "To take back this country, one neighborhood at a time and one state at a time" It is clear that many fundamentalist groups are not just self-contained religious movements. They are highly controlling, political organizations operating under a religious mantle with the ability to undermine my liberty and yours, regardless of our own beliefs. Pat Robertson's call to arms: “.... Blast the individuals out of their power bunkers with hand-to-hand combat. The battle to regain the soul of America won't be pleasant, but we will win it!“
The following videos on fundamentalism and U.S. politics might be of interest to you.
Politics and fundamentalism:
Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGbD1lcLEbQ
Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_Zaxeu7CtA
Why aren’t more churches preaching about the inconsistencies and dangers of fundamentalism? Have you?
Think About It!
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