The Curious Stench of Fundamentalism

A friend commented to me today that the religious intolerance of ultra-right movements such as the Tea Party makes his blood boil. HA! said I. Welcome to my world. If your blood's not boiling, you're in trouble. Big trouble. And you're almost certainly a Revangelican (evangelical Republican).

Try this: Turn on Rush Limbaugh for, oh, three minutes. C'mon, it won't kill you; you've been stuck in traffic behind a garbage truck for a lot longer than that. Just turn him on, sit back, and take it all in. Breathe him into your heart chakra, if you've got one. Then quietly turn him off after a few minutes, and take your pulse. If it's normal, you're cooked. You're a right wing Republican, you've thumped a few too many Bibles, and you've become accustomed to your own stench. You probably also have a comb-over, and chances are that your cologne is Old Spice. And your friends are either just like you and don't know anything's wrong, or else they're too polite to tap you on the shoulder and tell you what's what.

That's why I'm here. Have a seat, my friend. Listen to Madge. Your comb-over isn't working. We all know you're bald. And you need to let go of your rock solid beliefs. Like your cologne, they're hurting you, they're hurting me, and they're hurting everyone else. There's a big, beautiful world out there, and you're missing it by clenching onto your fundamentalist beliefs.

Ah, so that's where this blog entry is headed: Fundamentalism. The F word. That wacky belief system that refutes anything that's a challenge to one's faith. The Catholic church was fundamentally opposed to Galileo when he adopted the Copernican view that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the galaxy. George W. was fundamentally opposed to the fact that there were no weapons of mass destruction to be found in Iraq. Find them anyway! Fundies don't like opposition, and Fundies don't like to be wrong. When Fundies are shown to be factually challenged or data shy (aka, wrong), they like to twist the facts to their liking, which is rather twisted indeed.

For instance, this is what got my friend's panties all twisted up: Apparently some Tea Partiers aren't buying that the climate, she's a-changin'. They think that global warming is a ploy for the government to wring more money out of us, through programs paid by us, the taxpayers. Doesn't matter what the scientists say, or how many degrees they hold. They're all part of the left-wing conspiracy to take out the common man and woman.

The Fundies also think that representative government (i.e., democracy), is:

"...a temporary invention of man, even if it does line up with a few Biblical principals in a couple of areas. Certainly, it has often proved helpful in the spread of the Gospel. However, when Jesus returns, he will not set up a democracy. Therefore, we can be sure that democracy too will be shaken and found wanting." *

The sad thing is that I get it. I know how Fundies think. I was one, you recall. Trust me, the inside of a Fundamentalist's head is nowhere you want to be. It's dark in there. And tight. Not a lot of wiggle room, if you know what I mean. You're either with them or you're against them. And this either/or mentality is the very thing that's taking the wind out of our country.

How ironic that we went on a goose chase looking for weapons in Iraq, when it's homegrown Fundamentalism that's the weapon of mass destruction. Any ideology so brittle that it can't bend to accommodate its opposite is doomed to fail. Jesus bent. Muhammad bent. Buddha bent. Shiva bends. But Fundies? Dude, they snap.

Time to grow up, America! Hasten thou to hear the words of reason! The earth's heating up. You're contributing to it if you deny that it's happening. And by upholding the notion that we live in a black and white world, you're undermining the very thing that got us where we are today as a nation. Diversity rules, people! Do I hear amen?

Okay, now if someone would just help me down off this soap box, it's time for me to get some sleep.

* Definitely don't read this book: 'Christianity and Islam: The Final Clash', by Robert Livingston. The paucity of logic is stunning. Quote is on pp. 34-5.