Fundamentalism is a form of Christianity that pretends to be faithful to the original teaching of Moses and the prophets, as well as Jesus and the apostles. It claims to be the Aold time religion@ that was good enough for our forefathers. It takes the bible literally and rejects all the objections that scientists and critical theologians have made over the past 5 centuries. The true believer in the bible will not let himself be hood-winked by the fast-talking, smooth-acting magicians who wave scientific test tubes, microscopes, and telescopes in his face, or try to confuse him with modern interpretations of the bible that are consistent with contemporary psychology, sociology, archaeology, physics, cosmology, and history. He knows better than to believe them. Fundamentalism requires people who are willing to believe others, but reluctant to think for themselves.
The genuine believer in the bible lives in a bygone age when God spoke directly to human representatives, told them what was expected of them, guided them in the choices they should make, and promised them appropriate rewards of health, security, bountifulness, and numerous progeny. He is absolutely certain that the past consisted of times when life was as good as it could get. The biblical literalist longs for the perfection of the garden of Eden, the time when God directly appointed judges to lead the Israelite people, and the royal administrations of God-fearing kings like David, Solomon, Hezekiah, and Josiah. He would like to follow Elijah and Elishah as they held the unjust to account, performed amazing marvels in God’s name, and proclaimed God=s message of justice and rightness to all. The faithful believer longs to hear for himself all the prophets proclaim their vision of a perfect future when justice and righteousness would prevail throughout the earth. Finally, he wishes that he could join Jesus’ disciples as they express the joy and wonder they expect to experience in the kingdom of God, when the paradise of Eden will be restored.
Those who think that the bible is a perfect record of God=s involvement with Abraham and his descendants do not realize that it is a one-sided story. Abraham was almost certainly not the first monotheist, and the Israelites were not God=s only chosen people. Many of the accounts provided in the bible, in which God is involved, clearly did not happen as described. God did not lead the Israelites out of Egypt through the sea of reeds with a pillar of cloud and fire, feed them for 40 years with bread from heaven, or provide them with water from solid rock. The sun did not stand still for a whole day C let along go backward for an hour C and an iron axe head did not float on water. Prophets may have thought that they could carry out any acts for God when they were energized by the spirit of the Lord, but it did not enable them always to win wars for God, multiply food and oil, impose leprosy as punishment, or raise the dead. The miracles of the Old Testament were written by believers to strengthen the faithful in the certainty of the awesome power of Yahweh.
The activities of the Old Testament prophets have their counterparts in the New. Jesus was supposedly born of a virgin, presented unparalleled wisdom to his listeners, called the intellectuals of his day to account for their hypocrisy, was able to walk on water, fed 5,000 families with one boy’s lunch, calmed a storm, healed every sickness and disease, and even raised the dead. Although he was crucified on a cross until proclaimed dead, he rose from his grave after he had been buried for at least 36 hours, appeared to many reliable witnesses, and subsequently ascended into heaven. His followers received his spirit, duplicated his miracles, and continued to proclaim his message of the coming kingdom. They healed the sick, raised the dead, walked out of prison unmolested, and escaped harm in the most dangerous circumstances. There is no lack of marvellous signs and wonders that God’s agents performed throughout the bible.
The reader of the bible gets the impression that every faithful follower of the Lord too can count on God=s support for every genuine requirement if he truly believes. Unfortunately, when he learns how God actually functions in the world only through the laws that govern the universe, he must go through the abject experience of giving up almost everything he thought he had come to believe regarding God=s ability to help him in his hour of need. The bible is incredibly beautiful literature for those who are guided by their imagination; it seriously misguides those who come to understand how the world really works. The history of Christianity is principally a story of human ignorance about the way that the physical world functions. The faithful believer often comes to the awareness that he must doubt his faith in everything he has ever heard about God and the word of the Lord if he is to be true to his knowledge of the world.
When they encounter the world of knowledge, fundamentalists must make a choice. They can persist in choosing to continue in their faith and ignore the conflicts that inevitably occur between the bible and the knowledge taught in the academic world. It is only with a scientific understanding of the world that specialists in the various forms of knowledge can now establish the extent to which the biblical authors let their imagination express their beliefs. As we appreciate the honesty, integrity, and thoroughness of modern scientists and their work, we realize that the bible intentionally misleads us in order to persuade us to follow a specific theological path. We must read it with suspicion, doubt every word, and examine every detail in the light of modern knowledge, so that we do not fall into the trap of believing that it is always the absolute truth.
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