ROMANA'S PROCESS THEOLOGY
Extreme Fundamentalism
These web pages are about Process Theology, not Fundamentalism. There is no good place to insert information about Fundamentalism, but this topic needs to be defined for contrast and reference. I will devote just one page to the subject of Fundamentalism, which occurs throughout the world, not just in Christian culture. I will try say say it like it is, without pulling any punches. The contents of this page should be of grave concern to GLBT persons and those who support them!
TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE
The Old Testament, the New Testament, and other ancient scriptures
document ideas and narratives from a time period of two thousand to three
thousand
years
ago.
While it is a good record of early writings, inspiration, and metaphorical
symbolism, scholars tell us that it is neither fact nor accurate history,
just a good
story.
more
COMPATIBILITY
Process Theology and most versions of Fundamentalism
are not compatible; in fact, they are polar opposites. Process Theology,
by its nature, is also a good story, but it it arguable, and it is expected
to be logically and philosophically consistent.
FUNDAMENTLISTS AND ALLIES
Extreme Fundamentalists do not necessarily belong to any specific
churches, though some churches are more receptive than others. They ally
themselves with political extremists, who may not be
religious at all, but who would certainly not admit so. This kind of a
coalition
severely
strains
the traditional definitions of conservatism and liberalism. For instance,
while they might claim conservative values, the reckless funding of their
causes is the very kind of liberal spending that they denounce.
more
EXTREME FUNDAMENTALIST CHARACTERISTICS
Extreme fundamentalists often exhibit the following characteristics:
CHICAGO STATEMENT
The following is a typical
statement of the principles of Fundamentalism, as
in this summary
of
the Chicago Statement:
| 1. God, who
is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture
in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ
as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness
to Himself. 2. Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: It is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms; obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises. 3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning. 4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives. 5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited of disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church. |
There is a web page for the full text of the Chicago Statement.
Statements like this can be cited as the single most reason why people turn away from religion, especially Christianity, entirely. It divides the world into believers and non-believers, without the possibility of any alternate points of view.
DIVINE QUALIFICATIONS
It is not explained exactly how anyone can be divinely qualified
to make the correct interpretation of all this scripture, so Fundamentalists
tend to rely on their own cultural and historic interpretation. All other
interpretations, even from noted scholars, are considered heretical, despite
the fact that there is
NO root authority that can be consulted to determine who is correct.
more
FUNDAMENTALISM AND LAW OF THE LAND
It is my contention that the Chicago Statement, when such policy
leaves a church, and there is an attempt to apply it to others who
are not members of that church, even in their church schools, it (the policy)
conflicts with the following documents: the Declaration
of Independence, the Constitution
of the United States, and the Bill
of Rights.
The most extreme anti-GLBT Fundamentalist group is the Traditional Values Coalition.
FELLOW TRAVELERS
Many conservative churches have no overt statement of Fundamentalist
principles; yet, they often ally themselves with Fundamentalists on issues
concerning GLBT persons and other social hot-buttons, even in cases where
they might be opposed in all other areas of doctrine.
NOT ALL EXTREME
In all fairness, not all Fundamentalist groups are
necessarily extreme. There is another proclamation, called the Lausanne
Covenant. This is plan is an Evangelical mandate for converting the
entire world to a particular flavor of Christianity. Neither this document,
nor related documents,
specifically
say anything about GLBT persons, other than the fact that all persons need
to be served. This effectively allows adherents of this doctrine to exercise
their personal prejudices in dealing with GLBT persons.
more
CHRIST'S TEACHINGS
In all Fundamentalist Christian doctrine, the Old Testament and the
New Testament are both considered to be valid
scripture,
despite the
fact
that Christ's
teachings are supposed to supersede all teaching in the Old Testament, including
the Ten Commandments. Also, if one reads the Ten Commandments correctly,
using them for political or personal purposes violates the content.
UNRIGHTEOUS DOMINION
I find this all very depressing. However, it is really nothing
new, since extreme Fundamentalism has been present in our society for almost
a century. It is only recently that these people have gained any political
power, and it is only now that they actually have enough clout to get laws
passed that can enforce their point of view.