Tuesday, June 23, 2009
I have recently linked my blog to my facebook account. This is a huge step in the electronic evolution for me as I am fairly inept in these matters. Once upon a time you needed to be a talented thinker or writer to have your thoughts and feelings seen by other people in the form of books or other publications. Now anyone can reveal their thoughts to the world through the facebook, myspace, twitter or blogging communities. While there may be some negatives to this new freedom, overall it is a fantastic way to rebuild our eroding sense of community. Society is setup in such a way that the individual is the ultimate pillar holding up all things. This break down of interdependance on one another leads to lonliness, isolation and despair. These online tools provide an avenue to community which has the potential to be the beginning of renewing community in all of our lives.
Monday, June 22, 2009
My Friend Captain Faz
I have few good friends, due mainly to my inability to keep up communication, a personal flaw forged over years of being an officers kid who moved around alot and had many transient relationships. Despite this I consider a few people very special and try to keep contact with them, even if its only every 6 months. One of these people is Craig Farrell who is a champ. For those of Australian salvo background, no doubt you know faz, but if you dont he is a little smart a%$# with a brilliant mind. He is studying a masters in social research and policy and I am attaching one of his essays on religious fundamentalism which I really liked. I dont know how to attach documents so I have to include it in the main post. Read and enjoy.
Religious belief and faith informs people on how to seek personal contentment and how to care for the ‘other’ in society, this within its self provides no cause for alarm socially or politically. When religion does become a problem is when faith under the guise of fundamentalism seeks to exclude, judge, and explicitly spread understandings of hate towards members of society who are different from themselves. These understandings are direct results of religious people ‘closing the mind’ to the realities of life and the practice of faith. Religious fundamentalists rely on ‘holy scriptures’ as being the only truth and way to live life in the present. This notion of faith being fixed and closed will be explored further in this essay alongside, narrow beliefs and doctrines, the validity of religion in society, and the mystery of why violence is so prevalent amongst fundamentalist religious groups. To do this I will look at various theorists on the validity of religion and other theorists on religious fundamentalism.
To begin with I wish to explore just how believable, religion and faith can or cannot be. The adherence to a religion in the main requires a belief in a ‘being’ beyond our own existence, namely God or forms of that being.
“… the question of the existence of God can either be asked nor answered. If asked, it is a question about that which by its very nature is above existence, and therefore the answer – whether negative or affirmative – implicitly denies the nature of God. It is as atheistic to affirm the existence of God as to deny it. God is being itself, not a being.”[1]
Therefore to believe in God requires a belief that not necessarily questions the existence of God, but that our knowledge of the existence of God can never be explained. This is something that religious fundamentalists cannot begin to fathom; every aspect of their faith derives from, what is true in their minds - religious fact. Sam Harris strongly argues against the existence of God and struggles to comprehend how people can begin to believe in God and ‘divine’ scriptures in the first instance. “In fact, every religion preaches the truth of propositions for which no evidence is even conceivable.”[2] Faith can legitimately be practised and understood, as a valid expression of ‘living life’ when it is accepted amongst believers that faith cannot be proven, that is not to say, that what is believed is not true, nor is it to say that it can be proven. Faith found in the majority of religions testifies to spreading values of hope, love and peace, it is the distortion of these values by fundamentalists that causes opposition or causes questions around religion. At the same time these values are generally, also legitimately shared amongst all humanity. We all wish to seek love, peace and goodness. Harris also states that there is room for religious spirituality and mysticism, as long as it is on good terms with reason.[3] Reason itself is subjective and the pursuit of science will never prove or disprove the existence of God. Faith will never be fully proven, however it is not a threat when it is practised with openness, rationally, and with an intention to include ‘the other’. Harris is correct in saying that belief in religion is not always conceivable, however at the same time its practice still finds value.
The question of belief is central to understanding the motivation of fundamentalism. Fundamentalists perceive themselves to be firm believers, proclaiming an unshakable truth, or as Karen Armstrong describes a ‘militant piety’. “Fundamentalism is an unsatisfactory term, but it is widely used to describe a militant piety that has developed in every major religion during the 20th Century.”[4] So it is with this unapologetic boldness that fundamentalist movements operate, however the motivation behind such facades is not so bold. Fundamentalists operate out of a culture of fear; the power of their movement is perceived to be threatened by progress or by the notion that what is contained in the ‘holy book’ is no longer true or relevant. Armstrong takes this further, “…every single fundamentalist movement that I have studied in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has been rooted in fear, convinced that the secular, liberal establishment wants to wipe out religion.”[5] The majority of fear is linked to moral social issues such as sex to name one example. Particularly from Evangelical Christian movements and western religious right groups, the fear of potential breakdowns of traditional ideals of ‘family’ and ‘purity’ is a real threat to not only their movements but also the whole ‘holy ordinance’.
