Sanctified and Seperated Seclusion
There are constant warnings in fundamentalism not to get too close to the world and worldly people. The idea seems to be that sinners will always cause Christians to sin rather than Christians making sinners more holy. For this reason, fundamentalists organize their own schools, sports teams, drama clubs, and social activities lest being in proximity to the unrighteous somehow should soil them. It would seem that sanctification is a very fragile thing indeed that only requires the tiniest of temptations to crumble completely.
This so called “doctrine of separation” has created many illustrations that are familiar to any fundamentalist. Stories of the clean glass and the dirty glass, the canary that learns to sing like the crow, and the drop of poison in the good food are repeated over and over. Evil always triumphs over good. It’s a wonder that anybody ever manages to stay pure.
How exactly we are to be salt and light in the world if we never actually spend any time in the world is unclear. Evidently, Christians are supposed to go out like hunting parties (always two by two, never alone!), club the nearest sinner and drag them back into the haven of the church. After all, that’s what Jesus did. He never spent time with sinners.
If you think that the Amish have the right idea about how to deal with the temptations of the world, then you may very well be a fundamentalist.
Posted by Darrell
I thought these same things when i watched “The Village”. Oops, I watched a movie…..got to turn in my fundie membership.
Ah yes, the good old fallacy that sin is outside us, and if we just separate from “the world,” we will be safe.
“Oops, I watched a movie…..got to turn in my fundie membership.”
Depending on the variety of fundamentalism you’re in, that would depend on WHERE you saw the movie. If you saw it at the theater, that’s a big no-no, but if you waited six months and rented it at Blockbuster, that’s perfectly ok. Never did understand the logic of that one.
Amanda – “If you saw it at the theater, that’s a big no-no, but if you waited six months and rented it at Blockbuster, that’s perfectly ok. Never did understand the logic of that one.”
The logic is that someone might see you going in or coming out and not know that you were there for the “PG” and think you were watching some National Lampoon movie.
Same goes for a when you get the town’s best fish and chips at a pub – they might see you and assume you were drinking alcohol (gasp!).
It could cause them to “stumble” or it could tarnish your “testimony”. Check out this sight’s posting on “the weaker brother” for better understanding.
Happy Easter (oh yeah, you can’t call it that…gotta be Reserrection Day or nothing at all!) to everyone
-from another former fundie
I know, I’ve heard the arguments more times than I can count. However, to be consistent, that would also mean you can’t shop at Walmart (who’s to know you bought a gallon of milk instead of some dirty movie) or the grocery store (where they also sell movies). Frankly, I’ve never seen someone take it to that extreme.
I never understood that line of reasoning either… It’s not OK to go to a movie theater because someone might think you were watching an R-rated movie, but it’s OK to own a TV, DVD player, computer, etc. How do people know you’re not performing the much more likely action of viewing porn on all of your home electronic devices?
The tragic thing is that all of this stems from a misunderstanding of what Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about abstaining from the “appearance” of evil. Victims of their steadfast choice of Bible versions, they don’t understand that “appearance” means “form” in this case.
In my experience, the doctrine of separation IS the fundamentalist doctrine of sanctification.
Hey, a little respect for the Amish!
Seriously, the Amish lifestyle is one of the most misunderstood and caricatured things out there. . .my own Amish friends were not at all separate from the world. They chose to stay away from activities that they deemed unholy, but I would not at all have characterized them as fundamentalist.
What most people don’t know is that the Amish avoidance of cars, telephones, electricity, etc. has (according to friends’ explanation) far more to do with DEPENDENCE on the world than CONTAMINATION by it. In other words, they chose to live “off the grid” before that phrase was developed by the greens, in order to be reliant on their community of faith and not on the world that might demand they compromise their ethics.
The telephone is actually an interesting illustration of the point: Amish may use telephones, but if they have one, it’s in a shack at the end of the driveway, not in their house. That way they use it on their terms–it doesn’t invade the sanctity of their home. Ya know, they have a point. . .of course, I haven’t lived in Lancaster Co. for 25 years so I don’t know what they have done with cellular technology, etc. My information is old. . .but at least I don’t mock a group I don’t understand in order to make a point.
I absolutely agree with you that salt doesn’t accomplish a thing if it never leaves the salt shaker. Your overall point is good; I just take issue with the illustration & tag line.
Peace!
Dan
Dan,
I have many Amish and Mennonite relatives in the Delaware and Ohio communities. Believe me when I say I meant no disrespect.
What I was referring to was the common stereotype about the Amish, not the reality of how they live. I’m well aware of the discrepancies. Chalk it up to quickly written humor trumping nuance.
I appreciate your thoughts.
Should Christians use the Internet? After all, there is a lot of Pornography out there, and how can you prove you weren’t viewing a triple-XXX site? Or go to the library? after all, there are “dirty” books there and even the “Religious Section” is Devil-inspired because none of the books agree with pure Fundamentalist doctrine. The list goes on and on and on and on…….
The fundy churches I went to always made a point to separate themselves from their stereotyped idea of how the Amish live. It was something along the lines of “Well, we do believe in separation, but not isolation like the Amish!”
Yes, we don’t believe in isolation, just that you should never come in contact with The World.
Of course, the Amish don’t go door-banging soul winning either…gotta notch those belts and keep the website ticker spinning