Walk Away from Fundamentalism

From jesuswouldbeashamedofyou.com

So why do you hang your hat on that? Of all the really important things that need fixing on Earth, why do you fixate on whether gays can marry, or waste your time saving a woman who really was, it turned out, completely brain-dead? Why do you spend so much time arguing about how God created the universe, when the exact details don’t matter? You can pray in school any time you want– why force it on others? The justice system generally holds the same values as the ten commandments… why do you need it actually spelled out?

Do you think your rabid devotion to insignificant minutia really makes Jesus happy? I think he’s probably more interested in you spending that kind of time and energy on helping your fellow man, don’t you?

It’s reassuring to see the moderates and liberals working to reclaim Christianity from the rabid fundamentalists. There are parts of Christianity that do have value to the world, especially the calls in the Bible for compassion towards others. It would be a shame to see all of that lost to a bunch of nuts.

Chicago Sun-Times reporter Cathleen Falsani reviews the Jesus Camp movie, and finds it disturbing and sad. That she finds it disturbing and sad isn’t particularly surprising, as the movie documents a Pentacostal revival camp and some of the outrageous attitudes and teachings there. What’s surprising is that Falsani is a Christian, and rather than go into apoplectic fits over the film, she uses it as a chance for some self-reflection.

After watching “Jesus Camp,” I can’t help but wonder where education ends and indoctrination begins, whether indoctrination can ever be a benign thing, and what, exactly, constitutes spiritual abuse.
…
Spiritual abuse leaves debilitating scars, even if you can’t see them. There’s more than one way to walk through this life with a limp.

The entire review is well worth the read, if only to read some very conscientious musings.

The Washington Post recently ran an article on homophily, the phenomenon of individuals of similar background and interests to associate with one another.

While like people spending time with other like people isn’t necessarily bad by itself, this quote is quite striking when considering the atmosphere of fundamentalist Christianity.

We participate in settings where we don’t have to explain ourselves because everyone else agrees with us. What this means is, “I have no reason to challenge or question my own beliefs.”

For the fundamentalists who say homosexuality is unnatural comes a new zoo exhibit in Oslo:

“We may have opinions on a lot of things, but one thing is clear – homosexuality is found throughout the animal kingdom, it is not against nature,” an exhibit statement said.

Geir Soeli, the project leader of the exhibition entitled “Against Nature”, said: “Homosexuality has been observed for more than 1500 animal species, and is well documented for 500 of them.”

Good news from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

“Local groups are springing up all over the place,” said Ellen Johnson, president of American Atheists. Active groups have grown by about 90 percent over the past six years, she said.

While only atheists are mentioned, it seems reasonable that all of those without religion or with sympathetic beliefs are speaking out and making a difference.