Stephen Fry on meeting God ...

That's quite a nice idea.

It depends on the brother-in-law. The widow would be distinctly second-best poor relation to the original wife, and what if she had her eye on someone else and didn't fancy her husband's brother?

rules are rules

What if the widow was past child-bearing age?

Very good points, Elegran, confusedbeetle. Jesus was a rebel who kept on emphasising that just following the letter of the law wasn't what it was about. But many human beings feel the need to have very firm rules and then they know where they are. Most of our laws and a lot of our conventions are based on this need, and the need to have a stable society. At any given time some of that will be out of step with public opinion and different places will be at different stages.

God changed the rules. That is why Jesus had to be born and bring in the revised version.
And that is the rules we still have now, to this day. Jesus had to change things from the Old Testament.

Mishap - I have only been talking about christian and fundamentalism. Not any other faiths' fundamentalism. It is very important not to muddle faiths up.

Elegran - you are quoting rules from the Old Testament, not the New Testament. Except perhaps the woman and hair one, which was a custom in the New Testament, not a rule.

Fundamentalism of some religions may well be dangerous.

ohdear - in the bible, as far as I know, it does not mention anywhere about not being allowed contraception. The other things you mention, they are not christian rules and requirements, so whoever is making them up or happen, is not following the bible.

Glad that you called God a fundamentalist.

I do want to say that, and I am being careful how I put this, that there are all sorts of spiritual places you can be at, being a christian.
And that is ok.
There are strong christians, weak christians, wobbly christians, doubting christians, etc. Just hang on in there.

Are you a relatively new convert to Christianity, soontobe? Just out of interest.

No. I think I have always believed.
I became a christian more than 20 years ago.

Not muddling faiths up.

Christian fundamentalism is equally dangerous as fundamentalism in any other faith. The need that some people have to have firm rules to follow that minimize the need to think is a powerful tool in the hands of the corrupt.

Fundamentalist Christians can and do cause much harm- in so many ways.

In Africa some children are beaten and burnt for incarnating the devil- still today. Eritrea has a huge % (about 90%) of genital mutilation for girls- for Christians, not Muslims, and so on. And in may parts of the world, including the USA and increasingly in the UK, children have a very limited education via Creationism and the denial of principles of evolution, for instance. I had students from several brethrens where girls had to leave at 15 and have arranged weddings and were totally forbidden to study, or to have any kind decision in their lives- all were Christians. They had to wear long skirts, long socks and a scarf over their head. too.

I am sorry, I dont understand the second paragraph.

Where is the danger in christian fundamentalism? Assuming that christian fundamentalists keep to what is in the Bible and dont add or take away from it.

x post.

All that lot is not keeping to the Bible in the slightest granjura. That is not christian fundamentalism.
I wouldnt even like to say what that is.

Neither is Muslim fundamentalism. Terrorism, labial ablation, even wearing a scarf or hijab... it has nothing to do with Islam.
But fundalism does exist in Christianity, just as it exists in Judaism or Islam...that is undeniable.

Not having a go at you Soon- but you have to accept reality. Some Christians interpret their faith is very strange ways- sometimes dangerous and cruel.

"Where is the danger in christian fundamentalism?"

Where to start? Catholic children's homes might be a good place. Or an eye for an eye - oh, or perhaps I should be turning the other cheek - now which one might it be? - which should I believe?

It is not good enough to say that the christians you don't agree with are not following the book - they are interpreting it in their way, just as you are in yours. All faiths have this problem in that everyone thinks they are right!

I am reminded of a line from a poem "Invoking god; that hackneyed devious ploy." Much evil is justified by individual's interpretations of their holy texts.

Each person thinks they know what god wants - I find that idea mind-bogglingly arrogant!

* Some Christians interpret their faith is very strange ways- sometimes dangerous and cruel.

But they are not keeping to the Bible. They are not doing what God wants.

So I suppose there are christian fundamentalists that do keep to the Bible and those that dont.
The two cannot be compared.

It is the keeping to the Bible bit that is important. Not the word.

Catholic childrens homes - in what way is that following the Bible? How on earth is that following the Bible?

Keeping to the bible - OK - an eye for an eye - oh, or perhaps I should be turning the other cheek - now which one might it be? - which should I believe?

Your statement about others "not doing what god wants" - herein lies my problem, as explained above; each person who has a religion claims to know what god wants and you have no way of knowing if your idea of what he/she/it wants is the right one. They all think they are right!

Jesus is going to judge us all as individuals.

Not by what our parents have done.
Not by what our friends have done.
Not by what any other person at all has done.
Not by what denomination we are.
Not by our status.

But by what we have done and said.

I am going to stay off this thread now. I think that I have said enough.

Reading through these threads, anyone would think religion is solely responsible for all that's wrong in the world. The pro-gun lobby in the USA says it isn't guns that kill people, it's people that kill people. I'm anti-gun but I think there is a lot of truth in the saying. And it isn't religions that try to control people, or hurt people or abuse people. It's people. Being a believer of any religion is no guarantee of goodness but neither is it proof of wickedness. It's too easy to blame the religion. Women of all faith communities in some parts of the world are subject to FGM or are expected to cover their heads and bodies or subject to other restrictions. granjura churches in the UK are kept open and looking nice by a diminishing number of mainly ageing people who give time and money. I wish we did have a tax system like the one you describe.

But granjura is suggesting that if we did have such a tax system, people would deny that they have any faith, so how would it work? It would still be the same few who give their time and money.