The Power of Fundamentalism †World Religion Essay

The Power of Fundamentalism – World Religion Essay Free Online Research Papers The Power of Fundamentalism World Religion Essay Khaled Abou El Fadl is a leading Islamic scholar and authority on fundamentalist culture. He is also a professor of law at UCLA. Abou El Fadl grew up middle class in Kuwait family and then later moved to Egypt. He was attracted to fundamentalism because of the sense of belonging. Fundamentalism made it easy to see the world as black and white and much easier to understand. It gets down to a form of intoxication that causes the life of people to tragedy short. Unlike gang members children who turn to fundamentalist think they can change the world. He felt suffocated by the world around him because on one side of him was strong western influence and on the other was a government that was feeding people lies. He says that he would ask his mother every night. â€Å"What is the point of this life?† Abou El Fadl was taught the idea that truth is identifiable and obtainable on this earth. The perfection of God is obtainable on this earth. Intellectuals exist in order to confuse people. History, other then the time of the prophet and his follows is not very well known. However, at the same time most of the young people involved with fundamentalist groups are not well educated. Many in fact have never even read the Qur’an for themselves either because they simply are unable to read or because they are told that only teachers can read Qur’an and that otherwise they are committing acts of the devil. At the age of 15 he turned his life around from fundamentalism. Humility is what attracted him to other forms of Islam. Instead of concrete answers he was amazed at people would begin a sentence by saying â€Å"I think† instead of â€Å"God thinks†. He badly beat when he decided to leave this fundamentalist group and also helped him to understand that there is no compassion in the world of fundamentalism. Listening to Bin Laden speak after 911 he was reminded of this beating that he took. There is no understanding or empathy to the rest of the world. No attempt to find a common ground. Richard J. Mouw is the President of Fuller Theological Seminary. He was raised in a proudly fundamentalist home that was against all forms of popular culture; no cards, drinking, smoking, dancing, or movies for example. As a result this creates a very tight nit group of people that rely on another for entertainment. Mouw describes the fundamentals of fundamentalism as: The Bible is the authority of the word of God. Jesus was not just a great human teacher but he was of God. His death was brought about our salvation. Jesus will come again and an intense interest in bible prophecy. Mouw began to question his fundamentalist roots when he found himself feeling passionately about the political issues of the 1960s. Equal rights and the Vietnam War were two issues that he found himself at odds with others in the church. Fundamentalists were not interested in doing anything about social justice in the large world. They refused to even get along with other Christians who disagreed on simple issues of doctrine. Mouw was in his 20’s and struggling with having to go to Vietnam, a war that he still disagrees with. People were very critical of him and more or less cut him off. This seemed backwards for Mouw because he felt that the Bible and even the hyms he sang so many times supported the idea of over coming injustice. â€Å"Are you willing to yield your racism to God? Are you willing to follow the Gospel even if your government is asking you to do something that apposes it?† The human appeal of fundamentalist from a Christian perspective is that in our world of much confusion there are simple answers. Most people just want simple things, like they want their children to grow up ok. They hope for them to have a life that has meaning, with values, and promises something for the future. At its best fundamentalism gives something for people to rely on. There is a God in charge of everything and that is good for some people. Yossi Klein Halevi writes for The Jerusalem Report, The New Republic, and the Los Angeles Times, and has authored two books. Halevi grew up in a holocaust surviving family in Brooklyn, NY. The Holocaust was the background and foreground of his family life. The idea of being a survivor and a victim was very real to him. He believed that Jewish people were hated and would never be accepted by the world. Halevi moved to Israeli in 1982 where he still lives. He is a committed Zionist but understands that in order for Jerusalem to be a safe place both Palestinians and Israelis must find away to have a larger world view. Halevi also talks about the difference between the survivor and the victim mentality. The survivor understands that the world is hard and that the survivor tries to learn generosity rather than rage. Fundamentalist crave the easy answer. The survivor understands that there are no easy answers. This forces you into a mode of constant empathy. How does the world appear to others? This is obviously much easier when you don’t feel as though your life is constantly threatened. We can take away from this lecture the idea that fundamentalism is just fundamentally a wrong way of viewing God. How arrogant to think that God really needs the fundamentalists efforts or anyone’s effort for that matter! This seems like a flat-out denial of the power of God. Claiming that God is omnipotent and omniscient is to imply that nothing happens in the universe that isnt happening with the knowledge and consent of God. How could it happen without the knowledge of God? It has to be that way if you accept the omniscience of God. If God doesnt allow it, how can it happen? Otherwise, God would not be omnipotent. If God allows it, it implies at least knowledge and consent. So why must God require the services of the fundamentalist to ensure that all right in the Universe? Research Papers on The Power of Fundamentalism - World Religion EssayBook Review on The Autobiography of Malcolm XHip-Hop is ArtCapital PunishmentComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoQuebec and CanadaCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionRelationship between Media Coverage and Social andThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseBringing Democracy to AfricaStandardized Testing

