Submitted by Michael(United States), Sep 9, 2006 at 21:14
I would like to address your slander of Fundamentalist Christians. You equate fundamentalist Christians with fundamentalist Muslims. To you both are dangerous and you ascribe an equivalence, the objectionable commonality being "fundamentalism". First let me address "fundamentalism". This being an appeal to first principles and original sources.
The cry of the Protestant Reformation was "Ad Fontes" or back to the sources of Christanity: source documents, original Biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek, creeds and doctrines of early Christianity, etc. Fundamentalism in Christianity divides Christian liberalism, which is secular humanism using religious language, from Christians that believe in the plenary inspired inerrent eternal Word of God. Christian Evangelicals believe the Bible is literally in all parts the Word of God. The Bible is understood literally unless it clearly indicates otherwise, such as parables, similes, figures of speech, or some other literary devise. In other words, God says what he means and means what he says. Says equals Means.
This fundamentalism you equate with Islamic fundamentalism. But fundamentalism is neither good or bad of itself; it depends on the dogma or doctrine that is taught, believed and practiced. There is no moral equivalence between Christian fundamentalists and Islamic fundamentalists because the doctrines are antithetical to one another as the teachings of Christ is to Satan's lies.
For example, Christ purifies us from sin by the voluntary SHEDDING of HIS OWN BLOOD, becoming a substitutionary sacrifice for you and me. But, Islam teaches shedding the blood of Jews and Christians in holy war or jihad will purify the Musilm shahid of his sins. In stark contrast, CHRIST DID JIHAD FOR EACH OF US; he did battle with sin and Satan on our behalf and presents us to the Father clothed in his perfect righteousness. So to equate the Christian Fundamentalist who simply believes God's Word, the Bible, with the Islamic Fundamentalist, who believes the Qur'an and Hadiths, is slander or calumny against Christ himself, it is Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit according to the words of Christ himself. But you say that you are an atheist, agnostic or deist or some interpolation of these. Permit a secular example to prove that you yourself are likely a fundamentalist. Let's take the convenant or contract of marriage. Assume that you are married. Do you expect your wife to be exclusively faithful to you and you alone? If so, you are a fundamentalist.
A liberal marriage would not be sexually inflexable for either partner and, by definition, would not be fundamentalist with regard to the institution of marriage. Would you expect that your wife should spend significant time at home with you and the children rather then with her friends? Then you are a fundamentalist. In a liberal marriage each party goes their own individual way much of the time. Each persues their own interests, not to do so would be narrow and constricting to the one you love. Many more examples from marriage and life could be given to show that fundamentalism is not a bad thing. Perhaps you just think religious fundamentalism is bad. Jesus Christ says, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not what I say?" It is a lie to say that I am a Christian when I do not take the commands of Christ literally and seriously, that I selectively obey Christ, taking what I like and leaving the rest, a cafeteria Christianity. That is not Christianity and will not save a person in this life or the next. So then, what would be the point of calling myself a follower of Jesus Christ when I am not. As a Christian I am married to Christ. He is faithful to me and by his grace I will be exclusively faithful to him. It's fundamentally a marriage and as has been illustrated, a real marriage requires two fundamentalists.
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