UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM
ILLUSTRATION
THE GATHERS
There was a very wise man who one day decided to journey to a neighboring city with three of his followers. They were not long into their journey when they came upon a man picking berries. In his quest to get the largest and best berries the man had wandered into a quagmire and was buried up to his thighs. The wise man called out: “May we be of any assistance!” The man answered: “No! I am doing fine, and I would advise that you seek berries somewhere else … these are mine.” The wise man replied: “Very well.” And, he and his students continued on their way.
Before much longer they came upon a man who was picking apples and in his quest to obtain the largest and best apples the man had wandered into a quagmire and was now stuck up to his thighs in the mud. The wise man called out: “May we be of any assistance!” The man answered: “No! For I fear that you too may come to as sad and end as I. For once the sun sets the beasts of the night are sure to devour me.” The wise man noticed that the limb, from which the man had been picking the low hanging fruit, was of substantial size. He instructed his three students to climb up the tree and go out on the limb, knowing that their combined weight would cause the limb to bend down within reach of the man who was stuck in the quagmire. The wise man’s plan worked and soon the man was free of the mud and standing on solid ground with the wise man.
At once the man, who had been picking apples, fell at the feet of the wise man, and taking his sack of apples from his shoulder, he offered all that he had. The wise man remarked: “Get to your feet. I only ask that you share some of what you have so that I, and my students, might be strengthen for the remainder of our journey. As they ate of the apples, one of the students asked: “Why is it that the first man did not want our help; as he too was fast and will surely be devoured by the beasts of the night.” The wise man answered: “The man’s heart was calloused by his greed for the fruit, and because his eyes still beheld the sun light his mind was blinded to the reality night would bring.” You see, even blatant reality is hidden to those who do not want to believe it.
SERMON
RELIGIOUS FUNDAMENTALISM
Most Americans know very little of the truth about ‘Islamic terrorism.’ This is because they neither know Islam nor do they understand those who are faithful to the teachings of Mohammad. Probably more important, is the fact that very few Americans, or Muslims, have any idea what it means to be a loyal and faithful follower of spiritual or religious principles. In other words, people do not know what it means to be a religious fundamentalist.
To be a religious fundamentalist means you have an unwavering conviction in an existing set of irreducible beliefs. This means that a religious fundamentalist knows exactly what it is they believe and there is nothing on the face of the earth that can change their belief. Probably most important is the fact that a religious fundamentalist passionately believe their holy book is the complete, final and accurate revelation of their god’s will for mankind. This means they will never add to, nor delete from, nor alter in any way, the teachings found in their holy book. Most people have no such conviction; thus, they do not understand fundamentalism because they themselves have no real idea what it means to be a loyal and faithful follower of a religious belief.
Most assuredly there are religious peoples in America and they will claim Islamic or Christian beliefs … but this does not mean they are devoted to the fundamentals of their faith. Most religious people have a situationally religious attitude. In other words, their religious text is simply viewed as a collection of situationally relevant teachings, which could be applicable to their life: assuming they are properly modified or interpreted to adapt to current conditions. Thus in many ways, a person’s attitude toward their religious text can be the defining factor in separating a fundamentalist from a non-fundamentalist. A non-fundamentalist is willing to adjust the documented teachings of their faith, based on the current situation. A true fundamentalist, on the other hand, will make it a point to personally know what is written in their religious text and they will not listen to anyone who does not rigidly adhere to these teachings. A true fundamentalist believes their religious text is the complete, final, and accurate documentation of their god’s will. Thus, you might say that the only person who can really understand the dedication of a religious fundamentalist is another religious fundamentalist.
OUR WAR ON ISLAMIC FUNDAMENTALISM
Theoretically, if it were not for the militant mentality of Islamic fundamentalists there is absolutely no reason why Americans and Muslims could not live in peace and harmony. True Islam is not, however, a peaceful religion. Since its invention in the 7th century the Islamic faith has spread under the sword far more than it has spread through evangelism.