The Primitive Hut - Laugiers Theory About Architecture

The Primitive Hut - Laugier's Theory About Architecture The Primitive Hut has become a shorthand statement of principle that defines essential elements of architecture. Often, the phrase is Laugiers Primitive Hut. Marc-Antoine Laugier (1713-1769) was a French Jesuit priest who rejected the opulence of Baroque architecture prevalent in his lifetime. He outlined his theory about what architecture should be in the 1753 Essai sur larchitecture. According to Laugier, all architecture derives from three essential elements: The columnThe entablatureThe pediment The Primitive Hut Illustrated Laugier expanded his book-length essay in a second edition published in 1755. This second edition includes the iconic frontispiece illustration by French artist Charles Eisen. In the picture, an idyllic woman (perhaps the personification of Architecture) points out a simple rustic cabin to a child (perhaps the unknowing, naive architect). The structure she points to is simplistic in design, uses basic geometric shapes, and is constructed from natural elements. Laugiers Primitive Hut is his representation of the philosophy that all architecture derives from this simple ideal. In the English translation of this 1755 edition, the frontispiece created by the British engraver Samuel Wale is slightly different from the illustration used in the well-known, celebrated French edition. The picture in the English language book is less allegorical and more clear-cut than the more romantic picture from the French edition. Both illustrations show, however, a reasoned and simplified approach to building. Charles Eisen frontispiece from Essai sur l’architecture, 2nd editionPublic domain image from DOME, digitized content from the MIT Libraries collections, dome.mit.eduSamuel Wale frontispiece from the English translationIllustration in the public domain courtesy of Open Library, openlibrary.org Full Title in English An Essay on Architecture; in which Its True Principles are explained, and Invariable Rules proposed, for Directing the Judgment and Forming the Taste of the Gentleman and the Architect, With regard to the Different Kinds of Buildings, the Embellishment of Cities, And the Planning of Gardens. The Primitive Hut Idea by Laugier Laugier theorizes that man wants nothing but shade from the sun and shelter from storms- the same requirements as a more primitive human. The man is willing to make himself an abode which covers but not buries him, Laugier writes. Pieces of wood raised perpendicularly, give us the idea of columns. The horizontal pieces that are laid upon them, afford us the idea of entablatures. Branches form an incline that can be covered with leaves and moss, so that neither the sun nor the rain can penetrate therein; and now the man is lodged. Laugier concludes that The little rustic cabin that I have just described, is the model upon which all the magnificences of architecture have been imagined. Why is Laugiers Primitive Hut Important? The essay is considered a major treatise in architectural theory. It is often cited by teachers of architecture and practicing architects even in the 21st century.Laugiers expression is pro-Greek Classicism and reacts against the Baroque ornamentation and decoration of his day. It established the argument for future architectural movements, including 18th century Neoclassicism and the 21st century trend toward unadorned, eco-friendly tiny homes and small dwellings (see Books to Help You Build a Smaller Home).The Primitive Hut idea supports a back-to-nature philosophy, a romantic idea which gained popularity in the mid-18th century and influenced literature, art, music, and architecture.Defining the essential elements of architecture is a statement of purpose, a philosophy that drives the work of an artist and practitioner. Simplicity of design and the use of natural materials, what Laugier believes are architectural essentials, are familiar ideas that have been embraced by more moder n architects, including Frank Lloyd Wright and the vision of Gustav Stickley at Craftsman Farms. Laugiers rustic cabin is sometimes call The Vitruvian Hut, because Laugier built on ideas of natural and divine proportion documented by the ancient Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius (see Geometry and Architecture). Critical Thinking The popularity of Laugiers philosophy is in part because he offers easily understood alternatives to the architecture he scorns. The clarity of his writing is such that the English architect Sir John Soane (1753-1837) is said to have given copies of Laugiers book to his new staff members. Architects of the 20th century, like Le Corbusier, and of the 21st century, including Thom Mayne, have acknowledged the influence of Laugiers ideas on their own work. You dont have to agree with Laugiers visions, but its a good idea to understand them. Ideas shape everything we create, including architecture. Everyone has a philosophy that develops over time, even if the ideas havent been written down. A useful project is to put into words the theories about architecture and design that you have developed- how should buildings be built? what should cities look like? what design elements should all architecture have?  How do you write philosophy? How do you read philosophy? The Primitive Hut and Related Books Essay on Architecture by Marc-Antoine Laugier, English translation by Wolfgang Herrmann and Anni HerrmannBuy on AmazonOn Adams House in Paradise: The Idea of the Primitive Hut in Architectural History by Joseph Rykwert, MIT Press, 1981Buy on AmazonA Hut of Ones Own: Life Outside the Circle of Architecture by Ann Cline, MIT Press, 1998Buy on Amazon Sources Quotations and frontispiece designed by Mr. Wale for English translation of Laugiers Essay on Architecture (1755) in the public domain courtesy of Open Library, openlibrary.org