darren_stranger | As Jacob said to Isaiah, in them biblin' days of yore..

An interesting site on comparing the positions of fundamentalists vs what the Bible actually says:

http://www.elroy.net/ehr/fighttheright.html

Can't vouch for the accuracy of the quotations but it sounds reasonable.

One bit that jumped out at me was:

"The first, and most important, is they must have an alternate source of personal value. These people feel valuable as humans because they have found the "truth." Even if you successfully break down that made-truth with the suggestions that follow, Fundamentalists will cling to the "rightness" of their beliefs at all costs unless you offer them an alternative way to feel good about themselves. Be their friends, even if they don't want you to be. Treat them with respect, even if they condemn you. Show them through your actions that you value them as human beings, even if they don't return the favor."

While it's very condescending (treating fundamentalists as addicts to be pitied, as opposed to thinking individuals who happen to have a different view to your own), the idea of being polite and non-aggressive, even in the face of aggressive judgmentalism, is something i've been thinking about for a while too (and ironically is more consistent with the approach of original Christian teaching as well).

And, in the spirit of all good scripturally based debate, i'd like to cherry-pick the following because it supports my own views:

"WHAT WOULD JESUS DO? (W.W.J.D.?)

The latest Fundamentalist gimmick is to parade around with bracelets bearing the letters "W.W.J.D.?" It's designed to remind Fundamentalist youth not to misbehave. It's also a way for these same youth to "share their faith" when someone asks what it means. It stands for "What Would Jesus Do?"

Indeed, what would Jesus do? Would he support Fundamentalist extremism or would he spread love and forgiveness? Would he dump on homosexuals, or would he fight for their rights as human beings? Would he picket abortion clinics, or would he comfort a woman in need of such a procedure? Would he be complaining about alcohol or would he be drinking it with his friends? You be the judge. In John 8:4 Jesus was brought a woman caught in adultery. Rather than condemn her, he forgave her and said the only people allowed to condemn her were the ones who had never sinned. No one condemned her that day. In John 4:7 Jesus encounters a prostitute at a watering well. Rather than judge her harshly for her sins, he asked her for a cup of water and gave her comfort for the mistakes in her life. And in Matthew 11:19 Jesus was called a drunkard for drinking wine in the homes of local crooks and thieves.

Jesus was not the uptight, judgmental founder of Fundamentalist Christianity. He was radical. He was compassionate. And he was forgiving. Rather than thumping people over the head with the Old Testament (the New Testament hadn't been written yet), he spent much of his time standing up to the Fundamentalists of his day. In Matthew 23:27 he said they were nothing more than "whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness." And isn't that so true. These are people who claim their made-truths come straight from the Bible, and yet they don't even know what's in it. They wear a facade of righteousness, and yet they sin by adding their unfounded doctrines to the Bible. They like to condemn others for living in sin, and yet they are blind to all the sins they simply ignore or write off as irrelevant. "