Christian extremism is a poorly understood and often neglected phenomenon. Although we are constantly hearing about Muslim extremists, America is plagued with a Christian extremist movement which we ignore at our peril. Christian...
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Christian extremism is a poorly understood and often neglected phenomenon. Although we are constantly hearing about Muslim extremists, America is plagued with a Christian extremist movement which we ignore at our peril. Christian extremism includes the components of Christian fundamentalism (i.e., biblical inerrancy, evangelism, premillenialism, separatism/sense of persecution, and biblical literalism with regard to creation) and adds some additional components (e.g., exclusivity, anti-intellectualism, social conservatism/anti-liberalism, intolerance, theocratic strivings, and militant opposition to modernism).
They may spend more time bemoaning the "evils" of secularism when someone gives them a microphone, but Christian extremists also view progressive Christians as their enemies. Many go so far as to call them "fake Christians" even though it is usually their politics on which the disagreement centers. We atheists must be careful about not lumping all Christians together. In a fairly religious country such as the United States, we can find important allies against Christian extremism among many...
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My esteemed colleague and fellow Mississippi Atheists contributor, Oliver, has been inspired by Hemant Mehta (Friendly Atheist) to begin a series of posts reporting on his experience at various churches in the South (mostly Mississippi). The most recent post in Oliver's Non-Believer in Church series is absolutely terrifying and reminds me that we still have much work to do in opposing Christian extremism. Oliver's description of the manner in which the pastor at First Free Will Baptist...
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While reading an interesting post at Mike's Weekly Skeptic Rant, I had an interesting thought I'd like to share. The atheist blogosphere is filled with criticism for the Christian right, and Christian extremism is increasingly recognized as a pox on American society. So how come we almost never hear about Jewish extremism? I'm not just talking about the mainstream media here but about what you'll find on atheist blogs, including this one. Frankly, Jewish extremism is something about which I...
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There is incredibly sad news out of Wisconsin involving the unnecessary death of Madeline Neumann, an 11-year-old girl, after her mother refused medical treatment for diabetes, instead preferring to pray. According to MSNBC, "The family believes in the Bible, and it says healing comes from God, but they are not crazy, religious people, she [the mother] said." Indeed. What exactly would she call them then? It appears that Ms. Neumann has learned nothing at all from her daughter's tragic death...
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We hear quite a bit about about religious extremism in other parts of the world but very little about Christian extremism right here in America. Don't get me wrong - Islamic extremism is a real concern and deserves the attention it receives. However, I think it is a mistake to completely ignore Christian extremism at home. I suppose it would be accurate to say that one of the main reasons I maintain this blog is to call attention to what I perceive as a neglected issue: Christian extremism...
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They may spend more time bemoaning the "evils" of secularism when someone gives them a microphone, but Christian extremists also view progressive Christians as their enemies. Many go so far as to call them "fake Christians" even though it is usually their politics on which the disagreement...
A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring alleged Christian extremists preaching violence and a Bible passage calling for war, in response to an anti-Quran film that sparked protests across the Muslim ...
A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring Bible texts allegedly calling for war and Christian extremists preaching violence, in response to an anti-Koran film by a Dutch lawmaker that has sparked angry street protests across the Muslim world.
A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring Bible texts allegedly calling for war and Christian extremists preaching violence, in response to an ...
By Donna Abu-Nasr AP BEIRUT, Lebanon – A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring alleged Christian extremists preaching violence and a Bible passage ...
A Saudi blogger has made a short video featuring alleged Christian extremists preaching violence and a Bible passage calling for war, in response to an anti-Quran film that sparked protests across the Muslim ...
This evangelical Christian pastor turned author is best known for his Left Behind series of fiction books, but his influence extends well beyond his writing. He is considered one of America's most influential evangelical Christians and was instrumental in the 2000 "election" of George W. Bush...
The man's wife, also a Christian extremist, was jailed for six years. Judge Christopher Prince described her as "a strong and forceful personality" who ...