The attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington DC by Muslim Fundamentalists have crystallized a number of ideas that have been drifting around in my head for several years. This “911 call” wasn’t just a wake up call about terrorism, it was a sign that the Culture War between Modernity and Fundamentalism has become irredeemably deadly. Though there are multiple non-religious motives behind Islamic terrorism, this essay will focus on the religious factors sanctifying and justifying mass murder. The Problem is Fundamentalism As I discussed in another essay, Understanding the Religious Reich, Fundamentalism, whether Jewish, Christian, or Islamic (or Marxist, for that matter), has become the primary threat to world peace and even to civilization itself. Let’s put this as clearly as possible: a bunch of religious lunatics murdered over 6,000 people on September 11, 2001. There is absolutely no reason to believe that they won’t do something just as awful again if given the chance. Here is what I said there, so you don’t have to jump over and back: Throughout this essay I’m going to be referring to “Fundamentalists,” so perhaps I should clarify the term. Let me start, as I so often do, with a historical review of the term — on this occasion quoting from a standard mainstream Christian reference book, the 1964 edition of A Handbook of Theological Terms, by Van A. Harvey: “Fundamentalism is a name that was attached to the viewpoint of those who, shortly after the turn of the [19th-20th] century, resisted all liberal attempts to modify orthodox Protestant belief or to question the infallibility of the Bible in any respect. The name is derived from a series of tracts published between 1912-14, entitled The Fundamentals that aimed at defining and defending the essentials of Protestant doctrine. The most important of the fundamental doctrines were (1) the inspiration and infallibility of the Bible, (2) the doctrine of the Trinity, (3) the virgin birth and deity of Christ, (4) the substitutionary theory of the atonement, (5) the bodily resurrection, ascension and second coming of Christ (parousia). Since most of these beliefs have been a part of Christian orthodoxy [for fifteen centuries], historians have seen the uniqueness of Fundamentalism to consist in its violent opposition to all beliefs that seem opposed to some teaching of the Bible. In the twenties and thirties, this opposition was focused particularly on any theory of man’s [sic] origins, especially evolution, that seemed incompatible with the account in Genesis. Consequently, Fundamentalism tended to be identified with blind opposition to all critical inquiry. Because of this identification, certain conservative theologians who share the above-described beliefs but who think they can be defended in a rational manner have tended to shirk the name “fundamentalist” and call themselves “evangelical conservatives.” They generally oppose the spirit of ecumenism and any theology, including neo-Reformed theology, which does not regard the Bible as the absolute and infallible rule of faith and practice.” Notice that 40 years ago he was mentioning the “…violent opposition to all beliefs that seem opposed to some teaching…” The term “Fundamentalist” has since been extended by the mass media to refer to “Fundamentalist” Jews, Moslems, and even Hindus. In each case, the inference is that some people refuse to budge from the most conservative version of their faith that is available to them and resist, even to the point of violence, all competing worldviews, including scientific knowledge about the origins of life and of Earth not really being the center of the universe. Non-Christian examples include some Orthodox and Hassidic Jews, most Shiite Muslims in Iran, and most Sunni Muslims elsewhere. Christian but not Protestant examples would be ultra-conservatives within both Roman and Eastern Orthodox Catholicism, as well as some Mormons (though non-Mormons often consider all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints “non-Christian”). Nontheistic examples would include many Marxists and Secular Humanists, as well as other fervent atheists. For the purposes of this essay, I could simply refer to “ultra-conservative monotheists and nontheists,” but “Fundamentalists” is somewhat shorter and extremists among the modern Christian Protestants who call themselves by this term were — at least until the World Trade Center attacks — the primary threat to our lives and freedom. So on those occasions when I don’t specifically mention it, you may keep in mind all the other types of Fundamentalists mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Later in that essay I said: …this desperate need for a simple universe leads Christian and Islamic Fundamentalists to desire secular power to enforce their opinions (which they call “God’s Law”) upon every man, woman, and child on the planet, and to eliminate all competing worldviews. (Jewish Fundamentalists, however, only want to have total domination over the territory that their predecessors ruled 3,000 years ago as well as over every Jewish family elsewhere in the world.) When Fundamentalists get into