Re: Moderatorial Note

Me
Yes I could have guessed that, but then I am aware that you and I have a very different understanding of the term. I think it a useful term to describe those who have such a strong (or perhaps weak) belief that they are right that they have a need to ridicule and belittle those that disagree with them. People who seem to get some kind of gratification out of setting their "dogma" onto others.

Q
<snip>
I was wondering, are there non-religion-based similarities? Comes to mind one (atheist, but I don't know if it's relevant) husband of a friend, he changes topics until he finds one that he can use to go on the attack and "win" by "proving" (to his satisfaction) the supposed stupidity of the person (or their team or country etc) he is conversing with. He, of course, is absolutely right, the other is absolutely wrong. No give and take, no gray areas. So I guess it's not just religion.


I think there is a difference between contentious people who like a good argument, even if they are the type to only pick ones they know they can win, and the people I am defining here as Fundamentalists.
What I'm thinking of when I use that term is more about an entire 'world view' than a, desire-to-show-how-much-ya-know on a given topic. The people I'm thinking of believe that they have discovered the only true way of understanding the world, but it's more than just that. They believe it so strongly that they mistrust, marginalise, and at its most extreme 'dehumanise', any who disagree with them.

Peter R
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