By George A. Boyd ©1988
With the current uproar and indignation about the movie
"the Last Temptation of Christ" by members of certain fundamentalistic
sects of the Christian Church, it may enlighten us to inquire why these
believers may feel so threatened by the presentation of a variant point
of view from their own. Further, we will discover by looking at the processes
that turn fundamentalist believers into such entrenched dogmatists, convinced
of their exclusive possession of truth and salvation, the power that certain
terrifying ideas hold on the human mind and spirit.
In this article I shall propose a model for understanding
the stages in conversion and subsequent development of the born-again
Christian's lifestyle. Since personality changes in converts into these
sects of the Christian Church may be dramatic and long lasting, it is
important to understand the dynamics by which these sects progressively
shape and mold human character.
What is Fundamentalism?
Fundamentalist thinking within the Christian faith is
characterized as belief in a literal interpretation of the Bible and the
inerrancy of scripture. There is typically also an inflexible morality
and dogmatic interpretation of the scriptures. This scriptural literalism
is usually extended to a belief in the second coming of Christ, the Rapture
of believers, a Last Judgement, and sentencing of the spirit to an Eternal
Heaven and Hell. Depending on the particular sect, there may also be an
insistence on infilling of the Holy Spirit with evidence of spiritual
gifts, a particular baptismal rite, or selection of a particular version
of the Bible such as the King James Version. Evangelical churches
are characterized as fundamentalistic sects which place their greatest
emphasis on "winning souls for Christ", in other words, effecting conversion.
Members of these churches may refer to themselves as "born-again Christians."
Stages of Conversion
In our initial scenario, a potential convert is exposed
to materials advocating the fundamentalist or evangelical point of view,
often repeatedly. These initial stimuli include exposure to preaching
or Christian testimonials, watching Christian television programs, or
reading gospel tract materials.
If the individual, as a result of that exposure, actually
undergoes conversion and lifestyle modification, the steps of the process
of conversion and lifestyle change may follow the pattern shown below.
Step One - Self Questioning Phase
The convert's normal defenses against the conversion
message are surmounted by a particular idea with which he or she identifies.
The convert may see in his or her behavior specific examples of sinful
activities. The convert may begin to question whether or not the believers
are telling the truth. He or she may think about the terrible consequences
of Hell and Eternal Damnation awaiting the sinner, and wonder if that
could happen to him or her.
Step Two - Self Doubt Phase
The feelings of fear and guilt stimulated during step
one intensify, and the convert begins to question his or her basic assumptions
about morality, lifestyle, the existence of God and other fundamental
beliefs. This leads to a state of crisis marked by inner turmoil and
existential doubt.
Step Three - Acceptance of the Solution Phase
A desperate decision to believe in Christ is made
by the convert. In the typical "solution package" offered to the convert,
the convert is asked
- to pray to God
- to identify him or herself as a sinner,
- to confess his or her sins and turn away from them
(repent)
- to believe that Jesus Christ died for his or her
sins, and that the blood of Christ cleanses from sin.
The believer then asks Christ to save him or her,
to wash away his or her sins, and to come into his or her heart and
become Lord and Savior of his or her life. In some sects, the believer
may then claim salvation by faith, declaring that he or she is washed,
cleansed, saved, justified, sanctified, born-again in a newness of life,
etc. Upon completion of this prayer, there is typically some type of
inner experience during this altering of the normal state of consciousness
that convinces the believer that he or she has been saved, that Jesus
has come into his or her heart, or that he or she has been born-again.
Step Four - Acceptance of Obligatory Lifestyle
Phase
Having undergone the conversion experience, the convert
obediently follows the rest of the prescription of the suggested Christian
lifestyle. He or she is baptized, reads the Bible and prays daily, attends
church regularly, and has fellowship with other believers.
Step Five - Financial Commitment Phase
The convert begins to give financial support to the
Church and its ministry or other charities on a regular basis. This
may take the form of tithing, monthly pledging, or sacrificial giving.
Step Six - Personal Commitment Phase
The convert begins to give up habits and attitudes
that conflict with his or her new faith. He or she will begin to actively
give testimonials, attempt to convert or influence non-believers, and
engage in extra-curricular Church activities. This may lead to pursuit
of positions of influence within the Church or the adoption of the vocation
of the ministry. The convert begins to try to exemplify Christian conduct
and lifestyle, and actively teaches new believers the fine points of
Christian belief and behavior. The convert develops a strong "faith"
and makes the scripture and Christian values the pivot of his or her
character.