America’s first real introduction to Islamic driven hostility came in the 18th century, when the United States was first forced to capitulate to Islamic demands. Algerian Islamic pirates were capturing American ships and then ransoming them, and their crew, back to America. In 1786, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams met with Tripoli’s ambassador to Great Britain and ask why Muslims held so much hostility towards America. Ambassador Sidi Haji Abdul Rahman Adja replied: “Islam was founded on the Laws of their Prophet, that it was written in their Quran that all nations who would not have acknowledged their authority were sinners, that it was their right and duty to make war upon them wherever they could be found, and to make slaves of all they could take as Prisoners, and that every Muslim who should be slain in Battle was sure to go to Paradise.” Seems like a straight forward answer but our America politicians just could not understand this fundamental doctrine of Islam, so they simply continued pleading with the Algerians to stop their hostile actions; but to no avail. Eventually in 1797 America was forced to sign the Treaty of Tripoli. It was in Article 11, of this peace treaty, that the United States blatantly capitulated to Islamic fundamentalist: this article clearly declared to the world that the United States was not a Christian nation. Islamic militants (terrorist) had successfully driven America into open rebellion toward our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It was not long after this that Islamic fundamentalists demonstrated to the West that Islam still has no qualms about using violence to meet their objectives. From the Islamic fundamentalist perspective, there shall never be peace until all the world is Islamic … as was proven by the subsequent Barbary Wars in 1801-1805 and in 1815.
We could have looked at Islamic spawned violence in many places around the world. It is more relevant for this article, however, to stick with Islam and America. For example, Spanish colonization of the Philippians eventually led to a corrupt system of landlordism, which exploited the poor. Even after the United States defeated Spain in 1898, and occupied the Philippians, there remained a strained relationship between the United States and various elements in this island nation. It is rumored that around 1911 General John J. Pershing was fighting Islamic terrorists and he got so frustrated with their persistence that he had his solders bury pigs with the terrorists they killed. This certainly irritated the Islamic fundamentalist but it did not stop them. Eventually, the Second World War came to the Philippians and there was a united effort against the Japs, but this alliance did little to change the basic underlying emotions and beliefs. By the mid-20th century the most noticeable problem was the Moro population in the Southern Philippians and the Huks in the Central Luzon, both of which were of a fundamentalist Islamic leaning. In the late 1960’s it is rumored that special American led teams were being sent into the Philippians to kill key Islamic elements. And, nothing has changed: at least a dozen Filipino people were killed in Islamic terrorist attacks in 2014.
America’s war on Islamic fundamentalism did not always involve military action. By the late 19th century the West had developed serious financial interests in the Middle East, but Islamic law blocked any expectation of Middle Eastern financial modernization. Thus, it was left up to the West to introduce to the Middle East modernizations, which would support business interests. As a result of Western efforts, and Middle Eastern financial interests, eventually reforms such as legalization of interest, the establishment of secular courts, and banking regulations were established, all based on Western models. In this benign battle, the West won and the Islamic faith lost. In fact, such things as the Islamic law of commercial partnerships, the Islamic inheritance system, the waqf system, and Islam's traditional aversion to the concept of legal personhood … all eventually fell to the seduction of Western money. Back in the 18th century, Islam had forced the U.S. into Christian hypocrisy; now in the 19th century the West had successfully begun to lure the Middle East into Islamic modernization.
By the middle of the 20th century, primarily thanks to Middle Eastern financial interests, Western efforts to modernize the Islamic faith had succeeded beyond our wildest imagination. Not only had the West stripped the Middle Eastern finance system of its Islamic heritage, we were now changing the Muslim culture itself. As a side note to the financial institution’s war on fundamental Islam, we must admit that there was a great deal of money being made in smuggling such things as alcohol, pornography, and western clothing into the Middle East. Perhaps we should not allude to any Western governmental condolence of these efforts, but then again we certainly cannot point to any real effort to stop what was going on. It is rumored that the West even supported the projection of Western style music and TV into the Middle East. It is pretty much a fact that at one time Baywatch was the most popular TV program in the Middle East, and it did wonders in getting Arab women out of their Hijab and into tight fitting blue jeans. The modernization of Islam was in full swing. In any event, Muslims were very eager to buy booze, pornography, and western style clothing. They cast aside their traditional clothing, and music, and entertainment, and culture in a maddening head-long rush toward Westernization. Whether Western governments took an active part in this or not is irrelevant; the fact remains that the first half or so of 20th century saw extensive undermining of the foundations of Islam and the filling of the Middle East with Western morality and culture.
