Guest, TJ,

In your post of 2:26 today, you said that fundamentalism "seems to view any reference, however oblique, to the supernatural to be the work of the Devil".

A Protestant "fundamentalist" is a person who believes in the "fundamentals" of Christianity: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fundamentalism In the context of the modernist-fundamentalist debate, the "fundamentals" are the inerrancy of the Bible, the virgin birth of Jesus, the historical reality of his miracles, atonement for sin as the purpose of his death, and his bodily resurrection. For more, please see the following, especially section 2: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalist-Modernist_Controversy#The_Doctrinal_Deliverance_of_1910_.28a.k.a._The_Five_Fundament. The "modernists", in contrast, doubted these points.

In other words, the "modernists" doubted the supernatural; the "fundamentalists" AFFIRMED (and still affirm) the supernatural.

In the 1600s, the Puritans did attempt to "purify" society of "Romish" influences, but that was NOT due to their belief in what would later be called "fundamentals". The anti-Puritans, the High Churchmen, believed in the very same "fundamentals". So did the Roman Catholics.

It was the old Quakers who were MOST intent on eliminating pagan influence. That is the reason why, for example, Wednesday (Wotan's day) was called "Fourth Day" by the Quakers. See section 3 of this reference for more:http://www.worldspirituality.org/quaker-language.html You are probably aware that the modern Quakers are among the least fundamentalist of all groups that self-identify as Christian.

The supernatural fantasies of C. S. Lewis and, to a lesser extent, J. R. R. Tolkien, are popular among fundamentalists. The modern denomination that is most opposed to anything that could be seen as pagan or elvish is the Watchtower Society a.k.a. "Jehovah's Witnesses". Protestant fundamentalists consider them to be false teachers.   

I do not wish to over-state the point. Fundamentalists do not simply embrace anything and everything supernatural. Some things they celebrate; others they discourage; but it is not true to say that fundamentalism "seems to view any reference, however oblique, to the supernatural to be the work of the Devil".

Respectfully,

Kent