Events
Fundamentalism and Faith
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| Mr. Jonathan S. Benton Former Deputy Chief of Mission U.S. Embassy Dublin: |
Fundamentalism in religion is a topic of great relevance in today’s world. Interestingly, as mankind has become more and more advanced scientifically, the role of religion in society worldwide has also grown. Depending on how people of faith approach the relationship of religion to society and social policy, religion can be either a liberating force or a destructive force. It is entirely up to the believers and their spiritual leaders.
Fundamentalism is of course not limited to the Islamic world. Historically, fundamentalist movements have arisen in societies during times of profound social change. In the United States, fundamentalism really began in 1920, just after World War I and at the start of the so-called “Roaring Twenties.” American society was in a period of profound social change as it absorbed the full impact and horrors of history’s worst war ever at the same time as a move toward looser morality was gaining speed. Steady increases in literacy, improvements in mass printing techniques and the development of the film industry created a new mass culture. Many Americans who felt their way of life being threatened, or who were not comfortable with the great changes being imposed on their society, reacted by retreating into religious fundamentalism, finding there the security, moral clarity, and unquestioned truths they needed.
In more recent years, rapid economic, social, and political changes swept across India leading to a rise in Hindu fundamentalism and the political parties to which they were allied. In the Muslim world, the impact of globalization, the on-going Palestinian-Israeli conflict, social changes brought on by immense oil wealth, and the political challenges of regime change, liberalization, and openness to foreign ideas and information, have likewise been contributors to growing Islamic fundamentalism. Even in America today, groups that are especially hard hit by the changing economy, immigration, the perceived moral direction of society, and other social challenges sometimes retreat into various Christian fundamentalist groups. In all these cases, I think many people have turned to their faith, albeit to much simpler and more rigid interpretations of their faith, to re-establish a sense of personal security and to give order to the apparent chaos they see in the society around them.
What is interesting in this respect, however, is whether people turn to religion to liberate and define themselves or to restore some control to their society. Islam offers a very interesting concept in this regard that I think deserves our attention, whatever our faith may be. This is the concept of internal jihad versus external jihad.
In raising this issue, I certainly do not claim to be an expert on Islamic theology and defer to those here today who are. But in my readings of this concept, I think it has much to teach us. In a nutshell, “jihad” generally refers to the struggle that one must undertake as one strives in the path of God. We in the West often view this term from a political perspective in that “jihad” is nothing more than a military or political struggle against non-Muslims. As I understand it – and Sheikh Satardien may clarify this further – that struggle is defined both externally and internally. The external struggle is against enemies or non-believers; the internal struggle is with oneself to reject greed and temptation. I think it is safe to say that while Islam expresses this concept most clearly, it is, in fact, found in most, if not all, major faiths.
When people of faith wage internal warfare against greed and temptation, they become models of virtue in their communities and for the rest of society. Non-believers see a community that stands above immorality that helps their neighbors, that supports the sick, the suffering, and the weak, that does charity, and does not engage in anti-social or other negative behavior. Such believers who return to the fundamentals of their faith, but follow those fundamentals to reform themselves, not to impose control on others, earn the respect of others and grow in number. They are generally tolerated, not persecuted; they are respected, not reviled – even by those who do not share their views.
In my own country, we have many such faith groups who, to use the Islamic term, wage internal jihad according to the tenets of their faith. Among Christians, we have traditional communities of Amish, Mennonites, and others who separate themselves from society, live and prosper in separate communities, and preserve their old societal ways against the influx of modern life. Among Jews, we have traditional communities of Hasidim, living even in the middle of New York City, who follow the tenets of their faith rigidly, dress in particular styles, and follow a prescribed set of social and religious rules to the letter. One such group that is quite large is in the news right now in America. They are anti-Zionist, but still live and prosper side-by-side with other groups that support Israel. Among Muslims, we have traditional ethnic communities and various sects within Islam who likewise have found the freedom in America to live and practice their faith that they sometimes did not have at home.
In all these cases, the larger society not only tolerates these communities but actually admires and respects them for their integrity, morality, honesty, modesty, and dedication to their beliefs. Their practice of “internal jihad,” if you will, has earned them the acceptance and respect of those who do not follow their faith. Over the years, these groups have picked up converts to their faith because of their example, not because of force. They have asked others to respect their choices, not adopt them, and gained the respect of others in so doing.
Fundamentalism turned inward can lead to profound and positive changes in society. If we look at how Christian fundamentalism, in particular, has functioned in the United States, we see some interesting trends. Until World War I, most Christian fundamentalism was characterized by “revivalism,” an effort by churches to get people to return to the basics of faith, to live more moral lives, to turn away from sin and to embrace virtue. These campaigns were often built around such social issues as prohibiting slavery, advocating rights for freed slaves, and banning alcohol. After World War I, these campaigns began to focus on more political issues such as prohibiting the teaching of evolution and fighting immigration. With the advent of the so-called “Religious Right” in America in more recent years, the focus now includes efforts to ban abortion and to oppose gay marriage.
However – and this shows how the movement has evolved in recent decades – those churches that are most strongly in the camp of the Religious Right are also among the most racially integrated, and offer extensive services such as counseling and other social services. They are deeply involved in charitable outreach both at home and abroad. It is during this period that I think these churches have seen the strongest growth through conversions.
When people return to the fundamentals of their faith by waging “internal jihad,” they focus on their relationship with their creator, on improving themselves, and on using the power of their numbers and collective energy to advocate life, to advance freedom, and to secure rights for others. When they instead wage “external jihad,” focusing on the demons of others instead of their own internal ones, and trying to impose their narrow worldview on those outside their communities, they tend to suppress freedom, to advocate violence in pursuit of their ends, and to deny rights to others. Sadly, such a tendency can be found in various manifestations among many major faiths around the world. It is this brand of fundamentalism that people of faith must collectively resist.
Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and others who return to the fundamentals of their faiths can be a tremendous force for good in their societies. They can serve as advocates of the poor, the dispossessed, those whose rights are under threat. They can address problems in their societies that are leading to moral and ethical degradation, and they can serve as examples of the power of faith to those around them. In doing so, they earn the respect of their fellow countrymen and people everywhere for the lives they lead and the example they set. They prove that faith in the modern age is a positive agent of change.
However, when people return to the fundamentals of their faith only to use those fundamentals as a springboard to secular political power, as a means of denying rights to others, and to sanction violence, they only show that their faith is a negative factor in modern life that religion is not to be trusted. Such fundamentalism does nothing positive for people of faith who want to live their lives within a spiritual framework.
As people of faith, we must be ever vigilant that the fundamentals of our faith are not hijacked by those driven by hate and ignorance, and those whose agenda is mainly political, not spiritual. This is more the job of faith communities than it is of governments. A spiritual agenda is inwardly driven, a political agenda is externally driven. Working together, people of many faiths can build a more peaceful and secure world, one that is tolerant of different faiths, welcoming to all peoples, and a more enlightened and moral environment for everyone to enjoy. This is the real fundamentalism that is called for by the God of Abraham for all His children and it is a fundamentalism that we can all respect.
Thank you.