secular power, this is what they do, as any glance at Ireland, Israel/Palestine and most Islamic nations will reveal. And then most of them will export their Fundamentalism elsewhere. and: We can and should, however, blame specific Fundamentalists and their beliefs for crimes they advocate and commit today. Jewish Fundamentalists murdering Palestinians, Islamic Fundamentalists bombing shopping malls and and flying jets into office buildings, and right wing Christians killing doctors and clinic workers (not to mention right wing Catholics and Protestants murdering each other’s families in Ireland) are all acting out some of their belief systems’ most basic (fundamental) doctrines, beneath the additional layers of political and economic conflict. and: …all those who believe in simple human decency and freedom of religion for all people, everywhere in the world, must stop being so damned passive and start taking effective action to contain, subvert, and dethrone Fundamentalism wherever and whenever it oppresses its own and other peoples. Fundamentalists can only thrive in atmospheres in which their fanaticism is considered “just their religious belief,” and something to be tolerated by everyone else, rather than the world-wide threat to peace, justice, democracy, and civilization that it is. [Above excerpted from Understanding the Religious Reich, which should be read for full details.] Vocabulary Note: I’ve spent years trying to come up with appropriate cross-religious terminology to use to refer to particular religious phenomena. “Fundamentalist” is the best term I’ve been able to find to use as shorthand for “ultra-conservative, rigidly dualist, deliberately ignorant, force approving, religious fanatic/extremist.” It at least has the advantage that most English speakers already know it and many of them use it this way, much to the annoyance of some who call themselves Fundamentalist. Mainstream theologians and religious studies professors have not been forthcoming with alternate terminology, perhaps because of their own academic or theological agendas/fashions/limits. I am very much open to suggestions for other terms that will cover this complex but distinctive spiritual/religious dysfunction. The drumbeat for war of some sort has been loud and unstoppable since the day America lost her innocence. Despite the fact that no one seems to know exactly how to track down and kill the surviving terrorists responsible, the overwhelming majority of Americans (including myself) and many citizens of other nations certainly want to do so. Of course, if this “war against terrorism” follows the usual pattern of the last few American wars, everyone in the general vicinity except the guilty parties will be killed and victory will be proclaimed far too early. Among the many casualties will be basic constitutional rights and simple human decency, all in the name of stopping terrorism (exactly as happened in the “war” against Communism). Regardless of what happens in the American crusade for vengeance, even if this year’s arch-villain Osama bin Laden is caught and killed, we will still be treating the symptoms instead of the disease. So here is A Call to Arms Fundamentalists have long been waging a “culture war” with the the Western world’s concepts of justice, science, democracy, and pluralism, which they call the “Forces of Evil.” It is well past time for liberal, moderate, and conservative Jews, Muslims, Christians, Neopagans, Unitarian Universalists, Atheists, Agnostics, and everyone else who isn’t a religious fanatic, to start consciously fighting back against deliberate ignorance, religious bigotry, and sanctified violence — that is to say, against Fundamentalism. As I said before, it is time to take effective action to “contain, subvert, and dethrone Fundamentalism wherever and whenever it oppresses its own and other peoples.” What does this mean? To begin with, Reconstructionist, Reform, Conservative, and secularized Jews have to stop respecting Orthodox and Hasidic Jews (at home and abroad) who advocate violence against non-Jews in Israel, who attempt to revoke the civil liberties of those who have different moral visions, who oppress their wives, who deliberately keep their kids ignorant, and who use money and weapons to oppress, enslave and kill other human beings. Liberal, moderate, conservative, and secularized Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox Christians have to stop respecting the ultra-conservatives/Fundamentalists in their communities (at home and abroad) who advocate violence against abortion doctors, who attempt to revoke the civil liberties of those who have different moral visions, who oppress their wives, who deliberately keep their kids ignorant, and who use money and weapons to oppress, enslave and kill other human beings. Liberal, moderate, conservative and secularized Muslims have to stop respecting the Islamic Fundamentalists (at home and abroad) who advocate violence against heretics, who attempt to revoke the civil liberties of those who have different moral visions, who oppress their wives, who deliberately keep their kids ignorant, and who use money and weapons to