Fundies

[Bartmanhomer]

How do you deal with religious fundies?

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Fundies

I do not think you can give an all inclusive answer to this BartmanHomer. Just because a person is a fundamentalist doesn't mean all fundamentalist are the same even within the same fundamental group. Nor can you truly in my opinion identify fundamentalism as a set parameter as it can range from extremist to a sort of quasi acceptance of others.

So I suppose the only answer I can give to your questions is to deal with them as individuals as you would any one else. Some can be reasoned with, other's well it's best just to ignore and move on.

[JackofSpades]

Re: Fundies

Depends how bad the fundies are. Some are possible to deal with, some are a menace and there's very little else to do than run as far as possible.

In my experience these are best things to do with most fundies:

Practical:

- Avoid talking about religion when they're around.
- If they bring religion up, change the topic.
- Don't argue (it fuels them), just ignore and keep changing the topic.
- If they're relatives etc. people you can't help being around, practice keeping your emotional distance. Don't tell them how you really feel, share as little details about your life as possible. When they don't get close to you, their ability to control or shake you diminishes.


Inside head:

- Keep in mind that they don't care about you. They are just doing their mission like robots.
- If they are people who are close to you, it's easy to start feeling that they would accept you if you changed yourself the way they want. Just remember that changing yourself is not going to make them happy or accept you, it would only make them introduce more demands.
- Remember that fundies are very empty, narrow people and their inner life is a mess (I know because I was a fundie). They are in a sad place and there's nothing fun or peaceful in a fundies life. Being a fundie is a twisted mockery of beauty of actual spirituality.

[habbalah]

Re: Fundies

Being a fundamentalist does not inherently make you a bad person. Maybe a bit crazy, but we all are in our own way. To the awful ones that call for hate or act in violence, I do my best not to associate with anything they do. That's pretty much all I can do.

[Spiny Norman]

Re: Fundies

How do you deal with religious fundies?

Run away?

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Fundies

I usually tell them I am happy that they have found their way because I have found mine.

[Briton]

Re: Fundies

There appear to be very few religious fundamentalists in Britain, I don't think most have ever needed to consider what they might do. I don't even know where to look for them, gods forbid that I should ever want to do such a thing.

It depends on the fundamentalist. If it was an immigrant hate preacher who did nothing but beach about "the West", I'd be tempted to spark 'em. If it was a drunk skinhead EDL Crusade supporter, well they're so thick they wouldn't understand anything truthful you had to say anyway.

[thalassa]

Re: Fundies

It depend on how much of a jerk they are.

[Herbert]

Re: Fundies

Laugh at them and point out logical flaws with their interpretations, most of the time. On occasions when they happen to be massed; pretend to be agnostic, and be easily persuaded if they try to convert me.

[Stardust]

Re: Fundies

I just try to ignore them and go on with my life. They're so far gone that they can't be reasoned with

- Remember that fundies are very empty, narrow people and their inner life is a mess (I know because I was a fundie). They are in a sad place and there's nothing fun or peaceful in a fundies life. Being a fundie is a twisted mockery of beauty of actual spirituality.

Yeah, pretty much this. I've encountered plenty of fundies in my life and they all had some serious inner demons they were struggling with