Fighting Fundies

Society evolves, values shift, mores change but religious thinking demands unchanging constancy from its adherents. Natural shifts of culture sweep into religion some crucial dogma is challenged; the resulting defense gives rise to fundamentalism.
Fundamentalists, in realigning their doctrines, interpret sacred texts literally in an attempt to build a bulwark against change. Beyond fidelity to a doctrine they are protecting a principle vital to salvation, to a distinct way of life. Their approach becomes self defining, self explanatory, self sustaining and unassailable to modification.
A system this rigid has no room for dissent, for questioning, for uncontrolled truth seeking. Foundational truths are revealed in sacred texts not discovered through introspection and inquiry.
Fundamentalists honestly believe they are the guardians of salvation and truth acting from an internal sense of altruism. They seek political power and the force of law to promulgate their doctrines and suppress conflicting lifestyles.
Our constitution was constructed by men who suffered from fundamentalist political repression to discourage the practice of official religion, to deny power to an individual, to ensure lively debate would proceed lawmaking and that the power to maintain society would be balanced amongst the branches of government.
Political power and fundamentalism are a toxic mix. Christians and Islamics share a dark legacy when they attempt to compel all society to accept their doctrines. As different as they may regard one another the principles behind their destructive actions are identical.

Fundamentalism on Wikipedia