Submitted by: Submitted by ccan188
Views: 463
Words: 488
Pages: 2
Category: Literature
Date Submitted: 11/05/2010 03:42 PM
Fundamentalism
Fundamentalism by definition has no link to terrorism. In general fundamentalists follow the teachings of their religion or culture extremely precisely, just as they would have been followed hundreds of years before. Fundamentalists are typically the most conservative or right wing members of their respective religions or cultures. Whether the fundamentalists are Muslim or Christian they take the historic teachings of their religions and interpret them very literally. Whether it be the Bible or Quran’ fundamentalists attempt to follow these teachings just as those did during the time these sacred texts were written. This is different from the more main stream or non fundamentalists who are more aware that the world has evolved dramatically and some parts of ancient societies are no longer acceptable or applicable to the world we currently live in. Also non fundamentalists believe the teachings of the sacred texts should not be interpreted so literally, but the overall message of the passages should be taken and applied in a way that is applicable and more realistic in today’s world.
Now the question is how is fundamentalism, which based on definition alone has no link to terrorism, in fact is such a major cause of terrorism. Terrorists are typically the most radical or most extreme fundamentalists. Certainly not all fundamentalists are terrorists, only a extremely small fraction are. However this small percentage use terrorism to try to protect their beliefs or ideals. They want the world to return to how it once was hundreds of years ago. However the world continues to evolve and values and beliefs and constantly evolving with it. This ever evolving world is seen as a threat to their way of life and beliefs. This is why America is such a big target of the fundamentalist terrorists. America has more impact around the globe than perhaps any other country. In addition to this we are seen as perhaps the most liberal country. The combination of...