Jim, I think there needs to be a distinction made between "conservative" Christians and "fundamentalist" Christians. Fundamentalists are aggessive, intolerant, and legalistic. They exist in almost every creed. Their aim is to destroy anyone who doesn't agree with them or doesn't exist their imposition of beliefs upon others. I think you could say there are fundamentalist liberals, too; and even fundamentalist atheists.
I have been inspired by many conservative Christians, even though my understanding may be different from theirs. If you take the Sermon on the Mount literally and live by it, the liberal-conservative differences mean little more than an intellectual disagreement. For the most part, it does not matter whether the Scriptures are understood literally or not - what does matter is whether the message is heard and understood.
-Joe Offer-