1. 

   richardcollins
   Administrator

   The primary reason that moderates refuse to come out publicly against fundamentalists is the vulnerability of their own position.

   
   

   Posted 1 year ago #
2. 

   jamesatracy
   Key Master

   This a point that I remember Sam Harris making very well in The End of Faith. A fundamentalist is a person who actually takes his/her religion seriously.

   Posted 1 year ago #
3. 

   RouX
   Member

   If by 'moderate' you mean your average Catholic or Protestant, then I think 'moderate' is a misnomer. How can ANY Christian be a 'moderate' Christian?

   You won't find them attacking fundamentalism, because I think most 'moderates' don't like to draw attention to the fact that they don't actually believe in a vague 'God' concept, they really believe in the God of the Bible... and 'just like' fundamentalists, they too believe in Creation, the Bible being the word of God, Prayer, Miracles, Virgin Birth, Rising From Death, Life After Death, Angels, Devil, Heaven, Hell, etc, etc....

   My sainted adoptive Mum is a very quiet, non-evangelical, C of E christian, but she believes in all the above. Bless her.

   Posted 1 year ago #
4. 

   jamesatracy
   Key Master

   Most of these Christians are 'moderate' when it comes to modernizing the Bible in light of modern science and cultural values. They do not believe in a literal Adam and Eve, a 6,000 year old Earth, an actual Noah's Ark, etc. On some issues, however, like you mentioned, they may seem less moderate in comparison. What I really think it comes down to is how flexible they are with interpreting some parts of scripture.

   Posted 1 year ago #
5. 

   richardcollins
   Administrator

   I recently came upon this comment concerning "moderate" Christians. They are like typhoid carriers who are not sick, but are very capable of spreading the disease.

   Elsewhere I have noted that every fanatic religious person starts out as a moderate and there is no guarantee that a moderate will never slip down the slope to fanaticism. If you believe in the supernatural, then ipso facto your mental processes are compromised. Take all the loony theology you like, it is madness to believe in fantastic claims solely because of emotion.

   
   

   Posted 1 year ago #

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