Editorial June 1, 1992 Issue

Relaxing rigid attitudes

Nathan A. Talbot

Most people are used to reading news accounts of sharply held religious views. Passionate feelings expressed by conservatives in Islam, Judaism, and Christianity may make the headlines. Such people are often referred to as fundamentalists. Perhaps their attitudes stand out in public because they are so fiercely felt and because they tend to depart from the more moderate mainstream.

While most of us might think of fundamentalists as disposed toward rigid views, there are certainly facets of their lives that are pretty normal—just like the rest of us. On the other hand, if all of us who consider ourselves more "normal" were to take a penetrating look closer to home, it's just possible we might discover some rigidity of our own. Maybe such attitudes relate to personal religious views. Or maybe they just relate to run-of-the-mill events in our lives. But even these ordinary aspects of existence may ultimately have some-thing to do with theology—our view of God and His creation.

Suppose you live in a neighborhood where the pizza shop is open until all hours of the night. Neighbors who oppose the late-hour noise begin taking public positions that contrast strikingly with business people and night owls who feel strongly about the right to have such facilities available. Attitudes may grow intense. Thoughts held by each side may move beyond the impersonal issues and become strongly personal—even hostile. When elements of defensiveness, resentment, or bitterness flair up, it can get pretty tough to practice such basic societal and religious norms as the Golden Rule.

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