Thanks for the post.

I did a search on FUNDAMENTALISM and learned some interesting things last night.

One of the 'Fundamentals' listed by the white American guy in the 1800's who first used the term 'fundamentalist' is literal interpretation word for word of the Bible. This is a NEW idea in Bible study.

And even more than that, Christian fundamentalism has become THE vehicle for vicious racism and white supremacy. It is strictly a Western idea, and I highly doubt that His Majesty read the Bible literally. For he was a reasonable person.

The Bible was written 600-400BC by Jews interested in making the worship of YHWH into a state religion, and it borrowed elements of the older traditions it burned fire on as 'heathens.'

Human beings wrote the Bible,lots of different ones. The book of James for example sticks out as pretty much disagreeing with everything Paul said in his epistles. Paul says slavery is cool and don't disobey the government. He was a Roman, so that makes sense.

And many of the Books of the Bible which existed at the time the version most of us look at was put together were left out because these guys had a Church to build, and they could not tolerate dissent. Talk about FIYAH BURN-the ones who stated different views were burned at the stake. One priest once told me that there has always been debate about removing the Book of James from the Bible- go figure-it's one of my favorite ones.

This 'my way or the highway' streak will never be the view of most. JAH is indeed the WORD, but worshiping every word of the Bible is like agreeing with every word that every human being has ever said.

And it makes Rastafari for some into this Christian-style religion where all you have to do is replace the name "Jesus" with "Selassie" and then you're all set.

Fundamentalism is paranoid, intolerant, and embattled. Fundamentalism rejects science. It makes people vicious to each other, and even violent, and this can't be right. Fundamentalists band together into strict groups to give each other strength against 'the infidel' i.e. everyone who does not agree to the letter. Because of their interpretation of the Bible women are regarded as inferior beings.

Look at Numbers 19, the story of a father delivering his virgin daughter to be gang-raped and murdered by a drunken mob, and yet for all the hundreds of Levitical Laws he broke not one in doing that.

Or read of all the accounts in the Old Testament of the Hebrew slaughter of 'heathen', where they left not a child or an animal alive at the end. They took the virgins though.And they did this with full approval of YHWH, and they slaughtered most and best when the Ark dwelt among them.

And the Commandment says 'Thou shalt not kill.'

Ones who sight the Bible as literal fact resist reading outseide it, and especially the history of their own tradition. In my experience of spiritual development, sticking close to my own history and our collective history is the ONLY way to reveal New Heaven and New Earth.

I personally have gained much from the Bible, but I am a free human being with the free will JAH gave me to discern wisdom from folly. And I glory in that most of all.

Rootsie