I was wondering how much of what any religious person believes is based on his surrounding environment and society
fundamentalism is a strange beast. It is clearly shaped by its interaction with other social forces.
you can see this in action in the UK right now. Following the huge anti-war protests, the normal flag wavers (small socialist parties, trade unionists, etc) were brought into temporary agreement with muslim fundamentalist groups (i.e. the Muslim Association of Great Britain). The MAB is essentially the representative body of Britain's muslim and it's been a pretty reactionary force. However following their involvement with peace and social activists, they're taking a very different line. They recently urged all of their members (i.e. the vast majority of British muslims) to vote for a far-left party in the general election. That's unheard of as far as I know. They are now publically supporting pretty radical political policies. It just shows that religious fundamentalists aren't always the "religious right". In Britain we have a religious left! Let's hope it spreads to the Christians in the UK and US. Let's also hope that MAB's view on homosexuality softens after their involvement with social activism politics.
You can hear Ihtisham Hibatullah's statement on behalf of the MAB here:
http://www.respectcoalition.org/mp3/ih.mp3 (statement to the socialist "Respect" political coalition).
This message has been edited by mick, 04-23-2005 06:31 PM