“Contemporary evangelicals have concerns about sex and sexuality that focus on issues regarding social order and control – especially over women’s bodies and desires. Within the evangelical framework, lack of control over sex and the desires of the body are thought to threaten the integrity of the soul.”[6]
Susan Rose refers to the voice of the Religious Right in regards to sex education in schools in the USA and their insistence on an abstinence based approach. “Religious Right groups use sophisticated, fear-based tactics in their abstinence-only programs: “Just say no or die.”[7] It seems the fear of fundamentalist groups loosing control serves as a good enough excuse to perpetuate fear into others with sophisticated campaigns, however at the same time being very simplistic in nature. Ignorance and fear are a form of violence, especially when no intention exists to facilitate dialogue or listen to those where opposition or lack of empathy exists. It is from such a closed and dogmatic mindset that fundamentalism causes harm, in both subtle and explicit forms of violence.
So is there an alternative for religious practice? Harris calls for a form of rational spirituality. “A truly rational approach … of our lives would allow us to explore the heights of our subjectivity with an open mind, while shedding the provincialism and dogmatism of our religious traditions in favour of free and rigorous inquiry.”[8] Such a sentiment is fantastic in theory but unlikely in practice, the road is long especially for the established institutionalised religions where ‘holy scripture’ and inerrant doctrines seem fixed entities. Religious fundamentalism will always be with us whilst these creeds are still preached and taught at the mainstream level. From an unwillingness to re-examination traditional doctrines fundamentalism has arisen out of fear and the dangerous belief that ‘they are right’ and ‘others are wrong.’ Vorster alludes to fundamentalists being reactionary in nature; their desire is always to antagonise, and to confront in closed ways, the enemy. “Religious fundamentalism is usually caused by the fear of a perceived enemy. Fundamentalists define themselves in large by what they are against.”[9] Identity is focused around what may be lost and there is no desire for openness or re-learning.
One aspect that has threatened the belief systems of all religions is the rise of modernity. “Modernization confronts all religious traditions with a choice. The polar extreme options are accommodation or resistance: either they try to salvage fragments of their wicked cultural ship while riding the social and cultural tide; or they try to fight back.”[10] It is a strong belief in what Dawkins, Farley and many others describe as ‘absolutes’ that contributes to an unreasoning and aggressive fundamentalist voice. “Fundamentalism arises when the self-preserving ethnocentrism, natural egocentrism, literalism, and cosmology, in short, religion’s traditional meditations, work to maintain themselves in the new Diaspora of religion in the secularized cultures of modern nation-states.”[11] Fundamentalism shows a strong belief in the old inerrant ways of ‘holy scripture’, where there is no room to move beyond what is known and perceived to be righteous. “[Absolutism] constitutes a major reason for suggesting that religion can be a force for evil in the world.”[12]
The characteristic of the inerrant ‘holy scripture’ emphasises the close mindedness of fundamentalists and it is an underlying cause of fundamentalism. One main commonality is the certain belief that God is in control, the text must be right because God has ordained it and is the direct author. No one then is in a position to argue with this, whether atheist or not.