oppress, enslave and kill other human beings. Atheists, Agnostics, Deists, Freemasons, Rosicrucians, Gnostics, New Agers, Neopagans, Unitarian Universalists, and members of other belief and non-belief systems have to stop pretending that Fundamentalism is just another belief system entitled to full social and political respect, one that will eventually go away as people become more enlightened. It isn’t and it won’t. Fundamentalism is a mental and spiritual illness that endangers and oppresses hundreds of millions of innocent people around the world. It is a dysfunctional form of belief that deliberately attempts to control its victims to prevent them from ever becoming more enlightened, because its leaders know that scientific education, exposure to other lifestyles, gender equality, and spiritual awareness, all spell the end of their dictatorships. In fact, ancient and modern Fundamentalism (in my extended sense) is the most dangerous collection of “cults” in history. Effective action means that the full resources of modern nations and modern people as individuals must be used to legally overthrow Fundamentalist governments, even if the leaders are financially helpful to American corporations. There are few Fundamentalist democracies, so we aren’t likely to be going against the “will of the people” in so doing. We need to swamp the Middle East, Ireland, China, Southeast Asia, and American radio and television talk shows, with accurate information about the world outside, about modern science, about modern liberal attitudes, about absurdities and atrocities in their scriptures, about the crimes of current Fundamentalists and their theocratic plans for the future. I’m suggesting that Radio Free America become Radio Free Planet, and not just a voice for unrestrained robber baron capitalism (yet another Fundamentalist cult that has hurt as many people as it has helped) as it was during the Cold War. Our Central Intelligence Agency has shown that it’s really good at assassinating democratically elected officials, overthrowing liberal governments, and training death squads to torture, rape and kill liberals and moderates. Let’s see how good they can be at overthrowing Fundamentalist dictators (where their people have no legal options) and their oil-rich sympathizers, once they have the free hand they are begging for. When Islamic Fundamentalists crashed jumbo jets into the World Trade Center, they weren’t just declaring war on the United States. They were declaring war on the entire modern world. When American Fundamentalist Christian ministers Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson blamed the September 11th, 2001 attacks on liberals and secularists in American culture, they weren’t just making asses of themselves, as they have done so many times before, they were declaring their solidarity and sympathy for the insanity that is Fundamentalism: “I really believe that the Pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say ‘you helped this happen.’ ” (Jerry Falwell) “I totally concur.” (Pat Robertson) As more than one political cartoonist put it, while Osama bin Laden and his friends were rejoicing that “God has punished America for her sins,” Falwell and Robertson were saying, “Amen, brothers!” Randy Cassingham, author of This is True, in a break from his usually humourous writing about weird new stories, called them America’s Taliban. Said he, “I consider those two men’s comments downright treasonous.” I couldn’t agree more. Let us never forget the words of hate and divisiveness they spoke at a time when a shocked and reeling America needed words of comfort and unity. The first, and perhaps most crucial, step to stopping terrorism is to stop Fundamentalism. Then we can deal with those aspects of terrorism that are rooted in political, ethnic and economic conflict. But all three kinds can ultimately be defeated only by a massive, unrelenting, worldwide campaign of education in the modern principles of pluralism, relativity, secular politics, and economic justice for every living human being. That last part, of course, will be a stumbling block to organizing these efforts, because worldwide economic justice would require that the multibillionaires who run the First World be willing to take cuts in their income. But’s that’s a topic for another essay. For now, I’ll just point out that leaving a fifth of the world’s population in the thrall of Fundamentalism — ignorant, uneducated, and hostile to the rest of the world — is not a cost-effective way to run a planet. The hundreds of billions of dollars that will be needed to repair the physical damage of September 11, 2001 is just a down payment on what Fundamentalism could cost us in the years to come if it is not stopped. Now, on to a few related topics: How are Critics of Fundamentalism Different from Those They Criticize? I am often asked by those who have read or heard my strong opinions about Fundamentalists, how it is that I am “different” from them. I am told that my opinions about them are just as harsh as their opinions about my religious community, and I more-or-less agree with that observation. I am told that I am spreading hate