Fundamentalism Is An Attack on Reason

By Ryan Masaaki Yokota

Despite propaganda in the media portraying Arabs in the Middle East as fanatical fundamentalists, the real issue that Americans should be concerned with is the growing presence of fundamentalist religious fanatics here at home.

The greatest number of these fanatics can be found in the very churches around the corner from where we live. Through their political mobilizations, these zealots have consistently intruded into the lives of ordinary citizens and attempted to force their beliefs onto others.

In the misguided crusade to “save the soul of America,” these zealots have sought to turn back the clock to a pre-Enlightenment time when religion ruled over reason, and religious leaders held dictatorial control over the lives of everyday citizens.

Even before the ridiculousness of these fundamentalists’ current debate about the secularization of Christmas, a holiday ironically based largely on pagan precedents and rituals, they have driven an agenda consistently at odds with the individual rights and beliefs of Americans today.

For example, in terms of issues such as stem cell research, which currently holds the untold promise in bettering the quality of life for people around the world, the fundamentalist right has consistently opposed the development of this science.

As noted in a May 24, 2005 CBS news poll, 53 percent of white evangelicals oppose the development of stem cell research, despite the overall 58 percent of the American population that supports this research. That these evangelicals would oppose the development of this potentially life-saving research flies in the face of reason and demonstrates how far removed fundamentalists are from how most Americans think today.

Indeed, this attempt to stand in the way of science is also shown in the push for the introduction of “intelligent design” in public schools. These people do not believe in evolution, even in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence.

In terms of foreign policy, this dangerous fundamentalism sees the world as the battleground where a “clash of civilizations” between a Christian West and a Muslim Middle East continues.

In supporting their crusade against the “nonbelievers” of old, these fundamentalists have supported military excursions into Afghanistan and Iraq, demonstrating their own moral bankruptcy. These people see the occupation of Iraq as an opportunity to convert the Muslim masses to Christianity, and show how little they respect the right of individuals to believe what they wish.

In terms of Palestine, many fundamentalist evangelicals see support for the state of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical prophecy that will hasten the “end time,” and the “second coming of Christ.” According to a 2003 Pew Forum opinion poll 63% of white evangelicals believe that the existence of Israel fulfills biblical prophecy about the second coming.

Acting on this belief, these fundamentalists have supported the often-repressive policies of the Zionist Israeli state, destabilizing the political situation in the Middle East and causing anger with the U.S. to continue to rise.

The right of all Americans to believe what they wish has been the bedrock of U.S. constitutional principles since our country’s founding. And of course, not all Christians are fundamentalists and many have been outspoken in supporting progressive causes such as opposition to the war in Iraq or support for stem cell research.

These kinds of religious groups are to be commended for their willingness to transcend dogma and grasp the basic realities of what is right and wrong. Yet when fundamentalist activists attempt to block scientific progress or even dispute the veracity of science itself, or when they use religion to support misguided political policy objectives abroad, they prove themselves no more advanced or rational than the Islamic extremists that they so frequently deplore.

Through their actions, they seek to attack the foundations of rationalism that have allowed society to progress, and demonstrate a hidden danger that we as thinking, compassionate Americans should and must stand against.

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