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I think many of us have been saying the same thing for a while….
I’ve seen conversion to fundamentalism when the questions and uncertainties are just too overwhelming to be assimilated by the mind. I’ve also seen conversion away from fundamentalism for the exact same reasons.
Which makes one wonder if the actual root of fundamentalism is fear.
root of fundamentalism | nakedpastor.
Exactly. It is the fear of the unknown. Fear of uncertainty. Fear that you may not be correct.
It is not an adherence to a certain belief – it is the clinging to your own mental state out of fear of the unknown.
Note, this is about fundamentalism, not in believing what you consider to be Fundamentals.
Joel L. Watts holds a Masters of Arts from United Theological Seminary with a focus in literary and rhetorical criticism of the New Testament. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific discoveries of the past century. He is the author of Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark: Introduction and Commentary (Wipf and Stock, 2013) and a co-editor and contributor to From Fear to Faith: Stories of Hitting Spiritual Walls (Energion, 2013).
Website: → Unsettled Christianity
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Joel, I think you are right, I have been saying this for quite a while now. Fear is the major driving force behind religious fundamentalism in general.
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thanks for mentioning my post!!! cool pic with this too.
I am a fan of your work so I thank you.