Despite propaganda in the media portraying Arabs in the Middle
East as fanatical fundamentalists, the real issue that Americans
should be concerned with is the growing presence of fundamentalist
religious fanatics here at home.
The greatest number of these fanatics can be found in the very
churches around the corner from where we live. Through their
political mobilizations, these zealots have consistently intruded
into the lives of ordinary citizens and attempted to force their
beliefs onto others.
In the misguided crusade to “save the soul of
America,” these zealots have sought to turn back the clock to
a pre-Enlightenment time when religion ruled over reason, and
religious leaders held dictatorial control over the lives of
everyday citizens.
Even before the ridiculousness of these fundamentalists’
current debate about the secularization of Christmas, a holiday
ironically based largely on pagan precedents and rituals, they have
driven an agenda consistently at odds with the individual rights
and beliefs of Americans today.
For example, in terms of issues such as stem cell research,
which currently holds the untold promise in bettering the quality
of life for people around the world, the fundamentalist right has
consistently opposed the development of this science.
As noted in a May 24, 2005 CBS news poll, 53 percent of white
evangelicals oppose the development of stem cell research, despite
the overall 58 percent of the American population that supports
this research. That these evangelicals would oppose the development
of this potentially life-saving research flies in the face of
reason and demonstrates how far removed fundamentalists are from
how most Americans think today.
Indeed, this attempt to stand in the way of science is also
shown in the push for the introduction of “intelligent
design” in public schools. These people do not believe in
evolution, even in the face of overwhelming scientific
evidence.
In terms of foreign policy, this dangerous fundamentalism sees
the world as the battleground where a “clash of
civilizations” between a Christian West and a Muslim Middle
East continues.
In supporting their crusade against the
“nonbelievers” of old, these fundamentalists have
supported military excursions into Afghanistan and Iraq,
demonstrating their own moral bankruptcy. These people see the
occupation of Iraq as an opportunity to convert the Muslim masses
to Christianity, and show how little they respect the right of
individuals to believe what they wish.
In terms of Palestine, many fundamentalist evangelicals see
support for the state of Israel as a fulfillment of biblical
prophecy that will hasten the “end time,” and the
“second coming of Christ.” According to a 2003 Pew
Forum opinion poll 63% of white evangelicals believe that the
existence of Israel fulfills biblical prophecy about the second
coming.
Acting on this belief, these fundamentalists have supported the
often-repressive policies of the Zionist Israeli state,
destabilizing the political situation in the Middle East and
causing anger with the U.S. to continue to rise.
The right of all Americans to believe what they wish has been
the bedrock of U.S. constitutional principles since our
country’s founding. And of course, not all Christians are
fundamentalists and many have been outspoken in supporting
progressive causes such as opposition to the war in Iraq or support
for stem cell research.
These kinds of religious groups are to be commended for their
willingness to transcend dogma and grasp the basic realities of
what is right and wrong. Yet when fundamentalist activists attempt
to block scientific progress or even dispute the veracity of
science itself, or when they use religion to support misguided
political policy objectives abroad, they prove themselves no more
advanced or rational than the Islamic extremists that they so
frequently deplore.
Through their actions, they seek to attack the foundations of
rationalism that have allowed society to progress, and demonstrate
a hidden danger that we as thinking, compassionate Americans should
and must stand against.
Yokota is a 2005 UCLA alumnus of the Asian American studies
MA program.