Matt McNulty: Christian fundamentalism and its fundamental flaws

A couple years ago, when I was living in Clementon, New Jersey, a profoundly disturbing thing happened. I was off from work, trying to relax in my living room, when someone knocked at the front door. Even though the neighborhood had been going steadily downhill -- at one point the police conducted a drug sting operation not far from my house -- being the trusting soul that I am, I still opened the door to perfect strangers, albeit during the day. When I got up to open the door, I expected to see a kid selling snickers for his softball team, or a woman conducting a survey.

I couldn't have been more wrong.

What I saw instead was an emaciated blonde man clutching a Bible. I will never forget the crazed look in his black, probing eyes. He handed me a pamphlet to read, and when I declined, he asked me: "Are you sure you're going to heaven on Sunday?" He spoke in a perfect monotone, with no emotion to speak of. This individual then turned around and walked away.

The only meaning I could dig out of his cryptic statement was that I would not get to heaven if I did not follow his type of Christianity. Thinking back on this incident, I now realize that it was not an isolated one. When I was a sophomore at Penn, I happened to overhear a rather bizarre conversation in the dining hall one night. I was sitting next to an Asian woman and her male friend. The male student asked his friend why she changed her mind about going to graduate school.

"I think the Lord has chosen a different path for me," the woman said. "He doesn't want me to go to graduate school." Judging by the size of the bags under her eyes, she probably had not slept in days. If there is a God, I thought, I seriously doubt that he cares about your career choices. I had known that there were fanatical Christians, but I had never dreamed that they could have won converts at a bastion of the intellect like Penn.

After encountering a Christianity that bore no resemblance to the Catholicism I was reared in, I decided to look into this. What I learned was a relatively new religious phenomenon -- fundamentalist Christianity -- was spreading throughout America and the Third World like wildfire. And anyone who supports pluralism, religious tolerance or science education should be concerned about this development. Christian fundamentalism, like its Islamic counterpart, is the blatant refusal to compromise with the modern world. Fundamentalists take a literal interpretation of the Bible, and reject any scholarship or theory that does not conform to the Bible, for they believe that scripture is the "inerrant" word of God and should not be questioned. This explains their opposition to the teaching of evolution in the school system. If they did not think the creation account in Genesis literally happened, no objection would be raised against evolution.

Fundamentalism differs from mainstream Christianity in other ways. In Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity, Bruce Bawer asserts that fundamentalism -- which he terms "legalism" -- diverges from "modernist" or mainline Protestantism in almost every aspect. Bawer argues that legalism emphasizes adherence to doctrine over love of one's neighbor; with modernism it is the opposite. While modernists regard Satan as a metaphor for the potential for human evil, legalists believe Satan is a supernatural being that exists out in the world, ready to deceive and tempt people who are not "saved" by the "true" Christianity.

This is the reason many legalists believe that people who profess other faiths can become instruments of Satan, and therefore deem other religions "demonic." Televangelist Pat Robertson was quoted as saying that Islam is a "Christian heresy" and that Hinduism "has as its origin, demonic power." The Evangelical preacher Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, declared that Islam is "a very evil and wicked religion."

Of course, if you decide beforehand that someone else's religion is "evil" just because it is different from your faith, you will not be very inclined to engage in a religious dialogue with adherents of other faiths. This is the danger posed by a rigid, doctrinaire fundamentalism that stresses that there is only one path to salvation.

Another pitfall of Christian fundamentalism is the disconcerting tendency to regard the intellect as suspect, a potential tool for Satan. In Holy Terror, Flo Conway and Jim Seigelman report that some people who join fundamentalist Christian groups are told to get rid of every book in the house except the Bible. Perhaps that is why fundamentalism has spread so rapidly in places like Latin America and Africa, where education is substandard and superstition runs rampant.

Hopefully, there will be more of a dialogue between the major religions in the future and fundamentalism of every variety -- Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu -- will wither away under the lens of reason, and the power of love.