“The “three religions of the Book” namely Christianity, Islam and Judaism have, in spite of deep-rooted differences in theology and ethics, one remarkable similarity. All three are prone to fundamentalism because of the danger of a literalist use of the respective scriptures ... the literalist use of scripture can be regarded as the most important characteristic of fundamentalism.”[13]
The main danger of a literalist and inerrant view of scripture is that it fails to connect with any relevance for society today. This is not to say that certain scriptural texts and values are not relevant at all, but religious texts must be read within context, taking into account authorship and historicity as well. William Swatos sees T.K. Oommen’s definition of fundamentalism helpful, “text without context”.[14] Harris refers to the focus on scripture as ‘The world beyond reason’, where religious texts are considered to be stand-alone, and where “nothing justifies arrogant and exclusionary claims.”[15] It is true that claims alone in the Christian Bible are difficult to comprehend regardless of time or space, (for example, the virgin birth) but particularly dangerous are the claims around morality and the relationship of God and State. Examples from Christian fundamentalism that stem from literalist scripture interpretation involve issues around sexuality, gender concerns, abortion, and race. Similar evidence exists with Islamic fundamentalists; the Qur’an “is the revealed word of God and for Muslims, to invoke the Qur’an, is to invoke God.”[16] The literal reading of Islamic texts is the cause of the inferior position of women, capital punishment and the practice of Jihad and martyrdom. Here the focus is on a strong devotion to God over any form of warfare – any form of violence in the name of Jihad is directly ordained by God. The literal reading of religious texts plays ignorance to the current realities of society and is the cause for bigotry and violence. There is no excuse for such closed interpretations especially when the desire to bring harm or discriminate others is the focus. “I meet in the literal understanding of Scripture a God who is simply not viable, and what the mind cannot believe the heart can finally never adore.”[17] Genuine faith is not based on absolutes but mystery and spirituality found in the everyday realities of life. “Fundamentalists know they are right because they have read the truth in a holy book and they know, in advance, that nothing will budge them from their belief.”[18] Faith is not necessarily about evidence, it cannot be easily proved, nor can it be disproved. Dawkins and others will find it hard to find evidence, at the same time religious people must read religious texts within context, or risk the dangers of fundamentalism.
The violence that stems from fundamentalist ideology is enormous, destructive, and can be both subtle and explicit. “The notion of a sacred cause on the side of God declares the “other” as enemies of God and the use of violence as a legitimate course of action.”[19] This statement is true of all religious fundamentalist groups, however in recent years it has been most obvious by Islamic fundamentalists. The trend has seen a militancy approach with the increase in global terrorism involving suicide bombings and or other terrorist actions. Rooted deeply within militant fundamentalism are aspects that were discussed earlier, for example fear of being ‘taken over’ and the closed belief that one’s practice of religion is the only true and right one to be followed and adhered to. “In spite of these teachings, Jihad is interpreted in Islamic fundamentalism as military action to protect the Islam rule and culture in times of oppression or military aggression against the Islamic countries.”[20] Subtler are Christian evangelical movements who tend to focus on moral concerns. Fundamentalism becomes problematic when peoples private spheres are scrutinised and deemed wrong, totally dismissing the worth of others. Classic examples are found in fundamentalist opposition to homosexuality, abortion, and people of non-Anglo origin. As Bob Altemeyer argues, fundamental beliefs regardless of their religious significance are associated with bigotry.[21]
Religious fundamentalism is an aspect of religion that intentionally seeks to prove its inerrant views of ‘holy scripture’ as truth, the only truth, bringing with it an ideology that perpetuates prejudice, fear, violence, unrealistic and outdated moral views, and racism. The essence and beauty of faith is that most things remain a mystery. To begin to prove this mystery hinders the intention of practising genuine faith. Religious belief alone is no threat to truth or reason when it is realistically connected to society, and is open to listening, providing spiritual guidance and compassion to all people.
[1] P. Tillich, cited in M. Thompson, Philosophy of Religion London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997, p. 115
[2] S. Harris, The End of Faith. Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason, New York, W. W. Norton, 2006, p. 23.
[3] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 43.
[4] K. Armstrong, Fundamentalism and the secular society, International Journal, 59(4): Fall 2004: p.875.
[5] K. Armstrong, p. 875.
[6] S. Rose, Christian Fundamentalism: Patriarchy, Sexuality, and Human Rights, in C. W. Howland, Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women, London, Macmillan Press, 1999, p. 13.
[7] S.Rose, p.14.
[8] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 42.
[9] J. Vorster, Perspectives on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 7(21): Winter 2008: p. 51.
[10] S. Bruce, Fundamentalism, Maldon, USA, Blackwell Publishers, 2000, p. 117.
[11] E.Farley, Fundamentalism. A Theory, Cross Currents, 55(3): Fall 2005: p.392.
[12] R. Dawkins, The God Delusion, London, Bantam Press, 2006, p. 286.
[13] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p.49.
[14] W. Swatos, Globalization Theory and Religious Fundamentalism, in P. Kivisto, Illuminating Social Life 4th Edition, California USA, Pine Forge Press, 2008, p.332.
[15] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 40.
[16] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p. 46.
[17] S. Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, New York USA, HarperCollins Publishers, 1991, p. 24.
[18] R. Dawkins, The God Delusion, p. 282.
[19] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p.56.
[20] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p. 57.
[21] B. Altemeyer, Why Do Religious Fundamentalists Tend to be Prejudiced?, The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 13(1): 2003: p. 19.
