Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/26/08 Section: Mailbox

It is one of the biggest hurdles to the question, "Why can't we all just get along?" Fundamentalism causes individuals to close their minds and adhere to a set of specific beliefs. It is described by Webster's dictionary as "a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles."
Being so engrossed in a single way of thinking to the point where you make no compromises, is dangerous in a free and democratic society, and to the world in general.
Conforming and restricting one's self to a single set of beliefs (may they be political, religious, economic or social) hampers humanity's chance for world peace and progress.
We often hear the term "religious fundamentalists" to describe those individuals who are so absorbed that they believe killing people will help the situation.
Fundamentalism is hazardous because it helps shape the way that people govern themselves, dictating how they deal with problems from other parts of the world.
Explaining a counter point of view is difficult in the case of someone who subscribes to some form of fundamentalism. You may as well be speaking to a rock in some cases, because their mentality and their views of the world are programmed to disagree with anything that may confuse them or refute their belief. These people are not motivated by rationality, but by a warped viewpoint that they take as fact.
It was the belief in fundamental religious principles that caused hundreds of years of religious wars in Europe and the wars between Christians, Muslims and Jews. It was the Nazis' fundamental belief in race that drove them to exterminate minorities. Believing in a principle to the point of fundamentalism rarely ends with positive consequences.
In this country, a person can believe whatever he or she wants, but cannot force their beliefs on others. Our founding fathers had the foresight to realize that a government that included both religious and secular institutions were dangerous for a democracy.
In the First Amendment it says, "Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion." A politician can believe whatever s/he would like, but the government cannot force any individual to believe anything.
The late Jerry Falwell was a perfect example of why they put this revision into the Constitution. He was hardly an advocate for religious freedom, which we all take for granted, but was an advocate for Christianity to have religious authority.
"If we are going to save America and evangelize the world," said Falwell, "We cannot accommodate secular philosophies that are diametrically opposed to Christian truth."
Falwell's fundamentalist Christian beliefs go directly against one of the reasons America is one of the best places to live, which is the freedom to believe whatever you want.
I am not trying to force my beliefs on anyone, but to ask for openness to compromise and to try understanding why someone may think differently than you. It is essential for a successful and stable democracy to be able to learn from one another.

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