Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism
Today, throughout the world, religious leaders and mil-
lions of their followers are seeking to return to the basics
of their faith. The drive toward
religious fundamental-
ism
is often born out of frustration over the perceived
breakdown of society's mores and values, lack of religious
authority, failure to achieve economic goals, loss of a
sense of local control, or a sense of violation of a religion's
core territory. Regardless of the religion, a fundamental-
ist group holds its religious beliefs as nonnegotiable and
uncompromising.
People in one society often fear fundamentalism
in other societies without recognizing it in their own. In
fact, what many call fundamentalism is sometimes bet-
ter defi ned as extremism.
Religious extremism
is fun-
damentalism carried to the point of violence. The attacks
on the United States in September 2001 reinforced the
tendency of many Americans to equate extremism with
Islam. Yet Christian extremism is also a potent force, as
witnessed in the United States when religious zealots kill
physicians who perform legal abortions. Fundamentalists
can be extremists, but by no means are all fundamental-
ists, whether Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or any other
religion, extremists.
Today the forces of globalization affect religions.
Education, radio, television, and travel have diffused
notions of individual liberties, sexual equality, and free-
dom of choice—but also consumerism and secularism.
In the process, the extent of cultural diffusion and inno-
vation has accelerated. Some churches have managed to
change with the times, allowing women to serve as priests
and homosexuals to marry, and generally liberalizing their
doctrines. Others have gone in the opposite direction,
reaffi rming fundamental or literalist interpretations of
religious texts and trying to block modern infl uences and
external cultural interference.
Catholic Church sought to ally itself with Islamic coun-
tries against advocates of population control.
In the United States, certain sects of the Catholic
Church continue to hold Mass in Latin and are much more
fundamentalist than the rest of the Church. Some of these
sects are part of the Catholic Church and continue to oper-
ate within the purview of the Church. Others stand apart
from the Catholic Church and do not recognize the pope,
nor does the Vatican sanction them. For example, actor/
director Mel Gibson belongs to the Holy Family Church,
which does not recognize the pope, and the Vatican does
not recognize that church as part of the Catholic Church.
Gibson's church is most associated with the
Traditionalist
Catholic Movement
, a fundamentalist movement that
believes the Mass should still be conducted in Latin and
that modern popes and clergy are not following the tradi-
tional theology and practices of the Church.
In the United States, Christian fundamental-
ism is also associated with Protestant faiths. Preaching
a doctrine of strict adherence to the literal precepts of
the Bible, many Protestant Christian fundamentalists
believe that the entire character of contemporary society
needs to be brought into alignment with biblical prin-
ciples. Fundamentalist Protestant churches range from
tiny churches to enormous warehouse-style churches
with thousands of members. Regardless of the size of the
congregation, fundamentalist Protestant churches have
become increasingly active in political and social arenas—
arguing for prayer in public schools, the teaching of cre-
ationism in science courses, a strict ban on abortion, and
the adoption of laws outlawing gay marriage (Fig. 7.40).
In the process, they have gained considerable infl uence,
especially in local politics (school boards and city councils).
Judaism
Like all other major religions, Judaism has fundamental-
ist sects. The most conservative of the three major sects
of Judaism is Orthodox. Yet, the Orthodox sect is divided
into several different schools of thought, teachings, and
synagogues. Much diversity exists among Orthodox Jews,
with varying views on Israel, education, and interaction
with non-Orthodox Jews. Fundamentalist Jews who
have migrated to Israel tend to vote for more conserva-
tive candidates in Israeli elections, affecting election out-
comes. Similarly, some fundamentalist Jews who remain
in Europe or North America send money to certain politi-
cians in Israel in support of policies such as Israeli settle-
ments on the West Bank.
Judaism also has its extremist element—people
whom the majority of Jews denounce and whom the
government of Israel has even banned from the coun-
try. Among the Jewish extremist groups is the Kach and
Kahane Chai—followers of the late American-born,
Israeli Rabbi Meir Kahane. Rabbi Kahane espoused anti-
Christianity
The Roman Catholic Church has long resisted innova-
tions deemed incompatible with the fundamentals of
the faith. Among the issues giving rise to disputes are
birth control, family planning, and the role of women in
the religious bureaucracy. The major religions tend to
be male-dominated, and few women have managed to
enter the hierarchy. This is true in the Roman Catholic
Church, where women are not allowed to serve as priests.
The Roman Catholic Church has over 1 billion adher-
ents and has a global diplomatic and political presence,
affecting policies in numerous places and on many top-
ics. For example, the Roman Catholic Church preaches
against the use of artifi cial means of birth control as well
as abortion. During the September 1994 United Nations
Conference on Population and Development, the Roman
