The Tyranny of Fundamentalism
By Chuck Nelson
 
Like many, I am growing weary of the intolerance, mindless lockstep obedience and religious fervor of the fundamentalists in our culture.  Like rocks in a stream, their adherence to outdated beliefs and values, resistance to change and inability to accept compromise creates cultural turbulence in what would otherwise be a smooth flowing society.
 
In spite of the fact that many individuals in the fundamentalist movement are highly educated, it seems they are completely unable to comprehend the fact that modern scientific advances have rendered their archaic belief system obsolete.  Oblivious to contradictory science and cultural pressures, they pursue their singular religious agenda, attempting to convert as many as possible in the process.
 
What is to be done with this intellectual abyss in our midst?  Their uncompromising mindset is at best an embarrassment and at worst an obstacle to progress in a pluralistic society.  At present it seems that our most effective countermeasure is an educated and informed public.  The resources of our public education system must be focused on this problem.  Educated and informed individuals will not be easily recruited into the ranks of fundamentalism. 
 
A two-fold educational program would go a long way toward resolving this problem.  The first focus of an enlightened educational program should be on science with a strong emphasis on teaching students to study carefully, keep an open mind and to critically consider the facts.  When students learn to study, keep an open mind and critically analyze they are not likely to be led down the path of religious fundamentalism. 
 
The second educational emphasis should be on identifying and exposing the underlying assumptions and motives of those who are attempting to influence their thinking.  Once the underlying assumptions and beliefs of fundamentalists are exposed and understood, students will be able to quickly identify and differentiate their propaganda from scientific fact. 
 
This two-fold educational program is necessary if our youth are to be inoculated against the fundamentalist vector in our culture.  Some preliminary steps have already been taken in furtherance of this educational goal but it has been met with stiff resistance.  While some gains have been made we must expect to take some losses along the way. 

 The most recent setback encountered in the attempt to educate the public against this