More from author
-	The Titanic Effect...And The Criminal Justice System
-	Striking Back At Terrorism By Extortion
-	The New American Witch Hunt
-	Presumption of Innocence Denied In Virginia
-	A Supreme Court For the Religious Right? Not If We Can Prevent It!

See news about

activism AKP Al Yamamah alcoholism treatment Angelina Jolie BAE Systems Bill Murray bizarre news BRIT Awards Buick car crash Celebrity Commonwealth Bank Series Cricket Demi Moore extradition formula one France Gambhir genocide geri Halliwell headlines single Health Care Commission Heather Mills Hutu Hyperinflation Impeachment James Earl Katie Holmes Kylie Minogue Mika military tribunal MRSA Mugabe music Pakistan Pakistan Tour Paris Hilton Politics Ponting Prince Harry and Chelsy Rod Stewart Saudi Arabia SCG Secularists security Serious Fraud Office Sienna Miller Stockholm Syndrome Symonds terrorism The Huff Tim Burton Tutsi usic Victoria Beckham Victoria Beckham nude Yves Leterme00710 Worst Nude Film Scenes2nd amendment50 Cent50-Centa-teamA-Team movieABBAAbbie CornishAbi TitmussAbigail BreslinAcademy AwardsaccidentsAdam SandleraddictionsAdeleAdnan GhalibAfghanistanAfton SmithAgyness DeynAir IndiaAishwarya RaiAl GoreAl Pacinoal QaedaAl-QaedaAlan ArkinAlan RickmanAlanis MorisseteAlanis MorissetteAlbert Einsteinalcoholalcohol addictionalcoholismAlec BaldwinAlesha DixonAlex TurnerAlexandriaAli CampbellAli LarterAlicia KeysAlicia SilverstoneAllahAlli SimsAmanda HoldenAmanda PeetAmanda SeyfriedAmazonAmelle BerrabahAmerican IdolAmerican PieAmy AdamsAmy RyanAmy WinehouseAmy Winehouse is planning a massive Christmas bingAnatole TaubmannAndhraAndrew MortonAndy HilfigerAndy SerkisAng LeeAngela MerkelAngelina Jolieanimal rightsAnjelica HustonAnna NicoleAnna Nicole SmithAnne HathawayAnnie LennoxAnthony HopkinsAnthony MinghellaAnti-IconAntonio BanderasAppleArctic MonkeysAretha FranklinAri SandelArmaniArnieArnold SchwarzeneggerArpad BussonAshantiAshely TisdaleAshlee SimpsonAshley ColeAshley JuddAshley OlsenAshley TisdaleAshton KutcherAsif Ali ZardariAsley OlsenAssamastronautAtonementAtonement\'Audrey HepburnAustraliaAvril LavigneAyda FieldBabelbabyBackstairs BillyBackstreet Boysbad influencesBaftaBaghdadBalticBangladeshBar RafaeliBar RefaeliBarack ObamaBarry ManilowBasraBattlestar GalacticaBBCBeatlesbeauty pageantBeckhambecome news reporterBeethovenBelgiumBen AffleckBenazirBenazir assassinationBenazir BhuttoBenazir Bhutto assassinationBenazir Bhutto photosBenazir Bhutto stampsBenazir Bhutto willBenezir Bhutto assassinationBeowulfBernardo BertolucciBest ActressBest Dressed in 2007best haircutbest motorcycle movie momentsbest moviesBeth DittoBethlehemBette MidlerBeverly Hills 90210BeyonceBeyoncé KnowlesBeyonc¨¦ KnowlesBilawal ZardarBilawal ZardariBill GatesBillie PiperBillionaireBilly JoelBilly Zanebinge drinkingBipasha Basubird fluBismarckBizarre NewsBjorkBlack CrowesBlack Eyed PeasBlake FielderBlake Fielder CivilBlake Fielder-CivilBlaze Media ProblogbloggerbloggingBlurBMWBo DerekBob DylanBobby BrownBollywoodbombBon JoviBondBond 22Bond girlBond girlsBonoBoratBotoxBoy GeorgeBrad PittBrad RenfroBrainBrandon RouthBrandyBrazilbrazil prisonbread thievesBrendan FraserBrian MayBrian McFaddenBrian WilliamsBridget JonesBridget MoynahanBRIT AwardsBritish royal familyBritish Secret IntelligenceBritney SpearBritney SpearsBritney Spears adoptionBritney Spears body doubleBritney Spears lawyerBritney Spears psychological evaluationBritsBrittany MurphyBrooke ShieldsBruce LeeBruce SpringsteenBruce WillisBruneiBryan AdamsBuckingham Palacebulletproof vestBushBusta RhymesCairoCalista FlockhartCalvin KleinCameron DiazCameron MackintosCamila AlvesCamillaCanadaCanada¡¯s Juno AwardscancercannabisCannesCannes Film FestivalCapri Hollywood Film FestivalCarey HartCarla Bruni-SarkozyCarmen ElectraCarmit BacharCaroline KennedyCarrie UnderwoodCasablancaCasey AffleckCasey AldridgeCash WarrenCasio keyboard

