Say no to fundamentalism...

I made a comment on Keguro's blog on his latest post "Forget race" where he was talking about Dubya and the State of the Union address.Most of the posts I write are usually about my life and humour but I do have write some serious posts but I usually leave them as drafts because KBW has people who weave a more attractive verbal yarn then I do so I don't want to expose people to an incoherent version of what they have read elsewhere.Anyway onto business....
As the world has become more globalised there has been a vast increase in fundamentalism.Fundamentalism is defined as: An approach to a belief system that emphasizes following a particular set of basic principles and opinions often called doctrine. The assurance and peace-of-mind that comes with fundamentalist responses to uncertainty attracts many. They seem to cluster in the political and religious arenas to help each other maintain faith in, what they believe is a more consistent and coherent worldview. ...
No where is it more apparent then in the first world where due to increased immigration has led to nativism rearing its' ugly head.Nativism is what leads to immigrants being blamed to for all crime and downturns in the economy (poor fiscal policy notwithstanding).What many people especially Americans don't seem to understand is that unless your last name is Runs With Bulls, Native Americans are the only real Americans.What many of these countries don't seem to understand is that as they crush third world economies through globalisation and use International Financial Institutions to hitch crippling debt to developing nations is that they are only fuelling the development of economic refugees.
Fundamentalism is what leads The Texan to impose his evangelical beliefs on millions of Americans by trying to ban abortion and restricting access to morning after pills.He then goes ahead to impose the condition that AIDS funds will only be received to countries that promote abstinence over condom use.I give a cheer to Brazil who told America to take those funds and shove them because a condom will stop AIDS, abstinence won't when the people decide to succumb.I hear that there are now Bible study sessions in the White House and that the staff have a code that they pass around when they see Laura gearing up so they lock their office doors before they have to take part.The Navy is now allowing proselytizing within its' ranks.Fundamentalism especially religous fundamentalism supports racism,sexism and marginalisation of those who do not look like the rest of the followers.Turn on TBN and you will notice that most of the preachers have crowds that are predominantly of one race this is more apparent the more rabid the preacher is..do we all remember John Hagee saying the war in Iraq was God's will?Seems God acted on false information tsk tsk.Religous fundamentalism is what leads people like Ray Nagin to say that Hurrican Katrina was a punishment from God, you want to tell me that all the people who lived in New Orleans were the scum of the earth and deserved to suffer and die.Religous fundamentalism leads to people saying that AIDS is God's punishment to man for sin, try telling that to the children who got infected through infected blood transfusion; but hey maybe that was a pre-emptive shot by God for all the whoring and debauchery they were destined to be a part of in the future!Religous fundamentalism is what leads people to brand those who do not apply to their religion and sets of morals to eternal condemnation ie gays,muslims,new agers,pagans etc.I many not approve of the gay lifestyle but I am a live and let live kind of guy, don't bother me and I won't bother you.What religous fundamentalists fail to realise is that they are human and they sin too Jimmy Swaggart and Tim & Faye Bakker ring a bell?And that they too will be judged.The Texan does not seem to realise that you cannot legislate faith, it does sound good in practice but let me tell you about what happens when you legislate fate; you get a Taliban like situation.Fun was outlawed,women were made third class citizens and had to go around wearing tents and men had to adhere to all sorts of inane rules including making shaving off your beard a jailable offense.
The we have gender fundamentalism where one gender sees itself as superior to the other.This leads to women esp in third world countries being treated like second class citizens and property.Gender fundamentalism leads to human rights for some and not all.Gender inequality leads to the reduction of the quality of life of others.Gender fundamentalism on the side of the oppressed leads to declarations like "All sex, even consensual sex between a married couple, is an act of violence perpetrated against a woman, I feel that 'man-hating' is an honorable and viable political act, that the oppressed have a right to class-hatred against the class that is oppressing them" such declarations only add fuel to the fire instead of helping find consensus and reconciliation.
All in all if you look around you fundamentalism is growing.When fundamentalism grows, logic and compassion die out.Life becomes a war against those who look different,come from different places and believe in different things.Believe what you must but say no to fundamentalism because under some other fundamentalists creed you shouldn't exist so don't spread the virus.
That's my serious word for the week now back to fun and bollywood movies starring Princess Sugarcane (mutumia) and the other usual suspects!!