Step Seven - Wholehearted Commitment (Holiness)
Phase
The convert sacrifices his life to Christ, letting
the Divine Will direct his or her life (surrender). The convert undergoes
a loss of autonomy and sense of possession (selflessness) and may dedicate
his or her entire activity in ministry to or in service and care of
others. This may culminate in a loss of desire of all but God and His
Kingdom (devotion).
Creating Doubt
Step one and two constitute the creation of doubt process.
A terrible fear that cannot be empirically disproved is introduced into
the proselyte's awareness. This fear evokes the primal terror of non-existence,
of destruction of the soul. Further, the message this fear is couched
in attacks the basic assumptions about life, about God, about the universe.
This blatant attack at the foundations of psyche is presented as absolutely
authoritative, from the Bible, the Word of God, virtually paralyzing
any attempt to rationally defuse it.
Accepting the Solution
Simultaneously, a solution is offered in the context
that it is "the only solution, there is no other way". In the state of
vulnerability that goes with existential doubt, the need for certainty,
for some firm ground under one's feet, is tantamount. The basic security
that one's values, existence, and personal meaning are safe and valid,
that one's fundamental assumptions can be trusted, has been assaulted.
There is a need to quickly reduce the cognitive and emotional stress this
attack engenders.
To accept this solution offered reduces the dissonance.
The convert may reason in this manner:
- It seems safe (Jesus doesn't
seem to want to harm me)
- The consequences of making
the decision seem good (achievement of Heaven or avoidance of Hell)
- Since the subject matter
(God) cannot be known empirically or rationally to me, I might as
well accept the Bible as an authority and accept these truths
on faith until a higher form of knowing can allow me to verify these
beliefs about the Creator
- Receiving salvation seems
to be a safe hedge against the slim chance that what these people
say might be true (better safe than sorry)
- It will make these people
stop pestering me.
By accepting the solution, too, the fear and emotional
distress is lessened. This mitigation effect is especially pronounced
when during the prayer for forgiveness and salvation that accompanies
Christian conversion there is an inner mystical experience with a conveying
of assurance that forgiveness and salvation has been granted.
Accepting the solution suggested requires more than
an acceptance of a new belief, whose immediate result is to reduce dissonance
and fear. The ritual confession, repentance, and request for forgiveness
and salvation (the conversion prayer) are only the beginning of a whole
series of lifestyle changes and obligatory behaviors. One must undergo
a rebirth or initiation ceremony (baptism), and in some churches there
is prayer for empowerment, or anointing, by the Holy Spirit (confirmation)
which occurs later. Additionally, one may be encouraged to attend church
regularly and worship with other believers, to pray and study the Bible
daily, to attend Bible study groups, and to attend social functions with
other believers (fellowship).
In steps three and four, the acceptance process, there
is the conversion experience, and the restructuring of lifestyle of the
Christian neophyte to allow an ongoing instruction in matters of faith,
about expected behavior, and for correction of belief (indoctrination).
This indoctrination provides for reinforcement of the
attitude of faith and quelling of doubts or misgivings, and the shaping
of a new character by the minister's exhortations and pressure of expectations
by the new convert's fellow believers. The instructional process the new
convert experiences approximates a total re-socialization, and involves
establishment of a new lifestyle based on belief in certain foundational
principles of morality, and communication of a world view about the nature
of the Divine, of the origins of the universe, the place of man in History,
and the future of the world as foretold in prophecy.
The authority for these mythic and theological underpinnings
of the convert's new world view and morality is based on the Bible,
which in fundamentalistic sects is held to be infallible and unquestionable.
The acceptance process is also the "locking in" of the
believer into a closed system that discourages exit. Fear and ridicule
are used to thwart investigation of any other belief systems, and unacceptable
doctrine is vigorously attacked in preaching. Any attempts by the believer
to doubt the faith or question the infallibility of scripture is quickly
corrected by the minister, or by those who have reached the level of personal
commitment, who take it upon themselves to be teacher and guide for the
neophyte.
There are also certain internal conditions that predispose
the believer to continue in the life of faith. To doubt or stop believing
is to re-expose oneself to the existential fear evoked by the imagery
of Hell and Eternal Damnation. The relative safety provided by the Church,
despite its shortcomings, may be seen as preferable to re-immersion into
the doubt and fear that precipitated conversion in the first place, or
into the guilt that has become attached to the prospect of resuming former
"sinful" behaviors or relationships with non-believers.