Religious belief and faith informs people on how to seek personal contentment and how to care for the ‘other’ in society, this within its self provides no cause for alarm socially or politically. When religion does become a problem is when faith under the guise of fundamentalism seeks to exclude, judge, and explicitly spread understandings of hate towards members of society who are different from themselves. These understandings are direct results of religious people ‘closing the mind’ to the realities of life and the practice of faith. Religious fundamentalists rely on ‘holy scriptures’ as being the only truth and way to live life in the present. This notion of faith being fixed and closed will be explored further in this essay alongside, narrow beliefs and doctrines, the validity of religion in society, and the mystery of why violence is so prevalent amongst fundamentalist religious groups. To do this I will look at various theorists on the validity of religion and other theorists on religious fundamentalism.
To begin with I wish to explore just how believable, religion and faith can or cannot be. The adherence to a religion in the main requires a belief in a ‘being’ beyond our own existence, namely God or forms of that being.
“… the question of the existence of God can either be asked nor answered. If asked, it is a question about that which by its very nature is above existence, and therefore the answer – whether negative or affirmative – implicitly denies the nature of God. It is as atheistic to affirm the existence of God as to deny it. God is being itself, not a being.”[1]
Therefore to believe in God requires a belief that not necessarily questions the existence of God, but that our knowledge of the existence of God can never be explained. This is something that religious fundamentalists cannot begin to fathom; every aspect of their faith derives from, what is true in their minds - religious fact. Sam Harris strongly argues against the existence of God and struggles to comprehend how people can begin to believe in God and ‘divine’ scriptures in the first instance. “In fact, every religion preaches the truth of propositions for which no evidence is even conceivable.”[2] Faith can legitimately be practised and understood, as a valid expression of ‘living life’ when it is accepted amongst believers that faith cannot be proven, that is not to say, that what is believed is not true, nor is it to say that it can be proven. Faith found in the majority of religions testifies to spreading values of hope, love and peace, it is the distortion of these values by fundamentalists that causes opposition or causes questions around religion. At the same time these values are generally, also legitimately shared amongst all humanity. We all wish to seek love, peace and goodness. Harris also states that there is room for religious spirituality and mysticism, as long as it is on good terms with reason.[3] Reason itself is subjective and the pursuit of science will never prove or disprove the existence of God. Faith will never be fully proven, however it is not a threat when it is practised with openness, rationally, and with an intention to include ‘the other’. Harris is correct in saying that belief in religion is not always conceivable, however at the same time its practice still finds value.
The question of belief is central to understanding the motivation of fundamentalism. Fundamentalists perceive themselves to be firm believers, proclaiming an unshakable truth, or as Karen Armstrong describes a ‘militant piety’. “Fundamentalism is an unsatisfactory term, but it is widely used to describe a militant piety that has developed in every major religion during the 20th Century.”[4] So it is with this unapologetic boldness that fundamentalist movements operate, however the motivation behind such facades is not so bold. Fundamentalists operate out of a culture of fear; the power of their movement is perceived to be threatened by progress or by the notion that what is contained in the ‘holy book’ is no longer true or relevant. Armstrong takes this further, “…every single fundamentalist movement that I have studied in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam has been rooted in fear, convinced that the secular, liberal establishment wants to wipe out religion.”[5] The majority of fear is linked to moral social issues such as sex to name one example. Particularly from Evangelical Christian movements and western religious right groups, the fear of potential breakdowns of traditional ideals of ‘family’ and ‘purity’ is a real threat to not only their movements but also the whole ‘holy ordinance’.
“Contemporary evangelicals have concerns about sex and sexuality that focus on issues regarding social order and control – especially over women’s bodies and desires. Within the evangelical framework, lack of control over sex and the desires of the body are thought to threaten the integrity of the soul.”[6]
Susan Rose refers to the voice of the Religious Right in regards to sex education in schools in the USA and their insistence on an abstinence based approach. “Religious Right groups use sophisticated, fear-based tactics in their abstinence-only programs: “Just say no or die.”[7] It seems the fear of fundamentalist groups loosing control serves as a good enough excuse to perpetuate fear into others with sophisticated campaigns, however at the same time being very simplistic in nature. Ignorance and fear are a form of violence, especially when no intention exists to facilitate dialogue or listen to those where opposition or lack of empathy exists. It is from such a closed and dogmatic mindset that fundamentalism causes harm, in both subtle and explicit forms of violence.
