Fundamentalism Is A Character Disorder


Fundamentalism is not a religion, but a character disorder deriving its energy from sexual repression.

Fundamentalism has nothing to do with the divine Spirit. We must distinguish mainstream religion from the fundamentalist aberration that uses religion as its disguise.

By fundamentalist I do not mean evangelical or conservative, but the absolutist authoritarian mentality that refuses dialog, rejects the other's right to alternative interpretations, and threatens retribution against any disagreement.

Whether the fundamentalist claims to be Christian, Muslim or Hindu, the abnormal psychology is the same. Obsessed with guilt and judgment, the fundamentalist cannot conceive of any God beyond an abusive parent who creates life as an either/or test: either unquestioning obedience or brutal punishment.

Under the constant threat of parental retribution, the fundamentalist achieves no individual self expression, relaxation, or relief of emotional and sexual tension in this life. The fundamentalist can only fantasize release in an afterlife, seeking liberation through a final act of violent self-immolation at the moment of death. The apocalyptic war that becomes the fundamentalist's self-fulfilling prophecy is a disguised sexual fantasy.

Fascism is the political ideology most appealing to the fundamentalist, because fascism uses religious symbols to glorify repressive autocracy and military violence. Hitler, for example, loved religious symbolism.

Fundamentalism is America’s most insidious political threat. It comes not only from terrorists in foreign nations, but from our own home-grown extremists. In 1935, Sinclair Lewis warned, "When fascism comes to America, it will come wrapped in the flag and wearing a cross."

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