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The word of God . . . perhaps

Posted by Tim on Thursday, May 25, 2006 | Permalink
 

I don't normally post here, preferring to concentrate on other areas of the site (well, that's the idea anyway) but I'd like some opinions on something.

Fundamentalists are strange creatures, not realising that the term "sacred text" is self-contradictory and that all writings are open to interpretation. Watching their attempts to explain away the problems in their holy books can be both amusing and frustrating. But are the fundamentalists the genuine believers and the less scary, more liberal believers frauds?

Is the term "Moderate Muslim" an oxymoron?

What about Christianity - in the last UK census over 70% of people claimed to be Christians, yet only a small proportion of those people actually take part in any form of active worship (such as attending regular church services). My guess is that most of the 70% have a vague belief in a creator and involve themselves in certain Christian ceremonies out of a sense of tradition - and ticking the box marked "Christian" was the nearest thing to that (they may also have wished to disassociate themselves from the other religions on offer). Should these people really be classed as Christians?

How far away from fundamentalism can a believer stray from a particular religion and still be considered a part of that religion?

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