Religious Fundamentalism, the Barrier to World Peace
For several years the world has been watching the attempts of Islamic Fundamentalists to impose their will on the world. Their weapon of choice is terror based on the threat of physical harm. Not unseen, but, until recently, very much unnoticed, the Christian Fundamentalists have been waging their own war against those they view as nonbelievers. Their weapon of choice is terror based on the threat of a painful afterlife. How do either of these groups gain the strength of numbers it takes to pursue their ends? Through religious indoctrination.
Both groups begin by teaching their faith to their children before the children are able to hear, much less understand, any other view. Then, through continuous peer group meetings, they parrot their teachings back to one another until, in their minds, the ideas become facts. Facts that are undeniable and irrefutable. In both Islamic and Christian countries many of these children progress through a religious school system which continues to reinforce the "us versus them" mentality until it is so much a part of the individual that any idea not consistent with their view is immediately rejected as heretic. Freedom of thought is no longer possible. Any and all ideas and conditions are quickly run through their subconscious list of truths and rationalized accordingly.
When it comes to their religion they are rightly called fanatic.
fanatic >noun a person filled with excessive zeal, especially for an extreme political or religious cause. -ORIGIN from Latin fanaticus 'of a temple, inspired by a god', from fanum 'temple'
Regardless of the root of the specific religion, the fundamentalist principal is that "we are right and you are wrong". Unfortunately for us, the "you" is any and all of the rest of the world. While fundamentalists go about ranting about our heretic beliefs, they also fear us. They fear our freedom. Our freedom of thought, our freedom of action, and, most importantly, our freedom to accept the freedoms of others. So their cry becomes "you’re either with us or against us", and become intent on enforcing their doctrines on us.
Today the United States is under attack by two sets of fundamentalists. One wants us buried in the ground, and the other wants us buried above ground. It is not in the interest of the people of the United States to bow to either of these groups. The American people pride themselves on having an abundance of freedoms which are not available to most of the rest of the world. Unfortunately, as Abraham Lincoln said, "Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether [this] nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."
Have no doubt, it is a war. A war against privacy, a war against the right to choose, a war against the right to enter into contracts, and the right to share in the wealth and freedom of our country. If we lose the war for personal freedom at home we will have given the terrorists a part of what they are after - our freedoms. In order for us to have even a fighting chance to repel the attack on our freedoms we must speak out at every opportunity. This will not ensure that we will win, but any other choice will ensure that we will lose.