The Next Generation of Fundamentalists

Does anyone ever feel like the fundamentalists are “winning?” I’ve seen a lot of casual remarks online that outdated beliefs will fade with time. But within my own life I’ve seen a lot of evidence that fundamentalism will continue to be a heavy presence in the world into the next few generations. 

My own family has managed to retain almost all of my siblings into their own version of fundamentalism. With quiverfull ideas poking up and affecting at least two of my siblings and their current marriages. Patriarchal ideas and beliefs still rule my family’s life and will greatly affect the children that they have. 

I look and see my nieces and nephews and feel a touch of sorrow for them. I’ve been through that and tried to put it behind me. But they have that whole life within fundamentalism ahead of them even though they might just be toddlers now. 

But having as many kids as you can to therefore have more soldiers for god seems like it’s actually damn effective. The isolation and lack of education is effective at keeping the next generation a part of fundamentalism. In many ways fundamentalism is extremely efficient.

What life can you know outside of fundamentalism if you are never exposed to the whole world in its complexity? If you only allow those with the exact same beliefs into your life. Or only allow your children to learn from select Christian homeschool materials and socialize with fellow fundamentalists. How can that cycle ever end? I know for myself that cycle was only stopped because I came face to face with people and situations that didn’t fit within my current worldview. 

But how can a fundamentalist ever move on or away from that point of view if they are intentionally enforcing isolation and strict social parameters that ensure that their world view is never truly challenged?