The Dark Rigidity of Fundamentalist Rural America

How christian fundamentalism has rotted their brains

In deep-red America, the white Christian god is king, figuratively and literally. Religious fundamentalism has shaped most of their belief systems. Systems built on a fundamentalist framework are not conducive to introspection, questioning, learning, or change. When you have a belief system built on fundamentalism, it isn’t open to outside criticism, especially by anyone not a member of your tribe and in a position of power. The problem isn’t that coastal elites don’t understand rural Americans. The problem is that rural America doesn’t understand itself and will never listen to anyone outside its bubble. It doesn’t matter how “understanding” you are, how well you listen, what language you use…if you are viewed as an outsider, your views will be automatically discounted.


I’ve had hundreds of discussions with rural white Americans and whenever I present them any information that contradicts their entrenched beliefs, no matter how sound, how unquestionable, how obvious, they will not even entertain the possibility that it might be true. Their refusal is a result of the nature of their fundamentalist belief system and the fact that I’m the enemy because I’m an educated liberal

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/rural-america-understanding-isnt-problem

 

Racist bigoted post.

 

He has a point, but its true of many religions and positions one might have, extremism in thought is intrinsically bad. But most people I met who were rural Christian are simple thinkers they love the Bible, believe in Jesus and know they are saved and largely don't get much deeper which makes them susceptible to religious exploiters.

 

This is a classic video from several years ago from the tv series Trading Spouses https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/...=08072568e345860eeaaf0b8c98f244a6&action=view. It illustrates your point very well.

 

ok then, what if the shoe is on the other foot? you are convinced by the information you have received that what you believe is true and no one's going to change your mind on that. this doesn't mean some detail of what you place you trust in may become clearer to you in some why. it means the fundamental foundation of your core belief will not be shaken or changed, isn't that true?

then you would be by the very definition of the word, a bigot. a bigot in its original terms is one be who stands their ground, does not change his position on a matter, and you have been taught by those who have educated you, that you trust and believe, that a bigot is intrinsically evil. therefore what has been taught to you to believe is you should believe all accept all every desire is ok to be fulfilled. which serves a society that has told you what to think and believe about anything. you should think like the tv sitcoms tell you to think and believe. you know tv says or in todays world its on the internet, it must be true. see this way the theory's can change, what is believed or accepted as truth can change, because you believe that's the way it should be.

it's not the evidence my friend, it's what you should believe about the evidence and who's information you should trust on that matter. this true not only in religion, but politics, courts, history books so on and so forth.

this simple truth is illustrated in the garden were Adam and Eve knew what God said or at least Adam did and they were told and brought to believe something other than what God actually said, if they had a fundamentalist attitude, they would have insisted on exactly what God said in His commandment to them, and we wouldn't be having this conversation. instead they trusted the words of another that lied to them about what God said, and deceived them to think and entertain that God's motives in His Word was disingenuous. hence trusting the liar, in instead of the Truth.

 

The truth is that Adam and Eve never existed.

 

Evidence?

 

Creation myths often share a number of features. They often are considered sacred accounts and can be found in nearly all known religious traditions. They are all stories with a plot and characters who are either deities, human-like figures, or animals, who often speak and transform easily. They are often set in a dim and nonspecific past that historian of religion Mircea Eliade termed in illo tempore ("at that time"). Creation myths address questions deeply meaningful to the society that shares them, revealing their central worldview and the framework for the self-identity of the culture and individual in a universal context.

Creation myths develop in oral traditions and therefore typically have multiple versions, found throughout human culture, they are the most common form of myth

 

some good logical reading

http://www.vexen.co.uk/religion/christianity_adamandeve.html

 

My son had a good friend that moved to Iowa for a job after college - he said it was like living in the movie Stepford Wives.

My opinion is that if you reach adulthood and still have an imaginary friend, you are ripe for being fooled by a huckster, a con man, a charlatan.

Religion is the world's oldest and biggest scam.
Billions have been sucked from the pockets of decent, but gullible folks by the likes of Pat Robertson, Jim Bakker, and Donald Trump.

 

Let's remember that if Jesus showed up at the airport, Trump wouldn't allow him to come to America.

You've got nothing to compare to that.

 

An educated liberal ! Did you mention that to these dumb rural white guys before you told them about your elite coastal views ?

 

Isn’t it strange how human hubris and arrogance can cause death, destruction, and chaos? Self-righteousness and a profound sense of superiority have been responsible for the deaths of millions of humans throughout history.

The Taliban of Afghanistan consist of men who worship power above all else and abuse the name of God or Allah to justify their evil ways.

Sadly and tragically certain fundamentalist and extremist men who thump bibles and call themselves ‘Christians’ behave in a similar reprehensible and evil fashion.

http://www.christiantaliban.org/

 

Our beliefs made America, your beliefs made the DPRK USSR and hitler..

 

First prove they did.

 

?

 

So very true.

 

Rural Americans are simply less educated and worldly ( and I don't say that with malice, I love Rural Americans, but they simply are this)

 

Do you come across as arrogant and hateful as you do on here. You are what Id call an extremist. Almost all your posts paint a bad picture of the South or Christianity... complete bigotry.

 

I love this anthropological, Jane Goodall look into the uncivilized wilds of "Red Amerika." Keep putting out articles like this and Trump gets a second term easy.

 

LOL, the usual arrogant self important coastal elite opinion of the 'rubes'. I hope you realize that you come across exactly as you describe those you disdain with haughty religious zeal.

You could actually learn something from Christianity, how to be humble.

 

You may think this, but a countryboy can make it in the city much easier than a city slicker can make it in the country..
Wouldn't know the first thing about being self reliant and specialized half brainwash "worldly" edukashun is quite useless in an independent reality..
You know one thing and have everyone do everything else for you, while we survive by doing all things ourselves..
If anything were to happen to strip you of your safe space support system you would all be running around like chickens with no heads..

 

BTW..

I don't really know what you're talking about with " belief system built on religious fundamentalism"

You think everyone from the country runs around living their lives heavily influenced by religion you are mistaken..
What exactly do we do because of religion? We just live..

You want to tax the **** out of us to give to your packs of freeloaders and blame us for their laze, violence, and ingrained ignorance..

Also.. You may think your cities command an overwhelming majority of the reported GDP, but you don't think to take into account that a huge part of our country economy happens off of paper..

I do tens of thousands of dollars worth of work for myself every year easily but I didn't pay someone to do it for me so it is not calculated..

That's how it is in the country, lets see you build a house, build a property, build a car or 3, build a family, and build an income for what you don't accomplish yourself.. We have a whole lot more value flow than just cashflow..

 

Your claim of having hundreds of discussions with rural white Americans seems very questionable. Your stereotype with respect to these people is about as offensive as saying you have talked to hundreds of black people and they all like watermelon and fried chicken.

 

The biggest scam is the American Great Society and social programs that pay people to crank out babies and not work. Billions have sucked from the pockets of people who work and pay taxes to pay for liberal social programs.