{"id":37,"date":"2009-12-17T15:26:53","date_gmt":"2009-12-17T15:26:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/omsweetom\/2009\/12\/the-fundamentals.html"},"modified":"2009-12-17T15:26:53","modified_gmt":"2009-12-17T15:26:53","slug":"the-fundamentals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/omsweetom\/2009\/12\/the-fundamentals.html","title":{"rendered":"The Fundamentals"},"content":{"rendered":"

I fashion myself a pretty tolerant and accepting guy, but there is one “religion,” I must admit, that I simply can’t stand.  Its doctrines and practices make my blood boil. Its champions bug me, its devotees test my patience.<\/p>\n

So its not surprising that a recent attempt to dialogue with one of them left me feeling like I’d just spent time acquainting my head
\nwith a brick wall.<\/p>\n

Last week, my program at the university hosted a book reading,
\nfeaturing guest speaker Radhanath Swami<\/a>, reading from his autobiography
\nThe Journey Home<\/i><\/a>.  On the afternoon of the event, while preparing the room, I ran into a first-year student I’d met a few times before.<\/p>\n

“Wow, what’s going on here?” he asked, noticing the set-up of the room and me running around making last minute adjustments to it.<\/p>\n

“We’re
\nhaving this great event this evening,” I said, handing him one of the
\nlast few fliers advertising the program. “Please try to make it if you
\ncan.”<\/p>\n

His eyes scanned the flier, hit the picture of our guest speaker in his saffron robes, and then rolled up. “Oh yes, this <\/i>event.  I’m fundamentally opposed to this event.”<\/p>\n

Did you just say what I think you just said?<\/i><\/p>\n


\n“You’re…?” <\/p>\n

“Fundamentally
\nopposed to this event. So for the sake of my morality and principles,
\nI’m not going to attend.” I could see him tensing up, perhaps expecting
\na fight.<\/p>\n

“Well, you don’t have to attend, of course,” I said, trying to simultaneously process what he just said and not alienate him.
\n“But, just out of curiosity, you’ve never heard him speak before,
\nright?”<\/p>\n

“Right.”<\/p>\n

“And you haven’t read his book?”<\/p>\n

“No, no I haven’t.”<\/p>\n

“And yet you know, for a fact, that you are opposed to it? Fundamentally?”<\/p>\n

He
\nsmiled uneasily and slowly mouthed his next words as if I were a
\nsemi-retarded child who needed it explained to me in the simplest of
\nterms. “Look, I’m from India. I know what these Swamis are all about.
\nTrust me, I know all about it. So, save your breath– you’re not going
\nto change my mind.”<\/p>\n

Ouch. “I wouldn’t dream of it. But I just wonder—“<\/p>\n

“Hey,
\nlisten, I’ve gotta go.” He nervously eyed the door, ready to bolt
\nshould I try to brainwash him or stage an exorcism. “See you later.”<\/p>\n

With that he was off — yet another card-carrying member of this world
\nreligion with thousands (perhaps millions?) of adherents. <\/p>\n

Sure, they may come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and
\nflavors. But whether its the Christian preacher condemning us to eternity in hell for not recognizing his way as the only way, or the haughty atheist who denies God’s existence with just as much self-righteousness and dogmatism, the real faith being practiced here is goes by a simple name. <\/p>\n

Fundamentalism<\/b>.<\/p>\n

I know that there isn’t one neat and tidy definition of “fundamentalism<\/a>“, but for me some of the hallmarks of this religion are:<\/p>\n