Comments (10)

You're on target, but fundamentalist Christianity is certainly not a "new" phenomenon. The second-wave revival of fundamentalism began with the advent of radio in the early 20th century. Fundamentalism is already well-evident in its first last gasps--the Scopes Monkey Trial. Ben

Here's the fundamental issue. Does logic and intellect equal truth? According to the very intellectualism that many base their objection to religion or Christianity on, logic itself can be considered an ideology, and sense and reason others. I struggle with this myself. I tried to intellectually figure out the meaning of this world, but I couldn't. No one belief, even one in science and intellect will escape question. So, the question left is simply what will you believe in? Hence the word faith, in which there in innately some doubt. Also, in my search I have found that Christianity more than Islam may be the most misinterpreted faith. It is not about rules. It is not about self-righteousness or exclusivity. It is simply about love and an open door to all. Also, to those who still stick by reason, it's one of the most logical and intellectually reasonable faiths if you read through the entire Bible, and not just part of it (especially if you focus on the text concerning Jesus). So, I welcome you and anyone else to just be open about religion and faith. By asserting intellect as the fundamental bar of truth, you are simply further isolating people from this "power of love" you speak of. Maybe God really did show that student that grad. school wasn't for her, maybe he didn't. Who knows? It's interesting to think that intellect may not hold all the answers. But I guess that's just more logic I'm spouting, so in this circle of intellect and reason we spin :) I respect your views and your opinions and thank you for them. The question of truth is an infinite one, and wow what a struggle to come to peace and live with an answer huh? Chris greenvegetable@hotmail.com

I reject the idea that ñfundamentalî Christianity is not mainstream. In my experience, there are more ñChristians,î including those at Ivy League universities, who ñtake a literal interpretation of the Bibleî than those who do not. I also reject the idea that this is a new phenomenon which has only recently begun to spread like ñlike wildfire.î In fact Christianity has been contagious ever since its conception. Simply open a history book and read about the great efforts the Roman Empire, for one, took to put out this fire. Lastly, I would point out the inconsistency of this editorial as it first purports to support pluralism and religious tolerance but in conclusion expresses that ñhopefullyƒ fundamentalism of every variety -- Muslim, Buddhist, Christian, and Hindu -- will wither away.î Andrew J. Rennekamp University of Pennsylvania andrewre@med.upenn.edu

I'm glad you read the Amazon.com summaries of various books. But, this article is a little trite. Who didn't have this stupid conversation as a freshman in their dorm room one night after a few beers? Who didn't have to deal with the kid who got Christianity wrong by believing it was about following rules and who didn't have to listen to the equally as pious guy who believed in "no absolutes"? Why did you write this and why was it published? If there does not exist the possibility that something is "right" (i.e. mormonism, catholocism, hinduism, John Travoltaism), why don't you stop writing articles to prove a subjective opinion? Write a better article next time.... Dillon Kuehn dmkuehn@sas.upenn.edu

As a graduate of the College in 2002, I believe the Bible is the absolute truth. I used to be an atheist as well, so I understand where Matt is coming from. I'm not sure where you get the idea that fundamentalism is the direct result of substandard education. If so, I guess I wasted a lot of money at Penn. I would say the spread of Christianity in Latin America and Africa can be credited more to the work of evangelists than a dearth of education. I just want to point out a few things because of the lack of factual evidence. I'm not going to bother point out all the inconsistencies, because there are just too many. Matt, maybe you better think out your argument in a more logical manner before calling everything "evil". While Matt focuses on Christianity, he seems to think fundamentalism of any sort is bad because it lacks reason. If we define fundamentalism to mean wholehearted acceptance and zeal for a single worldview, it would make sense not to dilute it with anything outside of that worldview. Could you imagine a Buddhist monk kicking back and drinking a few beers after meditating all day? I don't think so. Same with Christianity. The thing is Christianity, like other religions, calls us to live in the world, but not to be of the world. Christians are called to be Christ-like, hence the term "Christian". The fundamental message of the gospel is not that one should follow certain rules and rites. There is a role for boundaries, but we are all sinners. The gospel tells us that Christ died for the forgiveness of our sins. This is a gift from God. However, his grace alone does not mean everyone is going to heaven. When we recognize that we are sinners, the gospel tells us that the only way to heaven is to accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. These days, many people don't recognize sin. Everything is relative to them. Once you understand that there are absolute truths, you may see that a decision has to be made to seek out that truth. To Matt and everyone who reads this article, God knows you and loves you. He wants you to be saved by accepting his son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Penn 02 Alum, NJ Job NJ

