by Charles S. Oaxpatu
Right now, at this very moment, you, I, and all other Americans are creating something of immeasurable importance. How many of you know what it is—and no—it is not a crocheted doily for that lamp table in your living room? We are creating the American future. Our knowledge of the American past, combined with the knowledge and actions of the present, are creating our future in this country. Indeed, the events and actions of every day in the American past was a day of creation—of creating a portion of the present we live in now. Therefore, to fully and accurately understand the American present, we have to look at the past that created it. We are going to do that today, and I do sincerely pray and hope that you will come along with me on this journey into the American past.
We are going to take a close historical look at Christian fundamentalism, conservative evangelicalism, and their fundie followers who populate a unique American Twilight Zone that I call Fundieland. What does this land look like? Most of you already know, but if you are too young to have heard about it, you may check it out by clicking the triangle on the following very brief video clip:
Fundieland has a few religious roots that go far back into American history. However, this unique twilight zone the Christian fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals imagined themselves into did not fully crystallize into a solidified, militant religious movement until the year 1920 in Chicago. This is why we, here at the Flee from Christian Fundamentalism blog, say that Christian fundamentalism in the United States is only about 100 years old.
Just for a little perspective on that, our Divine Lord and Savior Jesus Christ walked planet Earth nearly 2,000 years ago in 33 A.D. The Roman Catholic Church was not fully consolidated and established (in the manner we think of it today) until 590 A.D., which was about 1,400 years ago. Martin Luther and his Protestant Reformation began in 1517 A.D., which was 500 years ago. Christian fundamentalism, per se, began in the same year the electric traffic light was invented. (Please feel free to laugh out loud because it truly is the appropriate response.) Christian fundamentalism is a recent and uniquely American invention. Even Joseph Smith and his Mormon church, another American religious invention, are quite a bit older than full-blown Christian fundamentalism.
A recent television commercial says that items are most effectively marketed to the American public when they come in a sets of three. For some reason, the number three has a unique magnetism in the human mind. With that in mind, I would like to kindly ask you to read the following three very informative articles, which were written as a three-part series. These historical articles will help you to better understand how Fundieland came into being, how its thirst for right wing extremist politics developed, why Christian fundamentalists and conservative evangelicals are head over heels in love with President Donald J. Trump, and why they continue to support him. I think you will enjoy these three articles and learn a whole bunch while reading them. Please just click on the following safe links:
Part 1——Exploring the Origins of the Christian Right
Part 2——Why Did So Many Christians Vote for Donald Trump?
Part 3——Why Do So Many Christians Support Donald Trump
Yes. These articles are excellent. However, considering the subject matter itself and President Trump, it might be a good idea to hold your nose as you read the above articles. Sometimes the portion of twilight Fundieland that dwells near “the pit of man’s fears” is like a corporeal hike through Smellsbad Caverns.
Flee from Christian Fundamentalism 