Fundamentalism's Fatal Flaw

There are lots of problems with fundamentalism, but perhaps the biggest in my perspective has to do with the way it builds its portrait of reality. It’s good to remember that fundamentalism comes in a host of flavors. There is fundamentalism in Muslim garb, Jewish robes, and Christian attire. There is even fundamentalism attached to Hinduism, which should seem a complete impossibility for a religion with myriad expressions of the divine. I have also encountered fundamentalism among a few who call themselves atheists. One thing we often fail to grasp, however, is that fundamentalism is not so much a religious perspective. It is rather a way of building a model of reality that requires strict adherence to a set of unyielding beliefs.

Fundamentalism builds a structure of reality that is akin to a house of cards. If I pull out one card, the whole structure may come crashing down. When we add to that the fact that no two fundamentalists actually agree on everything, we have an immediate problem. Either I have to convince you to adhere to my belief system, or I will have to adopt yours wholesale. If neither of those things occurs, one of us is simply shutting out our conflict or we feel our very existence is being threatened.

Fundamentalism cannot abide wiggle room, in the same way vibrations are dangerous to a house of cards. We are not simply disagreeing over which flavor of ice cream is better. We are disagreeing about our system of beliefs which is the basis for our security and personal well-being. If I have to change my mind about one thing, it likely impacts another issue it has been supporting. That in turn weakens the foundation and stability of the entire system. Questioning one of my beliefs is thus a full scale attack on me as a person. If I let to of the raft to which I am clinging, I might sink and drown, despite your claim that the water is only two feet deep. The longer and harder I have been clinging to this raft, the more difficult it will be for me to let go. Hearing you make some claim of truth or evidence is not likely to have much impact. You probably just want me to drown, after all. That must be why you are attacking me.

That does not quite mean a fundamentalist cannot learn. Rather, it is exceedingly difficult to learn things which counter an established belief system. Astrophysics is likely removed enough from that belief system, unless I happen to hold to a flat-earth belief system. Studying dermatology may remain a safe area of inquiry and learning, at least until it addresses an underlying, hard-fast anti-evolution belief set. Of course, evolution theory itself might not be a problem until it looks specifically toward human evolution, dating of the earth, or some other particular notions that belong to my particular belief system.

It is holding to the integrity of one’s belief system that lies at the heart of what I would consider the most basic problem with fundamentalism. When my belief system is being “attacked” by arguments, logic, new ideas, experiences, or new information, there is no real distinguishing opposition to a particular belief and the person holding that belief. My belief set is not simply a system to be protected. It is a belief system in which my identity and security are inseparably linked. Rather than sending me back to the drawing board to rethink how I approach a particular issue, a belief challenge feels like a direct attack on my person. That belief system may even include some of those people to whom I have looked for leadership, at whose feet I have sat as a disciple, those whom I would consider the authorities within my system of belief.

Demagoguery easily rises to the top. If you challenge my leader, you challenge the beliefs I have received from said leader, the beliefs tied to my relationship with that leader, or the beliefs I hold in common with that leader. I may be able to readily say that we are all sinners, fallible, and fall short, but when it comes down to brass tacks, my self and beliefs are tied very closely together. My beliefs and my trust in my leaders are virtually inseparable. A fundamentalist mindset may operate very much like a cult whose esteemed leader can do no wrong.

It is easier to close my eyes to the wrong staring me in the face than to go back to re-evaluate the whole system on which I have staked my security, sense of self, belonging, worth, and place in the world around me. Being dislodged from that ground of safety is a threat to my very existence, just as much as letting go of a life raft amid the waters of a storm surging around me. Perhaps you tell me the water is only two feet deep, but if I trust your words, I run the risk of being drowned and lost at sea. Accepting I might be wrong can feel exceedingly dangerous. It is a threat to my survival.

— ©Copyright 2023, Christopher B. Harbin 

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