against Fundamentalists by mentioning how hate-filled they are. So how, then, are those who consider Fundamentalism a threat to civilization and freedom, different from the Fundamentalists who say nasty things about us? Are we really “just the same” as the people we oppose? I think almost everyone who is critical of Fundamentalism would agree that: We don’t want to shut down their places of worship and outlaw their religions. We don’t want to discriminate against them in hiring, in housing, in the military, or in the receipt of social services. We don’t want to take over the government and force every citizen to live according to our theological opinions, whether we think a deity shares those opinions or not. We don’t want to organize paramilitary groups to overthrow the government, or to plant bombs, or to fly jumbo jets into office buildings, all for the greater “glory” of our deities. We don’t want to kill people for being gay or lesbian, or for having sex with someone they aren’t married to, or for sassing their parents, or for practicing divination, or for belonging to a “false religion.” We don’t want to drive people from their homes and places of worship, and kill them if they resist, because we think some deity gave our predecessors a deed of property a thousand years ago. Yet all these things are what most Jewish, Christian and Islamic Fundamentalists do want to do. And have done when they were able to. And will do again, if ordinary people who aren’t religious fanatics don’t take action to stop them. In short, we don’t want to be sanctimonious, bloodthirsty, power-mad bigots like they are. That’s what makes us different. If saying so sounds harsh, or rude, or biased, or politically incorrect, so be it. If some people reading this consider themselves to be Fundamentalists, but don’t agree with this Fundamentalist agenda, then perhaps they should change their religious identities to Evangelical, Conservative, or Orthodox members of their faiths. Better yet, they should actually take control of their current denominations from the lunatics and fanatics. [The above excerpted from Understanding the Religious Reich,which should be read for full details.] I receive complaints from some Fundamentalist readers that, “I’m a nice person and I’m a Fundamentalist. It’s those nasty ones who aren’t real Fundamentalists.” I’ve said many times over the years, I have known nice people who called themselves Fundamentalists, but none of them was considered “a real Fundamentalist” by other Fundamentalists. Nice Fundamentalists find that they must bend the rigid theological, social or political rules of their denominations to allow themselves to be kind and decent. If they are lucky enough to live in a social and political situation that allows them that freedom, they may never know the difference. If they aren’t, they get ostracized, banned, or a cross burned on their lawn. So who does get to define whether certain actions and beliefs are representative of a community? Only the (poly)theologians? I choose (the root of “heresy”) to take into consideration the observations of historians, sociologists, political scientists, psychologists, anthropologists and other trained and more-or-less neutral observers. Then, like other polytheologians who use secular sciences and scholarship to inform my beliefs, I express my conclusions. Based on those secular observations and my own personal experience, I see anger, hatred, fear and bigotry as core Fundamentalist characteristics, with violence never very far beneath the surface. Self-identified Fundamentalists who differ with that view are in the same situation as those in the Neopagan movement who understand that “witch” isn’t the correct historical term for what Wiccans believe and practice, and that it has far too much negative historical baggage to ever be completely rehabilitated. Hate-mongering, violent, abusive Fundamentalists ruined any positive value the term might have long ago. “Nice Fundamentalists” can either leave their denominations or be ready for a very long and very dirty fight with their co-religionists. Let us know if you win. Islamic Fundamentalists, Yes; Ordinary Muslims and Arab-Americans, No I hope I’ve made it clear that I don’t like Islamic Fundamentalism any more than I like Christian or Jewish or Marxist Fundamentalism. But as a committed advocate of religious freedom and pluralism, I try very hard not to treat specific individuals of those faiths as enemies until such a time as they show themselves to be such. Because the September 11th, 2001 attacks were perpetrated by Islamic Fundamentalists, it is all too tempting for Americans of all faiths (and none) to lash out and attack our Islamic and Arabic neighbors, assuming that they are all, “just the same.” Try to remember some important facts: Most Muslims consider their Fundamentalist fanatics to be just as crazy and evil as most Christians and Jews (publicly or secretly) consider their Fundamentalists to be. Yes, the liberals and moderates in these faith communities are usually too cowardly to denounce their fanatical brethren, but that doesn’t make them supporters. As Clovis Maksoud, a Muslim college