How can religious moderates be said to enable hateful fundamentalists?

[E_Pluribus_Unitarian]

20. Thoroughgoing religious liberalism in no way enables fundamentalism.

I guess it depends on what we mean by "moderate." People who take really seriously the "liber" part of the word liberal, and then seriously apply it to religion, will know that the liberative process is actually a repudiation of fundamentalist dogma of all stripes. Anyone who has followed my "Faith of the Free" Facebook page, for example, would understand that whether we use the term faith or not, or any other traditionally religious language, our very presence and what we stand for undermines and challenges rather than enables religious fundamentalism. This bothers the dogma-driven churches tremendously...far more than our small numbers would otherwise warrant. They rightfully see the tectonic plates of their unsubstantiated fundamentalism being moved and eroded. In this we are all working together, and again rightfully so. We have no ill will toward those true believers, and stand ready to work with them for constructive, ethically humanistic purposes, but our mission as Unitarian Universalists is to move beyond and render largely irrelevant the superstition, the supernatural woo-woo and organized authoritarianism and patriarchy and would-be theocracy that get in the way of building a better, more sustainable world.

Unfortunately, far too often, we are instead lumped together and stereotyped (by folks like Nate Phelps) with the very dogma-driven religiosity that we oppose. I really would like to see that change.

Ron

(Summerville, SC... admin of the rapidly growing "Faith of the Free" FB page...to which all here are invited.)