So is there an alternative for religious practice? Harris calls for a form of rational spirituality. “A truly rational approach … of our lives would allow us to explore the heights of our subjectivity with an open mind, while shedding the provincialism and dogmatism of our religious traditions in favour of free and rigorous inquiry.”[8] Such a sentiment is fantastic in theory but unlikely in practice, the road is long especially for the established institutionalised religions where ‘holy scripture’ and inerrant doctrines seem fixed entities. Religious fundamentalism will always be with us whilst these creeds are still preached and taught at the mainstream level. From an unwillingness to re-examination traditional doctrines fundamentalism has arisen out of fear and the dangerous belief that ‘they are right’ and ‘others are wrong.’ Vorster alludes to fundamentalists being reactionary in nature; their desire is always to antagonise, and to confront in closed ways, the enemy. “Religious fundamentalism is usually caused by the fear of a perceived enemy. Fundamentalists define themselves in large by what they are against.”[9] Identity is focused around what may be lost and there is no desire for openness or re-learning.
One aspect that has threatened the belief systems of all religions is the rise of modernity. “Modernization confronts all religious traditions with a choice. The polar extreme options are accommodation or resistance: either they try to salvage fragments of their wicked cultural ship while riding the social and cultural tide; or they try to fight back.”[10] It is a strong belief in what Dawkins, Farley and many others describe as ‘absolutes’ that contributes to an unreasoning and aggressive fundamentalist voice. “Fundamentalism arises when the self-preserving ethnocentrism, natural egocentrism, literalism, and cosmology, in short, religion’s traditional meditations, work to maintain themselves in the new Diaspora of religion in the secularized cultures of modern nation-states.”[11] Fundamentalism shows a strong belief in the old inerrant ways of ‘holy scripture’, where there is no room to move beyond what is known and perceived to be righteous. “[Absolutism] constitutes a major reason for suggesting that religion can be a force for evil in the world.”[12]
The characteristic of the inerrant ‘holy scripture’ emphasises the close mindedness of fundamentalists and it is an underlying cause of fundamentalism. One main commonality is the certain belief that God is in control, the text must be right because God has ordained it and is the direct author. No one then is in a position to argue with this, whether atheist or not.
“The “three religions of the Book” namely Christianity, Islam and Judaism have, in spite of deep-rooted differences in theology and ethics, one remarkable similarity. All three are prone to fundamentalism because of the danger of a literalist use of the respective scriptures ... the literalist use of scripture can be regarded as the most important characteristic of fundamentalism.”[13]
The main danger of a literalist and inerrant view of scripture is that it fails to connect with any relevance for society today. This is not to say that certain scriptural texts and values are not relevant at all, but religious texts must be read within context, taking into account authorship and historicity as well. William Swatos sees T.K. Oommen’s definition of fundamentalism helpful, “text without context”.[14] Harris refers to the focus on scripture as ‘The world beyond reason’, where religious texts are considered to be stand-alone, and where “nothing justifies arrogant and exclusionary claims.”[15] It is true that claims alone in the Christian Bible are difficult to comprehend regardless of time or space, (for example, the virgin birth) but particularly dangerous are the claims around morality and the relationship of God and State. Examples from Christian fundamentalism that stem from literalist scripture interpretation involve issues around sexuality, gender concerns, abortion, and race. Similar evidence exists with Islamic fundamentalists; the Qur’an “is the revealed word of God and for Muslims, to invoke the Qur’an, is to invoke God.”[16] The literal reading of Islamic texts is the cause of the inferior position of women, capital punishment and the practice of Jihad and martyrdom. Here the focus is on a strong devotion to God over any form of warfare – any form of violence in the name of Jihad is directly ordained by God. The literal reading of religious texts plays ignorance to the current realities of society and is the cause for bigotry and violence. There is no excuse for such closed interpretations especially when the desire to bring harm or discriminate others is the focus. “I meet in the literal understanding of Scripture a God who is simply not viable, and what the mind cannot believe the heart can finally never adore.”[17] Genuine faith is not based on absolutes but mystery and spirituality found in the everyday realities of life. “Fundamentalists know they are right because they have read the truth in a holy book and they know, in advance, that nothing will budge them from their belief.”[18] Faith is not necessarily about evidence, it cannot be easily proved, nor can it be disproved. Dawkins and others will find it hard to find evidence, at the same time religious people must read religious texts within context, or risk the dangers of fundamentalism.