professor said on MSNBC Sept. 24, 2001, every religion has its lunatics and, “Just as all Christians should not be judged by the Ku Klux Klan, or Jim Jones, or even Jerry Falwell, all Muslims should should not be judged” by their Fundamentalists. A major reason that many Muslims move to the United States or other Western nations is precisely because they aren’t Fundamentalists and don’t want to live in a Fundamentalist tyranny. A large number of American Muslims aren’t Arabic in ancestry (lots of them are African-American or Pakistani-American) and many Arab-Americans are Orthodox Christians (not to mention agnostics, atheists, and yes, Pagans). I urge you to join with those who are guarding local Muslim mosques and community centers, and escorting Muslim mothers to shopping, etc., until the anti-Islamic hysteria is over. However, while America is thinking about waging war in the Middle East, let’s Save a Little Anger Us spiritual folks aren’t supposed to get angry, or so we are told. Yet, we should all be very, very angry at those people who committed such horrific mass murder on September 11, 2001. All those who belong to terrorist networks, the governments that hide and support them, and those who profit financially and politically from terror, deserve to be punished for the crimes they commit, no matter what their supposed justification. But wait — perhaps we should save some of our anger, just a small bit, for their other accomplices: Save a little anger for the CIA operatives who gave them weapons and training in how to be terrorists. You know, the same folks who now want all ethical constraints removed from their behavior? Save a little anger for those corporations, mostly American, who have made millions of dollars selling jet fighters, attack helicopters, explosives, automatic rifles, and other deadly devices to all sides in the eternal stew pot of hate that is the Middle East. Save a little anger for those politicians and billionaires who have callously played the Islamic nations off against each other for fifty years, always backing the despots most likely to increase profits while ignoring or destroying democratic movements as “threats to stability.” Save a little anger for the airlines who improved their profit margins by using overworked, underpaid, and barely trained “security” personnel, rather than hiring real professionals to screen passengers or ride on the planes. Finally, let’s save just a little bit of anger for ourselves. Ordinary American citizens have let these bastards get away with creating a world in which terrorism is not just possible but damned near inevitable — and we have paid a terrible price for our unwillingness to stop them. That price will only get higher until we stop treating the symptoms of worldwide terrorism and start attacking the root causes of the disease: irresponsible, greedy, power hungry people who consider us all — terrorists and victims alike — as weapons and tools in their insane competition for world-domination. And make no mistake about it: while Jewish Fundamentalists may only want to rule the territory their predecessors conquered centuries ago, Christian, Muslim and Marxist Fundamentalists do want to rule the entire world and eliminate all competing world views. As I said before, let’s start actively fighting back. What Should We Do in the Short Run? There is a slogan that civil rights activists have long used, “No justice; no peace.” Unfortunately, that slogan is true on many levels. Poverty, despair, hunger and injustice are all too easy to manipulate by terrorist organizations. This is why I agree with the suggestion now circulating on the Net that our President should be urged (in email, faxes, and snailmail) to accompany any invading troops in Afghanistan with troops bringing food, tents, and medicine to the Afghan people. Afghans have been starved and brutalized by the Taliban regime, which is not an elected government supported by the Afghan people, and may react well to genuine help from outside their nation. But we can and should also say, “No justice; no peace” to the terrorists as we hunt them down. Also in the short term, it’s time for the mass media and the vast majority of Westerners to treat all Jewish, Christian and Islamic Fundamentalist leaders who preach hatred and violence against all competing world views, and who scripturally sanctify murder, with contempt — not respect. Let’s not fall for the ingenuous argument that we shouldn’t be biased against bigots — we should be biased against all oppressive movements and people. It’s time for all those who truly believe in freedom and democracy to use every kind of power that they have, whether political, economic, military, social, spiritual, or magical, against the specific individuals who promote Fundamentalism, enslave entire nations, and commit mass murder. To that end, I will resume posting “Villain of the Month” photos on my website at <http://www.neopagan.net/>. Those who believe in magic or the power of prayer can use those photos to focus their minds. Those who don’t can use those photos to inspire more mundane efforts. If you consider yourself psychic, you might want to