Intolerance and the Magical World-View

[jamesq]

Grog and evilscientist have both been writing lately about the rise of Fundamental Christians as a political force. Mostly this is because they (the Fundies) have been making changes now that they are in power - primarily towards reproductive rights, but also towards education. They both make some pretty good points, If you read my blog, you'll probably like theirs too.

So what are they doing? Well they're very quickly getting ready to ditch Row v. Wade. They're linking all federal funding to abstinence only sex education. Several states have more-or-less already succeeded in outlawing abortion. Several more are trying to undermine science classes by introducing "intelligent design" into the mix.

Same-sex marriage? Not a chance. I think they'll be lucky in the states to keep all that the gay-rights movement has achieved in the last thirty years.

But this is old news and you've heard me whine about it before. I didn't really want to talk what they are doing so much as what they are thinking.

Grog has a mind tuned to legalities and so that is the sort of arguments that he makes - an appeal to the rule of law. Evilscientist was trained as a political scientist so he tends to see things in terms of raw power and its pursuit. In a way they are both right. Grog in that the rule of law is important, evilscientist in that a lot of people in these organizations are more interested in secular power than they are in devotion to god.

But they both err in assuming that the religious reich (as grog describes them) can be reasoned with. They can't be because the fundies have a magical world-view. Let me sum that view up for you:

1) God is real and the bible is a true and accurate historical document.
2) Satan is real.
3) God and Satan are battling for the souls of humanity.
4) The end times are near.

... and most importantly:

5) If you're not with us, you're against us.

It is impossible to debate with someone like that because any valid argument you make will be interpreted through the filter of their beliefs. Disagreeing means you're against them and therefore you are a pawn of Satan. The rapture is coming soon and they are desperate to make this world acceptable to Jesus. They will not compromise, because the stakes are their immortal soul and compromise means giving an inch to the forces of darkness.

Scary.

The only was to turn the tide is education. People need to have the tools to think critically, the rest will follow. Unfortunately, the fundies are well-aware of this, which is why education will reamin the biggest battleground.

Comments

[evilscientist.livejournal.com]

I do realize there is no reasoning with a religious zealot. I do write to convince those who may decide that what the zealots are spewing is "common sense". In this sense the fundies aren't the target audience, but non-fundamentalists who may be thinking of moving in that direction.

Rapture?

[bungle-lord.livejournal.com]

Why are the most extreme rapture anticipators worried?
Do they expect to escape the effects and be left behind?

Re: Rapture?

[nosarious.livejournal.com]

Maybe they are worried the whole apocalypse thing will be blamed on them...

"And you, yes, you! Cowering in the corner! You were the one who left the fridge door open and let Pandora escape! Bad Fundie, Bad!"

(note to self... never post after drinking two beer)

Re: Rapture?

[jamesq]

Well the old testament god was prone to wiping out entire peoples for the sins of just a few of them. Tribes were damned or saved as a group. An American Fundamentalist is likely to be afraid that God will take him out along with the heathens in San Francisco unless he does something about it.