For the 70 minutes that it lasted, the June 5th settler raid on the quit Arab village of Kifir Harith was a withering display of Biblical vengeance. The Jewish attackers, some 30 Yeshiva students from a nearby settlement, shattered windows and shot holes into water tanks. They torched the wheat harvest, smashed cars, and left behind a fearful village and one fatality-a 13 year old Palestinian Girl.

A few years ago, a man who was a high school dropout, a rock musician, a gun fanatic and Polygamist, built a church complex in Waco, Texas. His simple message was, “If the Bible is true, then I am Christ.” It was enough to draw more than 100 people to join him and build an armed fortress to await the end of the world. He was determined to die in a battle against unbelievers, then be joined in heaven by the followers who chose to lay down their lives for him. His name was David Koresh.

Now, what is the thread that unites these diverse religious groups? The thread is radical, fanatical fundamentalism. It seems as though all the main religions save them. What’s their world view? What do they believe? And are they correct?

First, These religious radicals believe in the inerrancy of their scripture. Christian radicals believe that every phrase, word, comma and period were put there by God himself. Moslem fundamentalists believe in the infallibility of their scripture, too, but seldom read the Koran. In the book, The Haj, it is pointed out that many don’t know how to read. So, their understanding of the Koran is subject to what their Mullah might say. In extreme cases, a cleric can persuade his followers to commit an act of violence, as we have seen numerous times.

Jewish radical fundamentalists aren’t much different when they justify their actions on the basis of a few verses in the book of Genesis, or Kings. “God gave Abraham certain land 3700 years ago, and by golly we’re taking it back!” We can certainly see the dangers of thinking one’s religious writings are the only ones wrought with truth.

A second attribute of religious fanaticism is that, whether Moslem, Christian or Jewish, it tends to see things in black and white. Things are either absolutely right or absolutely wrong. Radical adherents see themselves as agents of God and protectors of God’s values. Their assumption is that they are correct and everyone else is wrong. There’s no shade of gray. What a danger myopic thinking is!

Thirdly, religious fanatics (or call them religious fundamentalists) are people who come to see the world around them as godless. They believe that the world is basically evil, or if not the world, then humanity. When the late Ayotollah Khoumeni took power in Iran, he did so because of what he and his followers perceived as evil; women working in the labor force, women in public without discreet clothing, and the influx of western culture like movies, music and democratic ideals. Now, it’s the Taliban in Afghanistan who are carrying on the pattern of Khoumeni.

Even radical Christian’s fundamentalists hold such views. You heard, I am sure, Jerry Falwell’s comments on Pat Robertson’s 700 Club after the attacks on the World Trade Center last week. Falwell said the terrorism was because God was angry with America, and that the Feminists, the ACLU, gays, and others were in large part to blame. In Falwell’s mind, America has become godless.

So, what are the dangers of radical religious fanaticism? I think that all of the characteristics I’ve mentioned this morning add up to the following dangers.

Self-righteousness. Jesus had something to say about that when he told the parable of the publican and the sinner.

Intolerance. Jesus had something to say about intolerance when he told the parable of the “Good Samaritan.”

The propensity to resort to violence. Jesus had something to say about violence when he said, “Those who live by the sword, will die by the sword.”

And the lack of love. Jesus said that the people, who really love, are the ones who truly know God.

Let me deal with the view by radical religious fanatics that the world is godless and basically evil. The other characteristics are worthy of sermons in and of themselves. But, let’s talk about the radical’s view “that the world is evil and godless, and is in fact, headed for hell.”

Sometimes the world does seem too terrible for words. We just have to look at the evening news for the terrible stuff. Unfortunately, most newscasts don’t report any of the good things that are going on. If they do, they wait until the last 3 minutes of the telecast.