join the Hunt for Osama bin Laden: A Global Psychic Experiment. Talk about this with your friends. Write snailmail letters to your political representatives. Send harsh feedback to popular media figures who whitewash Fundamentalism. Do binding spells on the villains responsible. Subvert the would-be dominant paradigm! What Should We Do in the Long Run? In the long term, it’s way past time to put a permanent stop to all terrorist organizations. Yet, terrorism will continue as long as there are ignorant, unhappy, impoverished people nursing legitimate grudges against rich and powerful nations. To permanently stop terrorism, we will have to create a world in which every nation is genuinely democratic and every individual feels that his or her voice will be heard without needing a gun or bomb to get attention. So we need to use all our knowledge, skill and power to subvert, influence and eventually overthrow every fundamentalist, secular, or tribal dictatorship on the planet and then take the necessary steps to prevent any new ones from getting started. I’ve been told that this is imperialism, that we shouldn’t force our values on others. Well, if our values are going to save lives, promote justice and strengthen freedom, as distinct from just maximizing corporate profits, then using our power and our wits to help remove criminals and lunatics from ruling impoverished nations may not be such a bad idea. Let’s not neglect all the home grown, domestic terrorist groups, either. The mass media should be clear that Christian Militia groups are just as un-American as Islamic ones are. Terrorism cannot be stopped without a massive campaign to educate Third World peoples about science, technology and pluralistic, democratic values. To that end, we need a popular wave of enthusiasm to spend a few billions dollars to revive and deploy the Peace Corps and to send food, medicine, tools and seeds with them. This is something for which I would be willing to see a national draft in America and other industrial nations. Write snailmail letters to your political representatives. We also need a long-term grassroots campaign to get Congress to pass laws and the Executive Branch to enforce them, forbidding the U.S. government and American corporations to ever again train and equip terrorists, as they did in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Central America. We have had an unforgettable lesson about the dangers of training rabid pitbulls — eventually they turn on their supposed masters. Write more snailmail letters to your political representatives. A real war against terrorism and Fundamentalism will take decades, will cost Western economies billions of dollars, and will require a short term lowering of our wealthy standard of living — but we’ve already seen the deadly alternative. Will Americans and other Westerners be willing to do it? Only time will tell. Final Clarifications When I advocate a “war against Fundamentalism,” I am NOT advocating physical violence against your nearest Fundamentalists. I am using the phrase in the same way as the (abandoned) war against poverty or the war against breast cancer. Yes, if our hearts are filled with hatred and revenge, we are in danger of becoming similar to our enemies. But we must still fight vigorously and unrelentingly until Fundamentalism is no longer the threat to freedom and democracy that it is now. This is an intellectual war of competing memes. All who believe in freedom, democracy and pluralism must work against sanctified ignorance and bigotry, which is to say, against Fundamentalism as I have discussed it in this essay. Likewise, I am not advocating hatred towards Fundamentalist individuals, though that is their attitude towards all who are unlike them. I am advocating honesty and forthrightness about expressing the meme that Fundamentalism (as discussed in this essay) is not worthy of respect as a religious path and is all too easily turned to violence and oppression. Creedism has got to become as socially unacceptable as racism or sexism, and Fundamentalism is creedist. And, yes, I know that this essay doesn’t sound very spiritual or New Agey. I’ve already received plenty of commentary from fluffy-bunny types who want people to respond to terrorism by holding hands and sending white light and love to the whole Earth. They have been saying the same thing for many years and nothing has changed in world politics or the Religious Reich as a result. I will send out good vibes when that is appropriate, but loving your enemies in wartime is suicidal. I have written and spoken elsewhere about the ethics of magic and prayer. Most beliefs that these activities somehow require a separate set of ethics from the ones we use in our secular lives are rooted in the Western Dualism that separates spirit from matter. The touchstone I use in teaching is that any action that is ethical when using physical, artistic, intellectual, or social means, is ethical when you are using magical, psychic, or spiritual ones. Follow your own spiritual beliefs, but remember that refusing to take action is itself a decision that will reap karmic consequences for you, and all the Earth.