FUNDAMENTALISM AND ITS RISE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY
FUNDAMENTALISM AND ITS RISE IN THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.
What is Fundamentalism? The most common association those with no base knowledge of the term make is with Islam, the word being linked to the faith with great popularity in the first decade of the twenty first century. Despite this point many faiths, apart from Islam, like the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu have those within their respective memberships who can be classed as fundamentalists. Fundamentalists are staunch believers and (as they see themselves) upholders of doctrines within their respective faiths they perceive to be beyond question. It is thus their unconscious duty to defend their core beliefs against all antithetical ideas with vigour to preserve the ‘authenticity’ of the faith to which they adhere. With this in mind, the primary focus of this research will be in answering two questions. The first being what fundamentalism is (within the context of American protestant Christianity) and the second accounting for its ascension in the twentieth century.
To do this the paper will firstly gather various definitions of the term from the most basic to those containing degrees of complexity. Once achieved, a heavy emphasis on the history of fundamentalism will be undertaken that will allow the reader to appreciate what it is and how its rise in the twentieth century came about. The 1925 Scopes monkey trial will be mentioned alongside two instances in New Zealand history. The reason for mentioning these is because the first will illustrate that religious ideals in colonial New Zealand were very much in line with fundamentalist thinking and the second to show how far reaching the influence of fundamentalist doctrine can be. In conclusion the question of whether the movement is indeed Christian or not will be addressed.
A Fundamentalist, regardless of their religious affiliation views them-selves as a defender of their faith. According to Alex Woolf, they believe the words of the holy
What is Fundamentalism? The most common association those with no base knowledge of the term make is with Islam, the word being linked to the faith with great popularity in the first decade of the twenty first century. Despite this point many faiths, apart from Islam, like the Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, and Hindu have those within their respective memberships who can be classed as fundamentalists. Fundamentalists are staunch believers and (as they see themselves) upholders of doctrines within their respective faiths they perceive to be beyond question. It is thus their unconscious duty to defend their core beliefs against all antithetical ideas with vigour to preserve the ‘authenticity’ of the faith to which they adhere. With this in mind, the primary focus of this research will be in answering two questions. The first being what fundamentalism is (within the context of American protestant Christianity) and the second accounting for its ascension in the twentieth century.
To do this the paper will firstly gather various definitions of the term from the most basic to those containing degrees of complexity. Once achieved, a heavy emphasis on the history of fundamentalism will be undertaken that will allow the reader to appreciate what it is and how its rise in the twentieth century came about. The 1925 Scopes monkey trial will be mentioned alongside two instances in New Zealand history. The reason for mentioning these is because the first will illustrate that religious ideals in colonial New Zealand were very much in line with fundamentalist thinking and the second to show how far reaching the influence of fundamentalist doctrine can be. In conclusion the question of whether the movement is indeed Christian or not will be addressed.
A Fundamentalist, regardless of their religious affiliation views them-selves as a defender of their faith. According to Alex Woolf, they believe the words of the holy