Pick and Choose Fundamentalism

Rationale?! From Fundie's?! Are you Serious?!I'm not so sure that they "worship each word in Genesis."
Have you seen chapter one of the New International Version of the Bible and compared it to other (i.e. reputable) versions?Anyhoo. Having read the thread to date I must disagree with dwise1’s “former fundamentalist.” The Jesus Freaks, however disgusting, were a logical outgrowth of fundamentalist indoctrination. Some years before those freaks appeared, I too had taken steps in that direction, (driven by my fundamentalist approach to Bible study) coming home from college long haired, unshaven, wearing sandals and a trench coat (my notion of a 'modern' robe). I was a ministerial student and volunteer Bible instructor well versed in our church's program (crash course) of indoctrination and induction. Our method had already been in play for about a hundred years, and continues today, virtually unchanged (except that I am no longer a part of it). Granted, there was a broader foundation of biblical study but the overwhelming emphasis was on those “24-verses” (thank you SGT Snorkel). Those verses reminded us that we were inherently evil, essentially worthless, and totally helpless without the assistance of Jesus (among other things). Also: when to come to meeting, and where to put our money. Prior to college graduation our ministerial candidates were expected to have memorized more than a hundred Bible verses which supposedly supported our peculiar set of doctrines (SDA). Within five years, however, I was able to demonstrate from the Bible that our doctrines were so much hooey. I came to read it myself, and in context you see; including the chapters which had been ignored or abridged and the verses which had been skipped over, or cut in half. Can you imagine how furious I became, having devoted my life to the service of God and Church, only to realize that our edifice of truth was a house of cards?About that "former fundamentalist" comment that "the congregations largely failed to carry through with their Bible study -- " My experience suggests that Christian audiences are systematically deterred from exploring the Bible (despite casual appearances to the contrary). Even when believers read outside the bounds prescribed by their instructors, they are likely to distrust their own understanding and rather defer to the clergyman's opinion. That response is only natural but this fact in itself does not explain the phenomenal resistance, among fundamentalists, to form a truly personal opinion. Conformity to official interpretations is further encouraged by instructing Bible students to ignore their own opinion. This anti-intellectual instruction is reinforced by quoting scripture: I cannot say, at this time, whether that scripture is relevant to Bible study. What I can say is that it is one of the few study guidelines offerd to students by their fundie Bible instructors. In a fundamentalist congregation, you risk expulsion if your insight strays from the norm. The prejudice against personal opinion is not limited to the corporate realm but is a powerful factor in fundamentalist family life as well.For example: I came home from college one Christmas, while studying New Testament Greek, and offered my father the unique translation I had made of John 2:4 (one of the more difficult to translate, according to my instructor). I was rather proud of my effort. I figured I had nailed it. Certainly an improvement over the King James Version of the text. I don't know how I expected my father to respond. But it wasn't the loving father routine. He wasn't going to post my latest art on the refrigerator. No. He surprised me big time; seemingly all out of proportion to the sin which he seemed to think I had committed. He raged. He clenched his massive fists and stepped forward half raising them, as if to attack and glared at me wide-eyed for a second; then lowered his guns to a standby position; and, red-faced and surly, he challenged: The old man is gone now, but not before he saw me become an atheist Sunday School teacher. He had mellowed a bit by then but I don't think he expected me to join him in heaven. Arrogance may not be a fundamentalist requirement but it appears to be well accepted in the congregations.

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Theology is the science of Dominion.
- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -

Thank you for your response. That may be true for a great many individual Christians but I'm not sure it's true of those who embrace the dominionist movement. These folks seem to know why they choose what they choose; or at least: why they are choosing.The experience which I related re: my fundamentalist father, reflects a rather stern attitude toward freedom of Christian thought but no matter how mellow a dominionist appears to be, he/she is inclined to act, and vote, in ways which threaten freedom of religion. This has some otherwise very mellow Christian people getting up in arms, including Bill Moyers:

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According to acclaimed journalist and television host Bill Moyers,

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True, people of faith have always tried to bring their interpretation of the Bible to bear on American laws and morals ... it's the American way, encouraged and protected by the First Amendment. But what is unique today is that the radical religious right has succeeded in taking over one of America's great political parties. The country is not yet a theocracy but the Republican Party is, and they are driving American politics, using God as a a battering ram on almost every issue: crime and punishment, foreign policy, health care, taxation, energy, regulation, social services and so on. more

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See the parent site: Theocracy WatchHaving devoted my life to studying the Bible and the people who think they understand it: I am extremely concerned for the future of American Liberty: religious and secular. Your liberal easy going approach to Bible study is refreshing. Fact is, however, the subject has been deadly serious in the past and is far from inoccuous today.Have you any idea of the horror which would be unleashed by a joining of church and state? The seriousness of the question was pointed up earlier in this thread by Equinox who wrote:

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For instance, 30% of Americans want a Constitutional Amendment making Christianity the Official Religion of the United States (that’s about half of US Christians), according to a Barna poll taken in 2005.

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Need I say more?

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Theology is the science of Dominion.
- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -

That which you may call "a distortion" of Christianity, the fundamentalist knows as "the true" Christianity. In my experience, fundamentalists are more likely to read the Bible and are generally better informed regarding its content. (Not that it takes a lot to be better informed than the majority of Christians). Fundamentalists are the shock-troops of Christianity. They know that God commands his people to kill the infidel. To their way of thinking: If you don't know what the Bible has to say about such things, then you don't know a lot about the Bible.If one doesn't know the basics (the fundamentals) then how does one determine what is genuine and what is distortion? No offense intended but if we are going to accuse the other guy of having it wrong then we should be able to explain to him how he's wrong. (whether he accepts it or not is another matter)Yes?

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Theology is the science of Dominion.
- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -

Yes. Sad but true. And it behooves peace-loving UU's everywhere to bone up on Bible knowledge; if for no other reason than to defeat the great army of ignorants. Have mercy on their souls, however, for they have entrusted their minds to the corrupting influence of a clergy which, through zealotry or greed, are leading them to war against the very Liberties which have allowed them to prosper.The statistics you are trying to recall are located here, in this post by Equinox.BTW. Good to see a UU presence here. Edited by doctrbill, : To repair link

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Theology is the science of Dominion.
- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -

Excellent question. Wish I had an excellent answer. It may not be possible to accomplish that goal directly. There are things one can try, however, which might have some impact on an individual who is honestly seeking factual truth.You might start by pointing up some of the more humorous examples of how Bible writers employ figures of speech. The following are my favorite and perhaps the most obvious (and therefore funny):

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"He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Jhn 7:38

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Imagine that!

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"Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head." Rom 12:20

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When it comes to the allegorical nature of the Genesis story, I imagine that you are referring to the second and third chapters, yes? It appears to me as if the first chapter is a condensed synthesis of ancient middle eastern cosmology.

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Theology is the science of Dominion.
- - - My God is your god's Boss - - -