Back on 10-Jun-01 at 09:33 PM, Dicho said: "Not all fundamentalists force their views on others."

I was brought up by fundamentalist Protestant parents (all comforting pats on my shoulder accepted) who forced their views on me and called it "raising up a child in the way that (s)he should go". I was carefully taught by my folks and by their church to force my (excuse me; THEIR) views on others: my father advised me that I should not speak to any non-Christians except to witness to them. I could relate even more horrible anecdotes, but I'm sure you'd all like to sleep tonight. Maybe there ARE fundamentalists who don't force their views on others, but I think it's against their religion.

Now, at 45, I've deprogrammed myself to the extent of being an agnostic. I don't know if there's a God, but I sure don't believe in Christians! So, Don, you're right; fundamentalists DO give Christians a bad name. My upbringing has scrambled my brain for life, but I still try to listen to different points of view, think on them and leave myself open to the possibility of changing my opinion on most issues — is that moderate? — something that fundamentalist Christians don't seem to be allowed to do (since they're discouraged from respecting themselves enough to do their own thinking... I certainly was).

norah s