I was also of the opinion that all fundamentalists were illogical and unreasonable . Not any more . To make generalizations about this group , or any group for that matter would be contrary to the statement that you hope they "wither away under the lens of reason, and the power of love." Yes, they are incorrect about many things ...so what . Your over-generalizations are evident through the examples given such as the knuckleheads Graham and Robertson . That would be similar to lumping all Jews as Zionists or all Muslims as Islamic fascists . Utilizing overrefinement in this essay to paint millions of people as fanatics , when in reality they are not , just demonstrates a closed mind unwilling or unable to grasp that not every one fits into your neat little compartments of acceptable and unacceptable belief systems . '76

Matt, I respect your right to an opinion, but I must say I was quite disheartened by your extreme generalizations and assumptions about who Christians are. Reading many of the responses to your article, however, I was relieved to see that not everyone agrees with you. I am not a fundamentalist, but I am a Christian. I don't understand why you would think that someone who is committed to following Christ in her life, including matters concerning her career, is necessarily a fundamentalist. Further, I am saddened to think that you would insinuate that such an effort reflects a lack of intellect. I think we could all use some guidance in understanding how we can best use our lives, personally as well as professionally. What good would a god be who did not care how people lived their lives? The freedom we have to decide how we can best use our lives and our talents is certainly not one to take lightly -- and I don't think that God takes it lightly either. I've met many people who had negative experiences with some denomination of the Christian church as children, my parents included. Fortunately for me, my parents found another denomination of Christianity that they did agree with. So many others, however, turn away embittered by Christianity and by the idea of faith itself. The challenge is to try to consider faith objectively as an adult. Things like hypocrisy and superstitious practices in religion could turn anyone away. But these faults of religion are human constructs. Don't let these dictate your understanding of the greater thing that religion represents: God. Thanks for your time. Janna jannaf@sas.upenn.edu

All of you who defend or ignore the haters and the murderers amongst fundamentalists of all faiths in a knee jerk defense of your own faith are complicit in the deaths and destruction they cause as surely as if you were at the controls of one of those planes on September 11, 2001. That is repeated over and over again in your posts about this article: he's condemning the haters and the killers and you all jump to defend his attack on religion when his focus is on the very people that supposedly have perverted your faiths for evil. The only conclusion in reading those defenses is that, in fact, the haters and zealots are acceptable to you all. As far as Jesus goes: he was never in the business of shoving his faith down the throats of every one in spite of their wishes so your use of his name in that way is blasphemy and is contemptible. It's specifically that arrogance that plunged those planes into those buildings and straps those explosives onto those murderers in the Mideast. Ben

I am not as sure that the writer was painting all people with faith with the fundamentalist brush as many here seem to presume: the focus appeared to me to be the bigoted people who use their faith as a motivation and an excuse to hate and kill all they judge as unworthy. What part of the writer's position in condemning the killers and the bigoted is wrong? Unless you actually agree with the killers that is. Oh and surprise at people of faith going to Penn? What better example of a leap of faith is there than spending a hundred and fifty thousand or more dollars on an education when the U of I, University of California and dozens of other places would have offered an equal or superior education at a fraction the price. Believing it's a good value is right up there with believing the world was created on a Thursday at 1 PM three thousand years ago and fossils are merely God's way of testing the faithful and not an indication of the Garden of Eden being a metaphor and not "truth". Lin

Certainly fundamentalists and ordinary believers should be separated, but I don't think Matt is doing that in his article. Those who defend him for only singling out fundamentalists need to look a bit closer at his words and examples. I was raised Catholic, but don't really practice anymore, so I certainly don't fall into the category of someone who would be offended by an attack on my faith, but Matt really seems to be attacking those outside the realm of fundamentalism. First of all, the emaciated, crazed guy with the Bible was just that - crazed. He was probably some homeless guy wandering around and clearly wasn't in his right mind. Not right in the head from lack of food and water? - most likely. Crazed fundamentalist? - I highly doubt it. As far as the girl at Penn who spoke about God's calling and her direction, I don't think it is so outside of the realm of understanding for a person of any faith to believe that God or some other higher being has called them to a certain life. It's called vocation. I again doubt that this was some crazed Christian fundamentalist who thinks Matt will burn in hell for his beliefs, or lack thereof. It certainly doesn't sound like a "bizarre" conversation, as Matt describes it, and I have seen many people at Penn with bags under there eyes, be they from an Econ 001 final, long hours of practice or at the gym, student government activities or a night of Thirsty Thursday at Blarney, followed by Smokes and the Pit. It seems to me that Matt cannot or does not want to accept that faith in a higher being is in fact a valid thing and that it is compatible with a scholastic career at a center of higher learning. This article was just stupid. Matt

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