 

It’s time to clear up the obvious confusion surrounding the words "Christianity" and "fundamentalism." The two are not necessarily synonymous. Having posted on various debate boards on this very topic, I have observed more than a few schools of thought on each. This is not surprising, as the terms have different meanings for different people. Let’s tackle Christianity first.

There are several splinter groups of Christians, ranging from the more libertarian or progressive to the arch conservative. The liberal branches are represented by both Liberal and Liberated Christians. Members of these two groups believe in God and Jesus, but reserve the right to make personal decisions regarding sex, marriage, contraception and reproduction. Catholics For Free Choice is spin-off of the traditional Catholic church, which normally takes a hard line on sex and reproduction. Unitarian Universalist is another church that favors a more humanistic philosophy over the dogmatic and often repressive doctrines of conservative and evangelical Christian sects. From what I have read and observed of both liberal and conservative branches of Christianity, it is clear to me that the liberal groups represent Christianity rather than the conservative element. The latter leans to the far-right direction of fundamentalism.

Fundamentalism stresses strict observance to a particular faith or ideology over people’s personal rights and freedoms. In other words, individual liberties aren’t important; obedience is. One of the more extreme examples of religious fundamentalism can be found in the Spanish Inquisition, begun by the Catholic Church in the latter part of the 15th Century. Catholics who supported the Inquisition shared the fundamentalist belief that theirs was the only "true faith," and anything else was heresy. In the movie "Mary Queen of Scots, the character of Father John Ballard, Queen Mary’s personal priest, summed up this thinking with the following statement: "In this world, there are only two sorts of men; Catholic and heretic. Only a fool thinks otherwise. Modern fundamentalists, be they Christian or some other religion, have almost exactly the same thought.

The split between Christianity and fundamentalism widens considerably when issues relating to sex, marriage and reproduction are being debated. Liberal Christians generally feel that what consenting adults do in the privacy of their homes and bedrooms, be these adults straight, gay or somewhere in between, is no one else’s business, certainly not that of the church. Fundamentalist or conservative Christians maintain that sex outside the parameters of what they have determined acceptable is a sin, unacceptable to God, and must be severely punished, or at least made illegal. Practices considered to fundamentalists include abortion, contraception, homosexuality, and premarital sex among heterosexual couples. Of course, when pressed for an answer on how they know for a fact these "sins" are not accepted by God, the typical answer is "because the Bible says so." Considering the Bible was written by men rather than God (whoever they believe that to be), this answer fails to make any sense to anyone who prefers facts to beliefs.

In recent years, the two most volatile issues in Christianity appear to be abortion and gay marriage. In the matter of abortion, the more liberal Christians feel it is regrettable, but are not in favor of eliminating a woman’s right to choose. Christian fundamentalists believe abortion is never acceptable under any circumstances, even when a woman’s life is threatened if she continues the pregnancy to birth. Extreme Christian fundamentalists, such as the Rev.