Why I despise fundamentalism:
• It sets ideas and beliefs above people.
• It reduces people, the world, and our universe to black and white. There is no room for anything or anyone that does not fit the mold and there is no desire to learn and explore because all of the answers have already been found.
• Beliefs must be defended at all cost, while love and mercy can be neglected.
• It is tiring and draining of your energy because you are always trying to hold puzzle pieces together that do not seem to fit…they are forced to fit.
• It takes away room for creativity, favoring what is simple.
• It despises education, because education might conflict with dogma.
• It separates and divides, only holding those with similar beliefs together. It furthers the tribal mentality.
• It creates a distorted image of who God is, crippling the relationship with the Divine, and it makes you a distorted image-bearer.
Fundamentalism can be found within any given worldview or religion. Often the fundamentalist is blinded to his own fundamentalism, while gladly pointing out the errors in another’s fundamentalistic beliefs.
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photo credits: Michael L. Dorn via Flickr, cc. Michael Hanscom via Flickr, cc.
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ROBERT LOFGREN is a gay Christian who wrestled with his faith and his sexuality and found peace. He strives to love Christ and to show His love for all people. Robert is an advocate for LGBT rights and building bridges between the two communities to which he belongs and is so passionate about — the LGBT community and the Church.
He lives in Orange County, CA with his boyfriend of seven years and two Boston Terriers. Robert blogs at The Gay Post-Evangelical.
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