The violence that stems from fundamentalist ideology is enormous, destructive, and can be both subtle and explicit. “The notion of a sacred cause on the side of God declares the “other” as enemies of God and the use of violence as a legitimate course of action.”[19] This statement is true of all religious fundamentalist groups, however in recent years it has been most obvious by Islamic fundamentalists. The trend has seen a militancy approach with the increase in global terrorism involving suicide bombings and or other terrorist actions. Rooted deeply within militant fundamentalism are aspects that were discussed earlier, for example fear of being ‘taken over’ and the closed belief that one’s practice of religion is the only true and right one to be followed and adhered to. “In spite of these teachings, Jihad is interpreted in Islamic fundamentalism as military action to protect the Islam rule and culture in times of oppression or military aggression against the Islamic countries.”[20] Subtler are Christian evangelical movements who tend to focus on moral concerns. Fundamentalism becomes problematic when peoples private spheres are scrutinised and deemed wrong, totally dismissing the worth of others. Classic examples are found in fundamentalist opposition to homosexuality, abortion, and people of non-Anglo origin. As Bob Altemeyer argues, fundamental beliefs regardless of their religious significance are associated with bigotry.[21]
Religious fundamentalism is an aspect of religion that intentionally seeks to prove its inerrant views of ‘holy scripture’ as truth, the only truth, bringing with it an ideology that perpetuates prejudice, fear, violence, unrealistic and outdated moral views, and racism. The essence and beauty of faith is that most things remain a mystery. To begin to prove this mystery hinders the intention of practising genuine faith. Religious belief alone is no threat to truth or reason when it is realistically connected to society, and is open to listening, providing spiritual guidance and compassion to all people.
[1] P. Tillich, cited in M. Thompson, Philosophy of Religion London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1997, p. 115
[2] S. Harris, The End of Faith. Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason, New York, W. W. Norton, 2006, p. 23.
[3] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 43.
[4] K. Armstrong, Fundamentalism and the secular society, International Journal, 59(4): Fall 2004: p.875.
[5] K. Armstrong, p. 875.
[6] S. Rose, Christian Fundamentalism: Patriarchy, Sexuality, and Human Rights, in C. W. Howland, Religious Fundamentalisms and the Human Rights of Women, London, Macmillan Press, 1999, p. 13.
[7] S.Rose, p.14.
[8] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 42.
[9] J. Vorster, Perspectives on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies, 7(21): Winter 2008: p. 51.
[10] S. Bruce, Fundamentalism, Maldon, USA, Blackwell Publishers, 2000, p. 117.
[11] E.Farley, Fundamentalism. A Theory, Cross Currents, 55(3): Fall 2005: p.392.
[12] R. Dawkins, The God Delusion, London, Bantam Press, 2006, p. 286.
[13] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p.49.
[14] W. Swatos, Globalization Theory and Religious Fundamentalism, in P. Kivisto, Illuminating Social Life 4th Edition, California USA, Pine Forge Press, 2008, p.332.
[15] S. Harris, The End of Faith, p. 40.
[16] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p. 46.
[17] S. Spong, Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism, New York USA, HarperCollins Publishers, 1991, p. 24.
[18] R. Dawkins, The God Delusion, p. 282.
[19] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p.56.
[20] J. Vorster, Perspective on the Core Characteristics of Religious Fundamentalism Today, p. 57.
[21] B. Altemeyer, Why Do Religious Fundamentalists Tend to be Prejudiced?, The International Journal for the Psychology of Religion, 13(1): 2003: p. 19.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
I'm back
This is my first post since march. This is a poor effort by me, and I'm sure the legions of readers of this blog have been devastated :) Never fear I will try to be more diligent and try to rant about Jesus some more. Some interesting developments in bullet form of the last 3.5 months.
- I was a warehouse and distribution manager for the salvos during the fires
- I turned 31
- Isabella is now 18 months old
- My brother and his beautiful wife had another bub, Stella.
- I finished my post grad dip in international health and will embark on a doctorate of the same course
- I wrote a 35 page proposal to the Department of Human Services for the start of a drug and alcohol day program in Bendigo to replace Overdale which burnt down
- I have been questioning my officership
- I discovered that power and bullying is a worrisome part of salvation army culture
Anyway more on stuff in the near future
- I was a warehouse and distribution manager for the salvos during the fires
- I turned 31
- Isabella is now 18 months old
- My brother and his beautiful wife had another bub, Stella.
- I finished my post grad dip in international health and will embark on a doctorate of the same course
- I wrote a 35 page proposal to the Department of Human Services for the start of a drug and alcohol day program in Bendigo to replace Overdale which burnt down
- I have been questioning my officership
- I discovered that power and bullying is a worrisome part of salvation army culture
Anyway more on stuff in the near future
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