Dinesh D’Souza writing in “What’s So Great About Christianity?”
Some Western analysts describe the religious revivals around the world in terms of the growth of “fundamentalism.” This is the fallacy of ethnocentrism, of seeing the world through the lens of our own homegrown prejudices. Remember that fundamentalism is a term drawn from Protestant Christianity. It is an American coinage that refers to a group of early twentieth-century Protestant activists who organized against Darwinian evolution and who championed the literal reading of the Bible. Fundamentalism is a meaningless term outside of this context.
I couldn’t agree more. So, can someone please explain to me what this word has to do with the Taliban or any other militant religious extremist? Can we agree to stop using this term indiscriminately and focus on what we are really meaning to say?
Randy, I read D’Souza’s book in the Spring as well as “What is so great about America”. His intellectual approach on both topics was a joy to read.
But, I would have to think that “Fudamentalism” comes from the idea that the believers believe in the Fundamental Truths of their faith. The idea that the believes are a form of extreme faith or outside the norm. Thus the transfer of the idea of to extremism.
it is very unfortunate that the term is used so flippantly, but it is used. Even more unfortunately, it will enter the dictionary one day to define all conservative strict adherents of a faith (but now with a touch of violence thrown in for good measure).