Fundamentalist Paranoia

Fundies: One rule for them....

Under the title "I think this was satire", evangelical atheist PZ Myers has published the following screen capture of a Facebook entry purporting to be from the Scientology Sect:

Yes, we seem to be well and truly in Poe's law zone here: It is difficult to tell if this is for real or whether it is send up. It's probably satire but when I first read it I didn't think so. After all, the Scientology sect are particularly prone to seeing the utmost evil in those who speak out against them, and especially so if they are ex-members; Character deformation is very much par for the course in Scientology, although that's nothing new for a religious sect; we see it in other religious sects as well and this is true to a greater or lesser degree of the whole gamut of fundamentalist communities. It is an outcome of them seeing themselves as a holy and enlightened remnant amidst evil people who have it in for them: Infamy! Infamy! Every body has got it in for me!. It is this feeling of being specially targeted for persecution that gives them the ego boosting belief they are centre stage protagonists in the battle against evil. Moreover, if one genuinely believes that one's detractors can't possibly have clear consciences it justifies character assassination, if not, in the case of Islamic fundamentalism, literal assassination. 

The above piece may be parody, but it is parody that conveys a kernel of truth about closed religious sects: Their marginalized alienated perspective gives them a paranoia which means they see evil and persecution round every corner, may be even criminal evil. Because they believe in the absolute correctness of their interpretations of scripture and/or personal revelations this sanctions their belief in their ability to see behind the scenes of social discourse. And behind those scenes they perceive the malign motives of those who are against them!  Hence, critics of a sect can protest their innocence as much as they like, but it is to no avail; sectarians have absolute confidence in their apocalyptic world view of targeted persecution.

Religious sects offer exclusive short cut solutions to the human epistemic predicament and service the human aspiration for heroic purpose. This attracts well meaning people who are seduced by this offer and find joining a sect or cult a way of disconnecting from some of the grubby affairs and discord of wider human society.  But the epistemic certainties of fundamentalist sects may make them dangerous in the way they react; if a sect believe it is right to use the methods of coercion against critics they will: For example, I myself have been pretty close to two occasions when Christian sect members have threatened legal action in order to assert their will; more about that another time perhaps.

All in all then, yet more reasons to steer clear of the more extreme fundies!