These external and internal pressures combine to thoroughly
reshape a new believer's thinking and beliefs. With this cognitive change,
there is also behavioral change, and new habits supplant the convert's
old ones. This grooming of a new person, replete with full definition
of permissible behavioral limits and acceptable belief, requires the capitulation
of personal inclination and independent inquiry to the posture of submissive
and timorous conformity in thought, word and deed. The mountain ram, full
of the vigor of life and the freedom of nature, has become the caged,
domesticated sheep.
Deepening Commitment
The commitment process of steps five through seven begins
with the asking of the convert to part with something of value, usually
represented by money. This is done by asking for sacrificial offerings,
beyond the "dollar in the hat" or "spare change for the minister" kind
of giving. Sacrificial giving may take the form of committing to a certain
amount each month (pledges), ten percent of overall income (tithes), or
the giving up of a cherished personal desire or goal, and spending the
money put aside for that purpose on the Church or in charity (sacrifice).
Giving is justified by reference to scriptural promises
that the believer will be rewarded by Divine Providence many times over.
Indeed, many churches preach the way to prosperity is by generous tithing
and giving. This ensures that the Church will have a splendid building
to hold its services in, that the pastor will not endure the rigors of
poverty, and that there will be plenty of money to buy media time and
gospel tracts to convert the non-believers. Non-believers, upon their
conversion, will also learn the virtues of giving.
Business is booming in the fundamentalist churches.
Evangelical groups report the largest number of new conversions, together
with the largest growth in church income.
Money, when given voluntarily, is a statement that "I
value this." Even if the giving does not initially involve genuine valuing,
the dissonance reaction "if I'm giving so much money, it must be important
to me" begins to operate, and attitude change follows. Eventually, the
believer comes to feel that he or she truly values giving, and may use
the scriptural promises or minister's assurances as proof of the "rightness"
of this behavior.
Personal commitment, genuine wholehearted advocacy of
the faith, is established through the process of attribution. Life changes
or so-called "miraculous" transformations are attributed to the "power
of God" or "faith", and the believer begins the process of proving that
the belief is correct. To anchor genuine conviction , the believer obsessively
tells others about his or her beliefs (preaching), tells the story of
his or her personal odyssey and transformation (testimonial), and attempts
to convert others to the "truth" and "saving faith" (proselytization).
Ministers often encourage this newly found zeal, knowing that a tale twice
told becomes more believable.
These life changes and healing have been explained by other
means. For example, the self-fulfilling nature of expectancy has been
implicated in attitude changes. Belief in faith healing has been shown
to have an immune enhancing response in promoting recovery from illness.
But it is more important to the zealot in the stage
of personal commitment to attribute them to his or her spiritual wellsprings
in the power of God, or faith. By strongly asserting his or her belief
and faith, the believer is actively fighting against his or her internal
doubt and misgivings.
The zealot's advocacy of belief involves going out on
a limb and taking personal risks. Fear of "losing face", that is, becoming
ashamed or embarrassed before the congregation, makes the believer all
the more fiery in his or her zeal to "live the life" (be an example for
virtuous behavior) and "preach the gospel to every living creature" (proselytize
others).
This inner drive for perfection, the constant striving
to be an example for the congregation creates a tremendous psychological
pressure and conflict within the committed believer.
Social pressure comes to bear on the believer, too,
for once the believer adopts a leadership role in the Church, the congregation
expects him or her to maintain it. This pressure exerted from within and
without may either lead the individual to crack under the strain and regress
to his or her former behavior before conversion (backsliding), or it may
catapult him or her into the stage of total commitment (holiness).
Holiness
In holiness, the individual becomes totally open to
the influence of Spirit. The believer begins to experience altered states
of consciousness, and receives guidance by revelations or visions, and
inner voices.
These visions may purportedly
reveal the meaning of a scripture or point of doctrine that has evaded
understanding.
The voices may give him or
her commands that he or she feels compelled to obey. The individual
may believe that God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit have requested him or
her to start a church, to go into the ministry, or prophesy on the street
corner.
Under such remarkable inspiration, individuals have
been known to carry heavy wooden crosses for long distances, to be chained
to crosses for days and nights in freezing weather, to undergo long fasts
or self-imposed penance, and carry on other excesses in the name of faith.
If the believer is able to continue to live according
to this inner prompting as one's primary source of meaning and personal
direction, he or she may become a saint, a prophet, and evangelista
person wholly consumed by his or her religion.
