Malaysiakini (http://www.malaysiakini.com)
Religious fundamentalism is dangerous, 9 December 2010
by O Young
I am not sure if Malaysiakini has received any hate mail because it publishes my articles weekly, but I do receive some e-mails. Some Christian fundamentalists not only attack me, but also attack Malaysiakini.
These people remind me of US Senator Jesse Helmes, who once said, "The New York Times and the Washington Post are both infested with homosexuals themselves. Just about every person down there is a homosexual or lesbian."
This is simply because the New York Times and Washington Post are liberal and pro-gay. This is also why I always tell my fellow Malaysians not to envy Americans or deem the United States to be the best country for gay people, for some Americans are really backward!
I have no doubt that many Christian fundamentalists are sincere in their beliefs. They truly believe that they are doing God's work and defending God. But unfortunately, they are wrong. Instead of promoting love and justice, they terrorise people in the name of God.
The problem with Christian fundamentalism is that it is only interested in what the Bible says, or, to be more accurate, only interested in what the fundamentalists believe the Bible to say, and leave no room for toleration of other points of view.
Fundamentalists despise scientific advancements
This is why the Church burned people and persecuted scientists for teaching that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Christian fundamentalists in the past, and even some today, teach that masturbation is "unnatural" and therefore wrong and sinful. Bluntly put, many religious fundamentalists seek to replace secular democracy with a fundamentalist theocracy.
Religious fundamentalists tend to ignore or even despise the advancements made by the scientific or humanistic communities if they find that these are in contradiction with their religious beliefs. They simply refuse to incorporate new information and change their world views and beliefs.
Homosexuality, which no literal reading of the Bible can support, is one example of this refusal to incorporate new information. In the past, many quoted the Bible, Genesis 9:25, Timothy 6:1-2, and Ephesians 6:5, to defend the institution of slavery and condemned those who sought to abolish it.
Of course, almost every Christian fundamentalist that I know of now has figured out a way to reinterpret the biblical passages mentioned above to support the abolition of slavery. Christian fundamentalists, however, have failed to learn any lesson from this historical case.
Christian fundamentalists in the United States, such as Jerry Falwell, have claimed that 9/11 was a punishment from God for Americans' tolerance of homosexuality.
Sometimes, Falwell and some others have even said that hurricanes and tornadoes are God's punishment for gay parades being held in the cities and God's wrath against those who have tolerated homosexuals.
US one of most conservative countries in the West
The United States is one of the most religious and conservative countries among the highly developed nations of the West. While many countries in Europe have either recognised same sex marriage or civil union, the United States still refuses to do so.
This is why it is so ridiculous and laughable when some religious fundamentalists, or those who oppose homosexuals in Malaysia, tell me, "don't bring Americanism to Malaysia". I guess they only know about the United States from Hollywood and from rumours.
Religious fundamentalism is dangerous because its followers tout their beliefs as God's will or as representative of moral values that everyone, regardless of whether they share these beliefs or their religion, should follow.
Those who do not, they claim, are simply wrong, period. Fundamentalists believing that their religious texts should be followed literally have justified the crusades, pogroms, oppression, persecution and terrorism.
As a Christian pastor and theologian, I only seek to criticise Christian fundamentalism. I do hope that other scholars who are trained in their religions will expose and criticise the unreasonable beliefs and tenacity of fundamentalists in their own religions.
・Reverend O Young is Christian minister at MCC New York. He holds two masters degrees, in sociology and theology. He lives in New York city and teaches sociology at St Peter's College. He has published 20 books on sociology, theology and sexuality and is also a columnist for Sin Chew Daily. He is currently finishing his doctoral degrees in sociology and theology.
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