Breaking the Rules of Progressive and Conservative Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism by Jens Galschiøt

The entrance to Galschiøt's exploration of Fundamentalism is inviting to all, and the exit equally forbidding. There is something for everyone, but the only way out is to break the rules.

Walk the perimeter of the circle on the outside, and you will see words quoted from the texts of the Abrahamic faiths that represent a liberal approach to the human condition. This approach is liberal in the classic sense, and not liberal in the sense that progressives and conservatives use the word today.

Viewed from the inner circle, passages quoted from the same scriptures represented on the outside are essentially a negation of the liberal doctrines found in each of the religious traditions. The  words in the inner circle emphasize what separates the righteous believer with superior views from others. 

Anyone who does not accept the regulation of their thoughts into categories of good and bad as defined in the passages of the inner circle are the others. Outsiders or imposters. Derided and scorned.  

For the fundamentalist, the statements visible in the inner circle are considered to be the literal truth, and the basis for all actions in regard to the self, others, and the world.

From the fundamentalist perspective, liberalism can be seen as either the solution to all of our problems or the cause of them, depending on who you ask. 

Whether progressive or conservative, the fundamentalist holds the classic conception of a liberalism in contempt. The fundamentalist guards the power of the tenets of their particular faith as being beyond question, and in doing so denigrates the ideal conception of a human society guided by faith in natural law.

Notice the circles of thought formed by the ideas you encounter, and the people you interact with from season to season in your daily life. Acknowledge the openings where you are welcome to enter the inner circle.

Recognize that if you enter the inner circle, and surrender to the logic of an orthodox system, the way out will be marked by a sign that says "no exit." There will be demands for you to demonstrate faith in limited results above universal ideals.

Respond by adapting to situations where you are asked to pledge allegiance to thoughts and actions that impose artificial limits on the rule of natural law. Resist the temptation to go along with what is in fashion for the sake of avoiding censure. Affirm the integrity of the universe by breaking the rules of fundamentalism.

Whenever you are pressured to accept a cultural expectation or the pop culture interpretation of a scientific study as the literal truth there is an exit, if even in your own mind. This is the ultimate test and proof of your faith.


* GODSPEED stands for “Gather Only Data in Sync with the Purpose of Every Excellent Deed.”


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Good News Horror Story

Image
I was baptized in the Methodist Church when I was eight years old. At the time, I received a faux red-leather copy of the Good News Bible. It contained the same books as the King James Version of the Holy Bible, but it was worded a bit differently and branded with a new title to emphasize the neighborly teachings of the historical Jesus Christ. The good news that Jesus shared with us reminds me of the words of another teacher, Raghavan Iyer, who writes, “Life is no cruel burden imposed upon human beings by some capricious external power, but rather a festival in which there is continual learning and living and loving. But these cannot occur without unlearning, unloving, undoing the excess and illusion of the past.” Our institutions of government and religion are corrupted by the excess and illusion created by our repeated efforts to achieve some sort of status in the world of appearances at the expense of those who are voiceless and disregarded. Today and every day we have the opportun...
Read more

In Praise of the Humble Hyphen

Image
If she were still alive, my grandmother Mildred Joyce Webster Cole would have been 101 years old today.  I remember eating in a little diner with her after church in her adopted home of Reno, Nevada when I was not yet double-digits of age. As I recall, she had taken me to the store to purchase a card for my mother. We sat together at a booth in the diner while I wrote what I wanted to say. I misjudged the space available, and wouldn’t you know it I ran out of room to write an entire word in the space there was. Grandmother put me at ease and introduced me to a trick that I remember to this day, which was the use of a hyphen. If you ever run out of room to write what you want to say, you can add one of those dashes, preferably at a break between consonants, and everything will be fine.  It has been a little while since I posted anything on social media because I have been preoccupied with all the transformations going on around me. The world has been changing so rapidly that I ...
Read more

It is Possible to Change Overnight

Image
  I am feeling like there is nothing I can do. I look out my window to the world, and I look at the flowers blooming in our time, and I wonder. Am I able to really see the flowers for what they are, to experience the potential in each bud to release their fragrance? In the words of Bob Dylan,  “For them that must obey authority/ That they do not respect in any degree/ Who despise their jobs, their destinies/ Speak jealously of them that are free/ Cultivate their flowers to be/Nothing more than something they invest in.” I believe there is more to be experienced in the beauty of this spring day than what can be seen with the eyes, or experienced with the senses, but we have to start somewhere. Ask anyone to tell you what is actually happening, and the chances are if something seems to prevent them from living the life they imagine is possible they will give up describing what they actually see at the point where they sense that the world they describe is limited compared to the...
Read more