Religious Fundamentalism Flashcards
(28 cards)
What is fundamentalism?
- Fundamentalists appeal to tradition and seek a return to the basics of their faith.
- It arises only where traditional beliefs are threatened by modern society. These threats can come from the outside, through capitalist globalisation or from within, when sections of society adopt new secular ideas like liberal attitudes to sexuality
Outline the key features of fundamentalism
- An authoritative sacred text
- An ‘us and them’ mentality
- Aggressive reaction
- Use of modern technology
- Patriarchy
- Prophecy
- Conspiracy theories
Describe the authoritative sacred text as a key feature of fundamentalism
- For Christian fundamentalists, every word of the Bible is literally true and the word of God, its truths are valid for eternity, and it contains the answers to all life’s important questions. The text has no error and isn’t open to questioning
- However Aldridge notes that every text has to be somewhat interpreted, so in reality what fundamentalists hold to be true is their interpretation of its meaning, to be as facts and prophecies.
Describe an ‘us and them’ mentality as a key feature of fundamentalism
Fundamentalists separate themselves froes the rest of the worlds and refuse to compromise with it, and shield themselves from the modern corrupt world.
Describe an aggressive reaction as a key feature of fundamentalism
Fundamentalist movements aim to draw attention to how their beliefs are under threat, and their reactions are then aggressive and intended to shock or cause harm, in order to defend their religion
Describe the use of modern technology as a key feature of fundamentalism
- While fundamentalists oppose the modern world, they use technology to achieve their aims
- e.g. recruitment for ISIS online, televangelism
Describe patriarchy as a key feature of fundamentalism
Fundamentalists favour a world in which control over women’s sexuality, reproductive powers and their social and economic roles, is fixed for all time by divine decree
Describe prophecy as a key feature of fundamentalism
Christian fundamentalists relate biblical prophecies to modern events. They believe the ‘last days’ will be upon us, where the faithful will be resurrected and sent to heaven
Describe conspiracy theories as a key feature of fundamentalism
Fundamentalists are attracted to conspiracy theories: the idea that powerful, hidden, evil forces and organisation are in control of human destiny
Describe fundamentalism as a reaction to globalisation
- Globalisation undermines traditional social norms concerning the nuclear family, gender and sexuality. In ‘late modern’ society’, individuals are faced with choice, uncertainty and risk.
- Giddens argues that fundamentalism provides rigid beliefs and certainty in an uncertain world. It’s retreat into faith-based answers and away from from risks of a globalising world
What is cosmopolitanism?
Giddens argues it’s a way of thinking that embraces modernity and is in keeping with today’s globalising world, and is tolerant of the views of others
What is reflexive thinking?
Reflecting on and modifying beliefs in light of new information, this then requires people to justify their view using rational arguments rather than sacred text
Describe cosmopolitan religion and spirituality
Emphasises the pursuit of personal meaning and self-improvement rather than submission to authority
What are the 2 responses to postmodernity argued by Castells?
- Resistance identity: a defensive reaction to those who feel threatening and retreat into fundamentalist communities
- Project identity: the response of those who are forward-looking and engage with social movements such as feminism
Describe criticisms of Giddens and Castells
- They distinguish too sharply between cosmopolitanism and fundamentalism, ignoring hybrid movements
- Giddens lumps all types of fundamentalism together, ignoring important differences between then
- Giddens’ description of fundamentalism as a defence reaction to modernity ignores how reinventing tradition is also a modern, ‘reflexive’ activity
Why is fundamentalism confined to monotheism?
- Bruce argues fundamentalism is confined to monotheistic religions while polytheistic religions are unlikely to produce fundamentalism
- This is because monotheistic religions are based on a notion of God’s will as revealed through one authoritative sacred text. This is believed to contain the actual word of God and lays down rules for believers.
- But polytheistic religions lack a single all-powerful deity and authoritative text, so there’s more scope for different interpretations and none is an absolute truths
Describe the 2 types of fundamentalisms argued by Bruce
- In the West, fundamentalism is most often a reaction to change within a society, such as trends towards diversity and choice in late modern and postmodern societies. e.g. the New Christian Right in America has developed in opposition to new liberal attitude on issues such as abortion. Its aim to represent a ‘true’ religion and restore it to the public role.
- In developing countries, fundamentalism is usually a reaction to changes being thrust upon society from outside, e.g. Islamic revolution in Iran. It’s triggered by modernisation and globalisation, where Western values are being imposed by foreign capitalism by local elites supported by the West
Describe the first phase of modernity that gave rise to religious fundamentalism argued by Davie
- The Enlightenment period helped to secularise the world and religious fundamentalism was a reaction to this
- The Enlightenment held an optimistic secular belief in the certainty of progress based on the power of science and human reason to improve the world
Describe the second phase of modernity that gave rise to secular fundamentalism
- The optimism of the Enlightenment came under attack, resulting in a growing mood of pessimism and uncertainty
- The mood is the product of the insecurity caused by changes (globalisation)
- This led to a loss of faith in the major secular Enlightenment ideologies such as Marxism whose claims to truth and belief in progress have been undermined
Describe the results of secular fundamentalism
- Secular ideologies are struggling for survival, Davie argues they’re ‘past their sell-by date’. Supports of secular ideologies (nationalism) have also been attracted to fundamentalism
- In Western Europe, perceived religious challenges to liberal secular values have provoked a secular fundamentalist reaction. e.g. France banned pupils from wearing religious symbols in school
- Ansell sees such trends as a form of cultural racism that uses liberal language of universal equality to preserve the dominant group’s cultural identity and legitimates the exclusion of religious an cultural minorities
Describe Davie’s conclusions on secular fundamentalism
In conclusion, Davie argues that both religious and secular movements can become fundamentalists due to greater uncertainties of life in the late modern or postmodern world, in which reasserting truth and certainty is increasingly attractive
What are the 7 civilisation identified by Hunter?
- Western
- Latin America
- Confucian (Chinese)
- Japanese
- Islamic (Middle East)
- Hindu (South-East Asia and India)
- Slavic-Orthodox (Russian, Eastern Europe)
How does religious differences between these civilisation cause conflict?
- Religion is becoming more important as a source of national identity (e.g. cultural defence)
- Globalisation means that civilisation are likely to be contact which means old conflicts re-emerge
- In a globalised world, religion creates an ‘us and them mentality’ as competition for wealth and power on the global scale.
Give an example of the clash of civilisation
Huntington sees the West as under threat from Islam, a view for which he had been strongly criticised
