--- In [email protected], Rick Archer <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > And of course, now that you've defined "sane" I agree with > you. It's the old story of people trying to make a relative > perspective absolute. Putting the earth at the center of the > solar system and then concocting bizarre theories to explain > the movements of the planets.
Excellent analogy. In my experience, fundamentalism is inextricably tied to self-importance. The greater the need to be important, the greater the desire for a spiritual trip that will tell you you're important, and at the center of the universe. And the greater the spiritual myth that the group IS important, the *more* fundamentalist its beliefs become over time. > And I think the points you've outlined reveal a sadistic > streak in those who aggrandize their egos by believing > that they alone have the truth. They get some kind of sick > pleasure by envisioning everyone else being subjected to > eternal torture. Self-aggrandizing, self-reinforcing self-importance again. In general in the spiritual smorgasbord, the stronger the myth of how "special" the "chosen" are, the worse the fate that awaits the "non-chosen" is. > They would probably enjoy administering it themselves if > they had the chance. And they have. One need look no further than the Inquisition to see True Believers conferring upon themselves the role of torturers in Hell. > Extreme fundamentalists do just that, by blowing up innocent > people (as George Bush does) or refusing to pardon those > condemned to death (as he did in record numbers as Governor > of Texas). Or blowing up innocent civilians in London, all in the name of God. I really DO believe that the bottom line of fundamentalism, in *whatever* incarnation it presents itself, is self-importance. The more that a religious or spiritual group tells its followers that they are "special" or "chosen," the more likely that group's dogma will be fixed and rigid and presented as undeniable, obvious "truth." When it comes to which is the cart and which is the horse, I honestly think that self-importance and the desire for it is the horse, and fundamentalism is the cart following along behind. Not vice-versa. Unc To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