Perhaps we should look at another source for our world-view: The Bible. The Bible says that God created the heaven and the earth, and that everything was good. I remember something my Old Testament professor in Boston used to say when we would get on the subject of evil. “Always remember,” he’d shout, “that Genesis 1 comes before Genesis 2.” Now, that’s more profound than you think. By that he meant that we should ponder the goodness of God, the beauty of the world, and the wonderful things that humanity can do. In the beginning, everything was grand. Humans, despite the radical fundamentalists insistence upon the depravity of man, were created good. The Psalmist wrote, “Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is thy name over all the earth. When I look at thy heavens, the moon and the stars, which thou hast established, what is man that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man that thou visitest him? Yet, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor and hast made him little lower than the angels.” Genesis 1 comes before Genesis 2.

One of my heroines is a little Jewish girl who had to hide out in an upstairs attic for a coupe of years because some terribly cruel people sought her family. In the 1940’s who saw things in black and white, and thought “Mein Kampf” was gospel. Anne Frank was still able to write in her diary, “I believe that people are basically good at heart.” Genesis 1 comes before Genesis 2.

I find many things wrong with the radical fundamentalists views, but none more important than their perception of the world as basically evil. They seem to think that Genesis 2 comes before Genesis 1. Jerry Falwell seems to think that people are basically evil and that the world is basically godless. I disagree. If we were to just look at the actions of the terrorists on September 11th had another worldview expressed that day. It’s worldview that posits a different kind of God. It’s a God of wrath, Judgment and scorching violence. It’s a God of compassion, concern and comfort. The radical, Fanatical fundamentalists have it wrong.

Some radical Jews, some radical Christians, and some radical Moslems need to take a new look at their respective scriptures. If they do, they will see that God desires mercy, more than sacrifice; humility, more than self-righteousness; justice, more than vengeance; trust, more than fear; generosity more than selfishness; hope more than despair, faith more than cynicism; peace more than war; and love, more than hate.

On Friday I received a fax from my father. It was a reprint of the thoughts of the Christian writer, Max Lucado. To my mind, it is an incredible response to all those religious radicals who think that the world is basically evil, and that there is nothing to do but lash out at those who are different. It is a beautiful essay that reiterates my professor’s assertion that Genesis 1 comes before Genesis 2. Max Lacado’s thought is entitled, “Is This Normal?”

“Four thousand gathered for mid-day prayer in a downtown cathedral. A New York City church, filled and emptied six times on September 11th. The owner of a Manhattan tennis shoe store threw open his doors and gave running shoes to those fleeing the towers. People stood in lines to give blood, in hospitals to treat the sick, in sanctuaries to pray for the wounded. America was different last week. We wept for people we did not know. We sent money to families we’ve never seen. Talk show hosts read scriptures, journalists printed prayers. Our focus shifted from fashion hemlines and box scores to orphans and widows, and the future of the world. We were different this week. Republicans stood next to Democrats. Cath- olics prayed with Jews. Skin color was covered by the ash of burning towers. This is a different country [these days.] We’re not as self-centered as we were. We’re not as self-reliant as we were. Hands are out. Knees are bent. This is not normal….And I have to ask the question, ‘Do we want to go back to normal?’ Are we being given a glimpse of a new way of life? Are we, as a nation, being reminded that the enemy is not each other, and the power is not in ourselves, and the future is not in our bank accounts? Could this unselfish prayerfulness be the way God intended for us to live all along? Maybe this, in His eyes, is the way we are called to live. And perhaps the best response to this tragedy is to refuse to go back to normal. Perhaps the best response is to follow the example of Tom Burnet. He was a passenger on Flight 93. Minutes before the plane crashed in the fields of Pennsylvania he reached his wife by phone. ‘We’re all going to die,’ he told her. ‘But there are three of us who are going to do some- thing about it.’ We can do something about it as well. We can resolve to care more. We can resolve to pray more. And we can resolve that, God being our helper, we’ll never go back to normal again.” The best antidote to religious, radical fundamentalists, whatever their stripe, is for us to never be normal again. Love will always win out and win over. Amen.

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