How the Fundamentalist Mind Compels Conservative Christians to Force Their Beliefs on You

One of our co-workers shares with our wearechurch discussion group many interesting articles and news reports that he has found on the Web.

Today George has sent us one that deserves careful thought and reflection..  

We give a short quote here but recommend you go to Valerie Tarico's article:

To explain why Christians will sometimes violate their own commitment to compassion or truth in the search for converts, it helps to consider the psychology of fundamentalist religion.
Religion has a set of superpowers—ways it shapes or controls human thinking and behavior. Chief among these is the fact that religions take charge of our moral reasoning and emotions, giving divine sanction to some behaviors and forbidding others.

Valerie Tarico is a psychologist and writer in Seattle, Washington and the founder of Wisdom Commons. She is the author of "Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light" and "Deas and Other Imaginings." Her articles can be found at awaypoint.wordpress.com.