So today there was a terrorist attack in France that left at least a dozen people dead. Why? Because the satirical newspaper, whose headquarters the terrorists targeted, dared to, at one time or another, print cartoon images of the prophet Mohammed. This is tragic beyond words, heartbreaking, and utterly and inexcusably evil But such is the insanity bred by fundamentalism. It doesnt matter what religion or worldview it supports, fundamentalism is a sickness of the brain that motivates people to do terrible things to their fellow humans for committing imaginary crimes. Most of the rest of the world has grown civilized enough to not launch military attacks on innocent people for doodling, but the disease of fundamentalism still infects many a brain. It may not incite physical violence amongst us Christians, but it most certainly produces mean-spiritedness, and inspires harsh and unfair treatment of people for the imaginary crime of believing differently. Think about that for a moment... What does belief *really* consist of? Its no more than a matter of thinking certain thoughts and clinging to certain ideas. Fundamentalism assumes that only its thoughts and ideas are truth, however, and sees all others as dangerous delusions that must be stamped out, lest they spread. When this disease really takes hold of a persons mind, they lack the ability to reason, and to see people with differing beliefs as anything other than threats. It removes their ability to empathize and see a persons humanity. All they can see is the belief, the thought, that they disagree with and find offensive. If a person belongs to a religion that allows and encourages physical violence, then those committing thought crime will be struck down, but when they belong to a religion that looks down on physical violence, their fundamentalism will manifest itself in mean-spiritedness and separatism. And while Id much rather people be jerks than jihadists, its really the same spirit that inspires both. The same disease that motivates the jihadist to go to war over cartoons is the same disease that causes evangelicals to take to their blogs to out their brothers, like Rob Bell, as heretics for daring to question their view of the afterlife. When your faith or convictions are so weak and petty that you are reduced to fighting, yelling, throwing stones and going to war against those with different thoughts than you, you can know youve been infected by the disease of fundamentalism. It is nothing short of mental illness, and is as dangerous as anthrax.
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 01:05:34 +0000
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