Comments on: God, The Constitution and The Social Age http://thesocialage.com/blog/2007/09/18/god-the-constitution-and-the-social-age/ Tue, 22 May 2012 20:19:18 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Alexander Kjerulf http://thesocialage.com/blog/2007/09/18/god-the-constitution-and-the-social-age/#comment-495 Alexander Kjerulf Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:07:35 +0000 http://thesocialage.com/blog/2007/09/18/god-the-constitution-and-the-social-age/#comment-495 I'm as shocked as you are by these statistics, and can only breathe a sigh of relief that I live in one of the most secular nations on earth. But I'm very hopeful for the future, and here's why: Rather than see this as a struggle between different religions or between believers and non-believer this is in reality a struggle between fundamentalism and modernism. Modernism has been winning a constant stream of battles all through the 20th century (or ever since science began in earnest in the 17th century, depending on your viewpoint) and what we're seeing now, is that a lot of institutions that used to command our allegiance have suddenly realized that they're becoming less and less relevant. They're now fighting back, trying to mobilize the faithful with images of external enemies. Exactly what the belief is, is irrelevant, what matters is that each of them claim to have the only truth and in some way the right to impose their beliefs and practices on others. That's fundamentalism - and fundamentalists everywhere are currently panicking. They fear fundamentalism is losing out, because modernism is a much more useful and positive approach. It's natural that we're seeing this counter-reaction, but I predict that it will be no more than a temporary pause.Fundamentalist institutions will continue their inevitable slide into obscurity - for the simple reason that they give us nothing we truly need. Modernist institutions, on the other hand, those that encourage people to think for themselves, to find their own values and beliefs, to respect other people's beliefs fully are still gaining ground. Does that make sense? I’m as shocked as you are by these statistics, and can only breathe a sigh of relief that I live in one of the most secular nations on earth.

But I’m very hopeful for the future, and here’s why: Rather than see this as a struggle between different religions or between believers and non-believer this is in reality a struggle between fundamentalism and modernism.

Modernism has been winning a constant stream of battles all through the 20th century (or ever since science began in earnest in the 17th century, depending on your viewpoint) and what we’re seeing now, is that a lot of institutions that used to command our allegiance have suddenly realized that they’re becoming less and less relevant.

They’re now fighting back, trying to mobilize the faithful with images of external enemies.

Exactly what the belief is, is irrelevant, what matters is that each of them claim to have the only truth and in some way the right to impose their beliefs and practices on others. That’s fundamentalism - and fundamentalists everywhere are currently panicking.

They fear fundamentalism is losing out, because modernism is a much more useful and positive approach. It’s natural that we’re seeing this counter-reaction, but I predict that it will be no more than a temporary pause.Fundamentalist institutions will continue their inevitable slide into obscurity - for the simple reason that they give us nothing we truly need.

Modernist institutions, on the other hand, those that encourage people to think for themselves, to find their own values and beliefs, to respect other people’s beliefs fully are still gaining ground.

Does that make sense?

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