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The soul is the crux of our humanity, and all fundamentalists acknowledge that fact, but they view the soul as something that must be ‘saved,’ rather than the mirror image of the divine within us that we did not acquire and that we cannot ‘lose.’”
Fascists “attack the truth” with propaganda, in particular “a kind of anti-intellectualism” that “creates a petri dish for conspiracy theories.”
American Christian fundamentalism has turned Christ into something that is “dictatorial in its heart and is preparing society for
Fundamentalism began as a movement in American Protestantism in the late 19th century in reaction to theological modernism, which aimed to revise traditional Christian beliefs to accommodate new developments in the natural and social sciences, especially the theory of biological evolution.
During the buildup to the Civil War, white evangelicals used scripture to defend slavery and nurture the Confederacy. During Reconstruction, they used it to deny the vote to newly emancipated blacks. In the twentieth century, they sided with segregationists in avidly opposing movements for racial equality and civil rights. Most recently, evangelicals supported the Tea Party, a Muslim ban, and border policies allowing family separation.
It is worth emphasizing that Jesus did not specialize in control, but preferred calm discernment over hysterical reaction—“Not my will but thine be done.”
Christian fundamentalism is a sin-management program based in shame, and the fact is, regardless of how much one attempts to “measure up,” one never will.7
I believe it is important to distinguish between fundamentalist Christian churches and nonfundamentalist, progressive churches that preach and authentically practice unconditional acceptance. The ethic of churches in the latter camp is one of inclusiveness, mercy, compassion, economic equality, and social justice.
To commit one’s life to Christian fundamentalism is to consent to a fear-based existence and the instilling of fear in others in the name of saving their souls.
There are hundreds of paths up the mountain, all leading to the same place, so it doesn’t matter which path you take. The only person wasting time is the one who runs around the mountain, telling everyone that his or her path is wrong. —Hindu proverb
“A child at the age of four or five does not have a fully-developed brain, and it’s crazy to believe that a child that age can embrace a religion like this…Kids conform because they need to be dependent on their parents.”
I believe that the very notion of original sin is traumatizing, and in many cases, intentionally so. It is a form of spiritual abuse inflicted on believers and non-believers alike out of emotional insecurity and a compulsion to shame, dominate, control, and manipulate the unconverted into a born-again experience and the converted into submission to specific theological or doctrinal perspectives and behaviors.
It’s as if you needed crucifixion in order to have a right to exist and certainly in order to have the right to go to heaven when you die. God had to die because you’re so terrible, and you should be killed.
The purpose of separation of church and state is to keep forever from these shores the ceaseless strife that has soaked the soil of Europe in blood for centuries.
Former President Lyndon Johnson said it best: "I'll tell you what's at the bottom of it. If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
“Evangelicals are not socially isolated, but they are informationally isolated.”
Creating a bulwark against fascism in American culture requires groups of individuals committed to political action and social justice. This may be especially challenging for those recovering from Christian fundamentalism. It is a formidable task for any American, but those indoctrinated with religious conspiracy theories may find it a particularly onerous task. On the other hand, I have known many former fundamentalists who are deeply engaged in confronting the rising tide of fascism because they lived through and survived religious mind manipulation.
“The fascist movement in America will not display itself with swastikas and brown shirts, but will instead wrap itself around the Christian cross and American flag.”
“Ask yourself, ‘is this person mentally mature enough to grasp the concept of different perspective?’ If not, there is no point to argue.”29
“men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction.”
