People always associate religious fundamentalists with terrorists and fanatics. However, if you really think about it, any devout religious person must be a fundamentalist.
When reading the scripture, the devoted must take it literally and accept its totality. One can’t interpret it according to his own likings. Nor can he pick and choose whichever suits him well. Otherwise, he is a religious opportunist. When one denies one part of the scriptures, it’s corollary that one can deny any part thereof. That’s the beginning of the end of his faith.
So there is no such term called religious fundamentalism. If you are truly religious, you have to be a fundamentalist.
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But why is anyone a fundamentalist- it is surely a minority of believers that believe in absolutely everything in their chosen religious scriptures. The Archbishop of Canterbury has recently proclaimed that he thought that Britain should incorporate Sharia law into its legal system. The outcry that followed hinged on the fact that those countries that have Sharia law have no consistency, since the fundamental beliefs are open to interpretation. A barrister talking on Radio 4 stressed how important it was that Sharia law had not changed in 1600 years. That is surely the crux- times have changed. Religious fundamentalism is about life 1500- 2000 years ago. Times have changed- why is it that Italy (staunch Roman Catholics) have the lowest birth rate in Europe. It's religious pragmatism!
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