Although my research paper ended up showing that media developed for Fundamentalist Christian Children is far more complicated than my initial reaction to the pieces provided, it’s difficult not to take a first look at such work and be overwhelmed by its literary shortcomings. Continue reading
Tag Archives: fundamentalist mindset
Revelation at the Schoolhouse: Danielle Gold Creative Project
The Stratemeyer Syndicate produced and sold millions of mystery books for children between the 1920’s and the 1960’s. They are best known for creating and distributing classics like Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins and The Happy Hollisters, but not every one of their creations achieved commercial success. Mary Lou arrived on the scene in the mid-60’s, long after the Girl-Detective trend had lost stream. Criticized for being too dated and too modern at the same time, the series was discontinued after the first three volumes sold less than four hundred copies combined. Due to its rarity, the books are highly valued by the modern collector. I was fortunate enough to come across a tattered copy of Revelations at the Schoolhouse while cleaning out my grandparents’ vacation home. Although its possible that I am missing parts, I have transcribed what I found to the best of my ability and uploaded it to the Internet for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!
-Danielle Gold
Heaven’s Gate and the Social Psychology of Humiliation
In looking at the Heaven’s Gate site first and then reading the essays, I understood after the fact what everyone else did as they were reading. Even then, the first thing that caught my attention were how outrageous it all sounded, which is something Applewhite thankfully acknowledged in the video that Amy linked us to. What does validate his words is his confidence though, the conviction that what he is telling us is the Truth whether we like it or not or even believe it. That he actually says outright how the rest of society will look at them works to keep potential believers interested. Someone who knows they’re different trying to get other people to join them is much more convincing and likable than someone who tries to play off that their very different group is normal.
It’s how you get Nichelle Nichols’ brother to join your cult, after all.
Strozier and Heaven’s Gate
Based on the Strozier readings, I can make sense of how Marshall Applewhite (Do) was able to gain a following for Heaven’s Gate. Applewhite has all of the elements that the authors believe is required for a charismatic leader for a fundamentalist group.
Applewhite presents himself as a messianic in his Introduction in the Heaven’s Gate website. After watching the video that Amy posted, I wouldn’t say that he is the best speaker but I still think that he manages to come across as charismatic. Hoffer argues that “the effectiveness of a leader is dependent on his self-confidence rather than his message.” Applewhite relays his message with his strong personality and conviction in his initiation video, so I think that the video is an effective way to influence new followers.
Holes In the Mindset: Half-cocked Fundamentals
Strozier’s breakdown of Revelation allows for us to simply soak in the main points of John’s visions without drowning in the language and warnings for morality, making it a lot easier to understand and empathize with fundamentalists, like Colby said. However, I have to say that I find myself disagreeing with some of his analysis of Revelation and also some of what he says about some of his seals of fundamentalism, particularly what he says of the letters and what he also says on the seal of revenge.
Book of Revelation and the Fundamentalist Mindset
Strozier makes an interesting argument regarding time in Chapter Ten. According to Strozier, there are two kinds of time: chronological and kairotic. Kairotic is a qualitative measure of time, which is uneven and weighted in value and marked by one’s experiences. Strozier argues that the Book of Revelation marks time kairtoically because time switches back and forth from past to present.
One quote in this chapter that really stood out to me was: “An important consequence psychologically but also politically is to free fundamentalists from an obligation to the actual past and present, that is, the world as we know it. They are defined spiritually and ethically only by their relation to an imagined future.” This quote made me think about our past discussions on born-again Christians and how it was possible for them to live a pure life, even if their past life had been full of sin. With a kairotic mindset of time, the past becomes irrelevant when there is only the future to think about.
Another interesting dualism that Strozier presents in this chapter is the dualism behind evil: Evil is something that fundamentalists condemn but also embrace. They condemn sin and lead pure lives, but according to Strozier it is something that they also embrace because “it confirms their persecution and certainty of redemption.” It seems really un-Christian for a group to wish for sin and evil among others just so that it will cement their standing of purity. Furthermore, it was even more disturbing to hear a lack of sympathy for sinners.
I think that the most powerful section of Strozier’s tenth chapter is “Seven: Redemption”. In this section, Strozier has presented a dualism that the Book of Revelation can be used for good but it can also be used for evil. It was surprising to me that it has inspired others to promote positive social change. I guess when I think about the Book of Revelation, I always think of fundamentalists groups. I think that Strozier makes such a powerful statement when he says: “But it is frankly disturbing to witness the current uses of the text by privileged white Americans. There is great potential for violence when the ruling class feels victimized.”
The Fundamentalist Appearing
In LaHaye and Jenkin’s Glorious Appearing, I found the fundamentalist mindset quite noticeable and disturbing – even before I read the Strozier, which I finished after reading GA. As Colby mentioned, the ideas outlining fundamentalist mindsets – paranoia, dualistic thinking, and rage – are all very clear in Glorious Appearing.
What struck me most, in addition to the connection between Strozier’s essays and the book, was the way I found certain elements of apocalyptic gender roles manifest itself in Glorious Appearing. Most of the men, despite several having lost wives or loved ones, were single-mindedly focused on Jesus and God in a way that on some levels struck me as homo-erotic. I couldn’t help but think of the thousands of virgin men that would enter New Jerusalem and reflect on the characters in Glorious Appearing, who are mainly male. The few women, and the couple of Naomi and Chang, remain almost wholly devoid of any hints of sexuality, though they do seem to fulfill stereotypical gender roles – Leah, the caring female nurse; Rayford, the rippling, gun-slinging action hero – that I also found in line with the gender roles propagated in The Book of Revelation.
