The Danger of Fundamentalism in a Nut Shell

     The shocking excesses of the fundamentalist church in Kansas which has been sending people out to disrupt funerals, etc. points out the danger of fundamentalism if it turns in the wrong direction and then goes unchecked.  The fundamentalist represents every opinion he has as an "interpretation" of scripture, allowing him to excuse any number of reckless or violent acts with his all-purpose excuse, "so it is written, so it shall be done, thus sayeth the Lord" meaning that some Holy Writ has shut off all further revelation, inspiration or use of the mind and intelligence which are themselves gifts of God and intended by Him for use.  All further discussion and the thought process itself is shut off.  While many or even most fundamentalists may not go that far I submit that this explains jihadism and Islamist extremism to a large extent because it indicates the dangerous direction in which fundamentalism can go.