ISLAM FUNDAMENTALIST FIGHTS BACK
Nowhere in the Middle East was the West more successful than in their phenomenal Westernization of Iran. The magnitude of this success, however, eventually generated a serious backlash. In the late 1970’s the people of Iran rose up and overthrew the United States supported Pahlavi dynasty, under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi. The Shah was eventually replaced with an Islamic republic under the Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. The politics of Iran became a form of Syncretic politics, which is guided by an Islamist ideology. Not quite a theocracy, but very close. Under the influence of their religious leader, Khomeini, Iran attempted to return to its Islamic roots, and it did so to some extent. The new regime made a significant reduction in obvert Islamic hypocrisy but it was more through fear than it was by winning the hearts and minds of the people.
The Ayatollah and other religious leaders gave long discourses on how they were going to return the entire Middle East to its Islamic roots. But, the seeds of Western modernization, accompanied by the fragmentation of Islamic doctrine, made this a very difficult task. The fact is, Muslims like our Western culture just as much as any other people, and once Pandora’s Box had been opened there was no closing it. Islamic fundamentalists found that it is impossible to place Islam at the center of Muslim life once the people have tasted the sweet rewards of prostituting themselves to Westernization. Fundamentalist Islamic religious leaders finally realized that the only solution to Westernization was violence and time; in other words, force Islamic fundamentalism on the current generation and carefully grow up the following generations to know nothing but the fundamentalist way. The return to a fundamental Islamic was to be an evolutionary thing.
WESTERNIZATION
When we say Westernization we are in essence saying the dominance of an irreligious culture. The Western culture can be considered an irreligious culture because in the West religion takes a back seat to such things as social, business, political, cultural, educational, and entertainment values. To a large part, this is due to the fact that Christianity is a non-political and non-aggressive religion. Thus, in predominantly Christian nations, Christianity has relinquished most of its influence over such things as politics, education, science, social culture and even the military. While it is true that Fundamentalist Christian do not approve of our cultural and moral decline there really isn’t anything they can do about it. The Holy Bible teaches that a Christian is not of this world, and therefore a Christian must render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s and render unto God that which is God’s. The bible teaches that a Christian should be obedient to the government and always do their best to be a good peaceful citizen: without yielding to the heathen culture of their land. Christianity also teaches people to separate themselves from the world and to avoid getting caught up in worldly endeavors. This passive personality of true Christianity has made it very easy for Satan to significantly influence Western Culture; ergo, for a fundamentalist Muslim, Westernization is the work of Satan.
The teachings of Islam clearly state that Islam is to dominate cultural, political, social, educational, military, … all aspects of Islamic life. Fundamentalist Muslims are therefore taught to defend Islamic teaching, even if it requires killing the offender or the infidel. Most Islamic governments and financial institutions, and business, however, are more than willing to see the Koran altered to support their efforts to make money. At the same time, most Muslims are willing to see the Koran altered to support their desire for a Western style culture; along with its clothing, entertainment, and morality. This means that since the late 20th century most of the Middle East has been faced with a tremendous conundrum: how to be Islam and at the same time be a part of the New World system.
Today, in almost all Islamic societies the people’s faith in the Koran has been modernized to the point where Islam is much like Christianity: more of a cultural religion than a faith defined by a holy text. Most intellectuals and people with a realistic vision for the Middle East realize that modernization of Islam is the only true path toward peace. The West has already overwhelmingly modernized its religion; as is clearly demonstrated by the fact that our government and our people totally reject the authority and teachings of Jesus Christ. Although progress was being made in Islamic nations, the teachings of the Koran are not as easy to ignore as the teachings of the Bible. In the Koran, there is no such thing as secular authority and there is no such thing as tolerance of other religions. It is a horrible slap in the face for every fundamentalist Muslim to see that almost every Middle Eastern nation is ruled by a secular government; thus, proving that the Middle East is not really Islamic. Now that the West has stopped its Westernization of the Middle East, it is very understandable that there are a growing number of Islamic fundamentalist who are standing up in defense of the Koran. This is not a good thing and it cannot be ignored. There is a possibility that the Arab Spring, which began on 18 December 2010, and spread throughout the countries of the Arab League and its surroundings, may be a harbinger of further resistance. As necessary as it is, and as right as it is, people in the Middle East could be led to reject modernization.
UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE
A true Christian believes that the Bible is the complete, final and accurate revelation of God’s will for mankind. As a true Christian, we will choose death over willingly disobeying the word of God. As was said earlier, Christianity is willing to exist in a non-Christian culture but it will not assume the values of that culture. A result of this belief means that we will not willfully disobey those in secular authority over us … as long as we are not asked to compromise our walk with Jesus. Even Christians in the military will obey those in authority over them; to include combat … as long as they personally believe their action does not compromise their walk with Jesus. Also, Christianity has a very passive evangelism; a true Fundamentalist Christian has the obligation to live a Christian life; to share the gospel story with others; to teach others the Christian way; and to help others in their relationship with Jesus. As far as conversion is concerned, however, it is totally up to the work of Holy Spirit in that person’s life. Yes, there are a few zealots who try and force Christianity onto everyone but luckily they are in the minority. It is just that their aggressive and abrasive ways makes them so very noticeable. In any event, the bible teaches a Christian to gently and peacefully live, work and play alongside of non-Christians. A true fundamentalist Christian labors to live a peaceful life, in obedience to those in authority over them and be a good neighbor to those around them.
In Islam it is slightly different. Like true Christians, true Muslims believe the Koran is the complete, final and accurate revelation of God’s will for mankind. Like a true Christian, a true Muslim will chose death over willingly disobeying their beliefs. Unlike the Bible, which teaches Christians to not get ensnared in governmental issues, the Koran teaches that there is no such thing as an Islamic secular government. Islam is everything in a true Muslim’s life; and Islam has a very dynamic and forceful evangelism. The Koran teaches that a Muslim is not to tolerate a nonbeliever unless that nonbeliever is a proselyte or is paying tribute. In fact, the Quran contains at least 109 verses that call Muslims to war with nonbelievers, all for the sake of Islamic dominance. As a true Muslim, you view killing infidels as a command from Allah and you would choose death over disobeying Allah. Even many of the modernized Muslims will try and force their faith onto those around them. That is why we are having so many problems in American today. As long as there are Islamic terrorists who stir up old style Islamic emotions there will be an ever growing number of semi-modernized Muslims willing to covertly support the fundamentalists. The only reason there is any peace in the world is the fact that the majority of Muslims have modernized their religious teaching, just as the Christians have.
CONCLUSION
Now, if we are not a religious fundamentalist how can we possible understand what is going on in the heart and soul of a fundamentalist? We cannot. After all, we have grown up in a world dominated by manipulation and compromise. For the modernized Westerner and modernized Middle Easterner there is no such thing as inflexible reality, with its fixed, invariable, and unalterable facts. To the modernized, the Holy Bible and the Koran are simply sacred religious texts written by men inspired of God and, if properly interpreted in the light of a given situation, they can guide us in living a life pleasing to God. A fundamentalist Christian or Muslim, on the other hand, believes the Holy Bible and the Koran to be sacred religious texts written by men inspired of God, and that they are the complete, final and accurate revelation of God’s will for mankind. For a fundamentalist there is no compromise; for there can be no addition, deletion or modification to their Holy Text. There can be absolutely no human attempt to make it relevant to a given situation. When the Holy Bible tells us that every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities then that is exactly what a fundamentalist Christian believes. When the Koran teaches: O you who believe! Fight those of the unbelievers who are near to you and let them find in you hardness, that is exactly what a fundamentalist Muslim believes. A non-fundamentalist simply cannot truly comprehend this kind of dedication to a religious belief … only a fundamentalist really understands a fundamentalist.
There is absolutely no way you can get a true fundamentalist to compromise their faith … no way. You may beat them into a form of submission, you may even torture them until they parrot words you give them; but, you will never change their heart. This means that the West will have to fight against ISIS and other Islamic terrorists as long as this earth remains, because the Islamic terrorists will not go away. They will forever be a threat to non-Islamic nations, and they will forever be luring fence-straddling Muslims back to the true teachings of the Koran. The best we can do is to drive them into the hills and minimize their impact on the modern-Muslim’s efforts to modernize Islam. The real victory for the West, and for the Middle East, will be when Islamic fundamentalist have been so reduced in numbers that they have little to no effect on the continued modernization of the Middle East.
Where is the fundamentalist Christian in all of this? The fundamentalist Christian will labor to earn their own living; they will endeavor to gently and peacefully live, work and play alongside of non-Christians. And, a fundamentalist Christian will be in subjection to the governing authorities because they know whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God. This does not make the ruling authorities right; it is simply that we are to be obedient. As long as a fundamentalist Christian is not ordered to violate or break their integrity with God they will obey the secular government. (Romans 13:1-7) This is what makes a fundamentalist Christian unique.
