Fundamentalism makes crazy people EVEN CRAZIER.

[Philosoraptor]

This is my opinion, based on personal experience in my family.

Some members of my family became born agains 35 years ago, and in my opinion, they were already a bit crazy, and they were just waiting for the right crazy ass religion to come along to send them right over the edge.

Certain crazy people are DRAWN to fundamentalism, it's a fact, not an opinion. I know there are many thousands of decent, normal, sane fundamentalists, but the few crazy ones make them ALL look bad, sorry to say, but it's true.

I've met crazy Catholics, crazy Baptists, and crazy born agains, and their craziness is only amplified and aggravated by talk of the end of the world, baby killers, and homosexuality, and of course hatred of other religions.

There are crazy people in all spectrum's of life, but there are MANY crazy people in fundamentalism.

Crazy people do crazy things, and they believe in crazy things, and they do crazy things.

In my opinion fundamentalism DOES make crazy people even crazier.

[rucky]

1. Crazy does not necessarily mean mentally ill.

Just adding to your point to preempt the meme-du-jour - just in case.

[Philosoraptor]

3. Hell, I'm crazy as a shit house rat myself.

I don't exclude myself from the crazies of the world, I'm one of the craziest people I know, but I am a harmless atheist.

[Swamp Rat]

16. Shit house rats aren't crazy,

But they do stink a lot. :D :hi:

[BrklynLiberal]

2. Guess we could ask the "chicken or egg" question..

Are these people crazy and that is why they are attracted to these groups...or do these groups tend to attract people who can be easily shoved off the edge of the cliff. Guess it does not matter...the tragic results are the same.

[Philosoraptor]

4. Crazies are drawn to cults, that's how cults work.

[jazzjunkysue]

12. Right. Cults prey on fragile people. They can't exist without them.

[Raksha]

27. I think it's a vicious circle, or better yet a vicious spiral.

You have to be a little bit nuts to be attracted to a cult in the first place. Then after they rope you in, they make you even MORE crazy as you adapt to their particular delusional system, until finally you end up 100% batshit insane! Only you don't know it because everyone around you is as batshit insane as you are. Cults specialize in isolating their members, after all--that's part of how the brainwashing works.

It doesn't always work permanently, though. People HAVE been known to wake up. The Internet is full of websites for recovering fundies, recovering Scientologists, recovering JWs, etc. I've looked at some of them.

[no_hypocrisy]

5. I can understand why.

Fundamentalists explain complicated matters in black-and-white, easy-to-understand language. Disciples don't have to think for themselves, just remember and repeat. Always an answer too. It's a perfect world for those scared by modernism, change, etc.

[Philosoraptor]

9. They feel as if they are not in this world, & refer to 'the world' like it was all evil

[no_hypocrisy]

11. Exactly, well said.

[Ian David]

6. Crazy people who think they hear voices get it reinforced by those willing to believe them.

Just look at that chick from Trading Spouses or Wife Swap.

DARKSIDED!!!

[Stevenmarc]

7. Fundamentalists use the bible as their breadcrumb trail to make it through the day,

which doesn't make them crazy just incredibly stupid, of course there are a few crazy ones.

[The_Commonist]

8. And we live in a crazy society...

...so crazy people have to find a place to channel their anger.
Fundamentalism satisfies certain cravings.
If we lived in a rational society, there would be fewer people driven nuts by it all.
But there's plenty of cash to be made with divide and conquer...

[Philosoraptor]

10. That's true, this IS a crazy ol' world.

[jazzjunkysue]

13. Any organization, regardless of the ideology, produces group behaviour that individuals

would probably not indulge in.

Fundies have the added advantage of an ancient text, loosely backed by other sane cults, that they can misinterpret at will, to justify their actions and words.

The excuse that God will pronounce judgement on them because of what the other people do is the give away: It's a rationalization, and it's not even cloaked.

Nowhere in the bible do you read that God's gonna get you for what your neighbors are doing, and that it's your job to defend God.

[deaniac21]

14. What about the following:

A) Fundamental Liberalism

A) Fundamental Humanism

A) Fundamental Atheism

?

[CJCRANE]

15. Do they exist...?

[deaniac21]

17. Absolutley...just google

[CJCRANE]

19. Good answer

but there is a difference in meaning between "fundamental" and "fundamentalist".

There is no major "fundamentalist liberal/atheist/humanist" movement nor is it really possible.

[trotsky]

21. Excellent reply. n/t

[deaniac21]

26. What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

[Philosoraptor]

18. ..............

[mwb970]

20. Excessive religiosity is clearly a mental/emotional illness.

It should be classified as such so that treatment can be made available for its victims, before they hurt themselves or someone else. The odious political views of these troubled fundies are based on falsehoods and wild distortions, spewed daily by Fox "News" and the sick right-wing radio gasbags.

A significant portion of the body politic in America has a debilitating disease called Religious Conservatism. Somebody help us!

[trotsky]

22. Probably, but Roeder wasn't crazy.

He was acting perfectly rationally and morally within his religious framework. These are the kind of fruits we can expect to see from the postmodernist "all viewpoints are equally valid" claptrap that shuns the rationalists from calling BS on religion and irrational beliefs.

[callous taoboy]

23. You left out the group I'm affiliated with: Rock-and-roll crazies.

The trait I hate the most in the fundamentalists I work with is the smugness.

[mitchum]

24. In their diseased minds, it validates their craziness

[terrific]

25. Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.....

everybody!