In holiness, the "veils of the temple" have surely been
rent, and the obsession with God and God's demands on one's life is a
consuming passion.
The believer in the grips of holiness is not in a rational
state. Because of their recognition of the particular vulnerability and
innocence of this state, Catholic Christianity and other world religions
have thoughtfully adopted monastic traditions to protect these "opened
ones" from themselves, and the excesses due to their own inspirations
and convictions.
Unfortunately, in many sects of fundamentalism, these
totally committed believers have often assumed positions of influence
in the Church, spreading their inspired "revelations from God" in the
pulpit to their congregations, and over television to the masses.
The vulnerability of believers in the stage of holiness
may take different forms.
- Since their reality testing may be compromised, they
may fail to appropriately mistrust those who mean them harm, and may
suffer betrayals and personal suffering as a consequence.
- They may adopt attitudes and behaviors that isolate
them from others, creating feelings of alienation, of being "different",
of not belonging.
- Their inspirations may produce in them confused thinking
or delusions that they are being persecuted by other people or supernatural
agencies such as demons.
- Their zeal for purity and to be "acceptable to God"
may lead them into extremes of fasting and penance, which may further
jeopardize their physical and mental health.
- Their prolonged prayer vigils may create dissociative
states in which they feel separate from their body, and they may come
to regard their normal biological appetites as evil.
- Obsession with their own sinfulness and unworthiness
may lead to severe depression or compulsive, ritual behavior.
- Denial and projection of their own unacceptable impulses
may paint an illusory world for them that wallows in a miasma of evil,
is ruled by the devil, and out of which they are called to save and
reform the sinners.
This is a particularly innocent state in that the believer
has little experience in dealing with communications and revelations from
the Sublime, and may readily misinterpret his or her inspirations. Without
knowledge of cross-cultural religious traditions or the phenomena of the
stages of spiritual growth, the believer may readily lose perspective
and suppose his or her fount of inspirations to be the only and final
truth.
To truly become a saint, where every impulse is refined,
every wayward tendency of mind beaten into submission, and human character
has been completely reformed, is a rare occurrence. Only after years of
self-discipline and denial do the ultimate fruits of holiness begin to
develop: selfless love, humility, purity of heart, forgiveness and compassion.
This revolutionized character does not develop overnight,
and those who embark on the way of holiness should not set themselves
up for disappointment by expecting instant or miraculous transformation.
Worse, pretending transformation where none has occurred, is an unfortunate
self-delusion.
The austerity, self-denial, and total commitment required
of holiness effectively bars the door to those believers of less steely
will and stalwart patience. Many converts can and do develop themselves
to the level of personal commitment, but the final leap into surrender
to and communion with the Spirit is a sacrifice not palatable to the masses
of believers. For even shame, the great motivator of the personally committed
believer, must be renounced to enter the door of holiness.
Rare individuals do take the risk of giving all for
God. However, the "High Calling of God in Jesus Christ" is not tantalizing
enough for most believers to endure the high costs of total commitment.
Loss of reputation or public defamation, embarrassment and loss of personal
esteem, loss of money or position, even loss of life (matyrdom) may be
required to walk the narrow path of devotion. We may add that insanity
and the excesses of fanaticism lay in store for those that do not successfully
navigate this vale of visions and tears.
Summary
In summary, conversion by fundamentalistic groups is
begun by introducing doubts about one's fundamental beliefs about life,
and using irrational fear to coerce confession of sin, repentance, and
adoption of a primary religious belief system (faith). After this primary
belief system has been established, basic guidelines for belief, morality,
lifestyle, and behavior are inculcated and shaped through socialization
into the "new family" of the Church. Finally, through asking for and challenging
individuals to make progressively deeper commitments to the Christian
community and spiritual life, they are led to a greater participation
in the works of Christian charity, development of the church and active
ministry. Rare individuals may undergo the transformation of character
and reliance on inner guidance indicative of holiness.
Fundamentalists need to recognize, however, that viable
and personally rewarding solutions to the quest for personal meaning and
value, and spiritual growth, across cultures and throughout history, have
not been restricted solely to the Christian Church. They also need to
appreciate that the same free will they so highly respect, does not function
either freely or rationally when conflict is introduced into the subconscious
mind through conversion tactics using fear, shame, guilt and the creation
of doubt. If we are to survive into the 21st Century, we must recognize
that we live in a world of multiple cultures and pluralistic religious
beliefs, and tolerance and respect for others' choices, however different
from our own, must guide our actions.
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