Someone who believes in the literal truth of a religious holy text is a fundamentalist of the religion in question. By extension, people with very strong religious commitments which they believe to be close to the founding intentions of their religion are also described as fundamentalists even if they allow some interpretation of their scriptures. *[ It is thus utterly impossible for me to be a fundamentalist as I hold no commitment to a literal interpretation of any religious text nor any strong religious commitment to the founding intentions of any religion .] ... Fundamentalism's manifestations have taken sometimes horrifying forms ... In every case fundamentalists ... are opposed to democracy, liberal pluralism, free speech, and equal rights for women. They reject the discoveries of modern science in the fields of physics and biology, and assert the literal and unrevisable truth of their ancient holy writings. *[An example is creationsim / Intelligent Design.] All the major fundamentalisms are determined to take control of the states in which they exist, and to impose their view of things on them. *[This should be a worry to every citizen.] ... what kind of ethics would be imposed by, say, a fundamentalist Christian government in the United States, if such came to pass. *[ I shudder to think! For a start, homosexuals would be persecuted, art banned, science destroyed, history rewritten and Islam banned. The bible would be the standard for all law including stoning rebellious sons, no work on the Sabbath and rigid blasphemy laws. ] ... a religious morality imposed by enthusiasts would controvert almost every tenet of liberal views about tolerance, openess, personal autonomy, and choice, and would impose instead a harsh and limiting authority on behaviour and opinion, and doubtless even on dress and entertainment. *[In other words, a return to the Dark Age.]
