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 %FUNDAMENTALIST SCRIPTURE SOLE AUTHORITY SELECTIVE 940723

     Fundamentalists  of religious,  political  and  other
types  use exclusivity in a number of ways in  efforts  to
achieve control:

     1.  They  limit  authority  to a  set  of  scriptures
and/or documents  which they declare themselves to be  the
experts and/or authorities of,  and about which they  know
more  than their adversaries.   Other sources of  insight,
knowledge, and understanding  are   severely   discounted,
if   not  totally  excluded,  from  consideration.    This
enhances their sense of control over situations.

     2.  They limit  consideration  of their scriptures to
passages, and interpretations of  passages, which  support
their  own desires and biases.   They do  not  study   the
totality  of  their  scriptures  within   any encompassing
context or in the light  of any broad range of experiences
of differing peoples.   This again enhances their sense of
control over situations.

     3.  They   play  collusive  games  of   mutual  self-
deception, by which they perceive reality in  keeping with
their exclusive set of beliefs and convictions;  unable to
expand  their experiences and  understanding  to encompass
the universe as the  cosmic whole of reality  which we can
experience.
                                                                                                                               
                         (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in      
                    (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy)  
                                                                                                                               
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