Crafted more out of some burnished expectations from another place and circumstance than out of the slightest commitment to the threatened truths variously competing to be the metamemes to underpin our future, the individually articulated theologies of the fundamentalist right forgo the traditions of tolerance and respect--indeed, of love--in favor of divisive judgment. Such a position is typical of a simplistic world view. And unfortunately--digestible by the emotions of the id--these are self-perpetuating, rapidly expanding perspectives. They are the weeds of philosophy crowding out and supplanting calm reason in favor of the contentious superiority of their heretical hatred.
By seeing their conversion and their faith as evidence of their special relationship with the divine--their blessedness--the true believers are able to justify and rationalize their own behavior while stridently condemning that of those they perceive to be outside of the covenant. These believers define the parameters of their community to the exclusion of others so as to emphasize their own exceptionalism. Among the elect, they are above criticism; they see their purpose as higher giving them broad authority in both private and public spheres.
In fairness, while focused on Christian fundamentalism, this assemblage of words could just as easily call out Islam, NeoPaganism, or Atheism. While the hypocritical abandonment of the most basic tenets of Jesus' ministry makes evangelical Christian dogma a special case, the alignment of any one of these belief systems with arrogance, defensiveness, and certainty make them all subject to this malady. Without curiosity and humility, we lose both humanity and empathy. This narrowing of the gaze, while not without a kind of protective comfort, skews one's vision of the world. It shrinks not only who we allow others to be but also who we are capable of being. The invention of "meaning" and the confidence that comes with an individual's subscription to some personally extracted version of belief gives foothold to "difference", and thus to division and hate.
By seeing their conversion and their faith as evidence of their special relationship with the divine--their blessedness--the true believers are able to justify and rationalize their own behavior while stridently condemning that of those they perceive to be outside of the covenant. These believers define the parameters of their community to the exclusion of others so as to emphasize their own exceptionalism. Among the elect, they are above criticism; they see their purpose as higher giving them broad authority in both private and public spheres.
In fairness, while focused on Christian fundamentalism, this assemblage of words could just as easily call out Islam, NeoPaganism, or Atheism. While the hypocritical abandonment of the most basic tenets of Jesus' ministry makes evangelical Christian dogma a special case, the alignment of any one of these belief systems with arrogance, defensiveness, and certainty make them all subject to this malady. Without curiosity and humility, we lose both humanity and empathy. This narrowing of the gaze, while not without a kind of protective comfort, skews one's vision of the world. It shrinks not only who we allow others to be but also who we are capable of being. The invention of "meaning" and the confidence that comes with an individual's subscription to some personally extracted version of belief gives foothold to "difference", and thus to division and hate.
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