What do people mean by christian fundamentalist

Next time I'll write in French jingl- just to make sure it is perfectly clear, ok, lol ;)

I can think of one or two fundamentalist atheists.

I've just checked the English Soutra. Could have done with splitting into 2 paragraphs perhaps, but it is very clear- albeit perhaps very un-usual. Both OH and I come from very mixed religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds- perhaps hard to imagine if you don't.

I wouldn't want to be a fundamentalist anything.

Follow that if you can. (And I don't mean understand )

OH's grandfather was the first British convert to Islam- in the late 19C. You can well imagine how well it went down with his CofE family! In my experience, religion was and is still a great divider of people. We have Muslim family all over the world. OH's personal close family was very mixed and had to escape South Africa due to Apartheid- religion was never a feature from then on (pheeew).

My dad carried in his wallet on his person all his life, the letter from his favourite sister, saying that although they all loved my mother and found her a wonderful woman, and could totally understand how he fell in love with her- but that he should never ever sacrifice the true faith for love.
None of them came to the wedding- they got married in the Anglican Church 50 miles away. I found the letter in his breast pocket when he died- still got it in the little bureau in front of me. He did have a proper Catholic funeral, and public apologies at the funeral by the Priest, for the hurt and damage done to such a good man.

His favourite sister committed suicide in her late 30s. She always knew she was different, and found out quite late that it meant she was attracted to women and not men. As a good Christian, she chose to be celibate- but when she really fell in love and the temptation was too great, she chose to die. If this is what religion is about- forgive me for opting out.

Agreed Lillygran- but you know very well that it is not long ago that Christians of different denominations were torturing, burning, drawing and quartering each other- and not accepting any kind of Christianity than their own 'brand'. My dad's family were actually originally Huguenots who escaped torture in France and would not renounce their faith. I am currently trying to research how, when and why their did turn coats and become staunch Catholics!!! (oh the irony!?). The reason is probably that Huguenots were only accepted into the Swiss Canton of Jura, which was Catholic, if they agreed to rent from the Diocese of Basel, very poor and unproductive lands above 1000 metres, and of course could not ever marry a Catholic or access education or any kind of better trade or job. I imagine that after a few generations- some said ' stuff this for a game of soldiers' I am converting to Catholicism (people had to convert- not just switch- as Protestants did not consider Catholics as Christians, and vice versa). And truly that was not that long ago. My Cathollic cousins here- when they were very much a small minority in our area (now 50/50 due to large immigration from Italy, Spain and Portugal from the 50s onwards) - all had arranged marriages to ensure they would remain Catholic and have Catholic children- again not that far back, in the 50s and 60s.

I am beginning to think "fundamentalist" is another way of saying " narrow minded" or "I'm right, you're wrong, and somehow I will find an obscure Bible passage to prove it".

That is a very sad story, granjura. I can't imagine how painful it must be for a devout person to be refused communion. Your mother and father must have loved each other very deeply to take on the RCC. I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence. Different sects and churches create membership rules, it's true but as I said above, some people like very firm boundaries. Some people only feel they belong by excluding others. That isn't Christianity, it's church.

Lilygran- my dad was excommunicated because he married a Protestant divorcee. He was a true, sincere, baptized and confirmed Catholic, attended mass every Sunday and confession regularly, and was an exemplary and true Christian. Now that was in the mid 40s- but there are still many Christian Churches that will only recognize' their' type of Christian. Not the case here where Oecumenism is very much the order of the day in a 50/50 situation and in order to survive. Not quite the same in the UK, and certainly still very much segregated in parts of Africa, etc.
'Being a Christian' is a very loose term.

Just a small aside here in response to the discussion about young people being bribed to go through the confirmation process. A good friend who is a Canon in the Church of England and was our vicar feel strongly that Church attendance varies at different times of life. He's no problem with the way some members of his congregation miss periods of attendance then return, as they often do.

I've never met a fundamentalist Methodist

Being a member of a Christian community is one aspect of being Christian. If you can't be part of a Christian group of some kind, that doesn't mean you can't be a Christian. The ceremony is just a formal recognition of joining the community.

I thought birthdays were mentioned in the bible. Didn't John the Baptist have his head served up on a platter to Salome on Herod's birthday?

I'm well aware of the distinction, Lilygran.

But why does a person who believes in Christ have to be officially sanctioned by a ceremony before he or she can be classified as a Christian?

Ana it is not accepted doctrine in the CoE or the RCC that you are a Christian if you act as though you were. There are many people of all faiths and none who live 'like Christians', not surprisingly since the ethical and moral teaching is broadly similar across all respectable religions. You have to believe as well. The clue is in the name!

Lilygran, I did say in another post that if you act as a Christian, then you are one.

Perhaps you should be addressing your post to soontobe...

Ana It isn't like Islam, where I think there is a set form of words for a convert to say. It is what you believe, as the verses say.

I still fail to see the point of the thread, the reason behind starting it with a facile question, and then going round in ever decreasing circles.
I think we all have a pretty shrewd idea of what we understand by Christian fundamentalist and my goodness, we are seeing it put into practice.
This has not been a true conversation but a series of preconceived ideas, prejudices and cliches and the sort of verbal stonewalling I have experienced when trying to have a genuine conversation about belief with doorstep evangelists.

I don't actually understand the OP. Would anyone, however stupid, define a Christian fundamentalist as being someone who "doesn't stick to what is in the Bible"?

I can't accept that "saved" bit. It sounds as if once you're "saved" you can sin as much as you want and you'll still go to heaven .
Whereas with most other faiths you need to continue trying to be a good person.

I was asking whether it was just necessary to say the words and suddenly you'd be a Christian. I do know why churches have ceremonies, although of course babies have no choice in the matter.

Ana. Re: soon's' post of 15.20? Yes, that's right.

Romans 10:9-10New International Version (NIV)
9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.

That's why most Christian churches have some kind of process or ceremony once people who have been baptised as children reach an age to understand. Some churches don't baptise infants. The declaration is made on behalf of infants by the godparents and parents.

Sad... or I'd rather say hypocritical and opportunist too. Not very different though, in a way, to all those who have Chruch weddings for the dress and the videos though. At least the 15 year olds are just kids and perhaps not fully aware.

So it's a form of bribery. How sad.