John Dominic Crossan speaks:
I like to distinguish between literalism and fundamentalism. Literalism
(and
I'm talking within Christianity for a moment), a literal-ist is someone
who
takes everything in the Bible that could be taken literally, literally.
Sometimes a Literal-ist says, "I take everything in the Bible Literally".
um No...
Jesus is the lamb of God, does not mean that Mary had a little lamb. We
know
that. You can always tease a literal-ist. It means that anything that
could
be taken literally, and we recognized metaphor , but what ever can be
taken
literally, MUST be taken literally. For example, the story of Emmaus must
be
taken Literally. It could be taken literally, therefore it must.
I distinguish a Literal-ist from a fundamentalist, in that a
fundamentalist
says that if you don't take it literally, than you are not a Christian...
and if you say it shouldn't be taken Literally, than your an anti
Christian.
So, instead of the possibility of saying you could take Emmaus
literally...
and it means share god's food with the stranger, or take it
metaphorically,
and it means share god's food with the stranger. (So meaning it comes out
exactly the same way.) The fundamentalist says that if you don't take it
Literally, your not a Christian, and suggesting it could be taking
metaphorically makes you an anti-Christian. The trouble with that is the
growth between of what I call ideological, rhetorical, and physical
fundamentalism.
It is that:
If what I believe that what your saying is not only wrong, but against the
will of god... I can easily start talking about that people who oppose god
do not have the right to exist, and that anyone who does evil does not
have
the right to exist. I may not have the power to do anything about it.
But, then suppose I then escalate my ideology is that anyone basically who
opposes the way I interpret say the Christian new testament literally, is
anti-god? Then rhetorically I can start asking questions about what should
we do about people who are promoting evil... and pretty soon we are ready
for the third stage that says, "well anyone who promotes evil should be
executed or assassinated or at least demolished with extreme prejudice."
So there is a genocidal germ in fundamentalism. That I alone have the
truth,
and if I am in a room with 50 people, and I alone have the truth; if they
were all dead I alone would have the truth in that room. If we kill all
those people who disagree with us, we alone will have the truth. There is
a
sort of a temptation, a seduction within fundamentalism and I am not
saying
who is a fundamentalist. I am defining it as anyone who thinks like this
as
a fundamentalist.
Even if you say I would never do that. I would never kill somebody. No,
but
by talking about them as evil as anti-Christian or anti-god, your
preparing
the ground for somebody, if that somebody ever gets power, to do something
about it. For example in the 20's when Hitler wrote Mein Kampf he talked
always about the Jews and Judaism as an infection, as germs, as viruses.
It
was always the language of pathology.
Now, He wasn't saying go out and kill them, but wait a minute what do we
do
with germs, what do we do with viruses..we try to rid of them. so somebody
was getting used to that language will eventually draw the conclusion, if
they get power, of well shouldn't we get rid of them? how now you get rid
of
them is the next question? Do we deport them, do we kill them. but you
have
to take responsibility and every religion today must take responsibility
of
it's own fundamentalism. because religious fundamentalism is the probably
the most dangerous thing in the world at the moment. Christian or Muslim.
I
am not making any distinction.
If I believe most of the world is evil and God is going to destroy that
world. and I am going to go off to heaven then there might be nothing to
stop me deciding to speed up the process a bit since god is going slowly.
and if I have the power to start an atomic war, or biological , or
chemical
disaster... well maybe that is the will of god.
from http://lynn-thomas.livejournal.com/140452.html
--
MY BLOG - MARK T - my thoughts on Christianity & links
http://www.blognow.com.au/strooth/
MY SOUNDCLICK PAGE- download my original songs in mp3 format
http://www.soundclick.com/marktindall
FUNDY FUNHOUSE -
http://fundamentalistfunhouse.blogspot.com/
- a resource on the current Fundamentalist Dark Age and Christian
fundamentalism.
PASTOR DALE K WHANGKE
http://dalekwhangke.blogspot.com/
Wyrst Pentacostal Church
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