Jesus came to take away our sins, not our minds. As a result, many people think, mistakenly, that all Christians, including Catholics, must also be very conservative politically. Like fundamentalists, Catholics are greatly concerned about the erosion of family life, sexual immorality, and abortion. But, unlike fundamentalists, Catholics are also very concerned about changing society in order to promote justice, peace, and equality, and about the desperate plight of the world's poor. Unlike Catholics, many Christian fundamentalists are leagued with Israeli nationalists in denying to Palestinians, many of who are Christians and Catholics, any rights in the Holy Land.
Fundamentalism arises from a person's general approach to life.
Not all fundamentalists are Christians or even religious. A fundamentalist's unyielding adherence to rigid doctrinal and ideological positions may find expression in his or her social and political, as well as religious, attitudes. They are right, and others have no rights. One of the World Trade Center bombers, Nidal Ayyad, had been a student right here at Rutgers. When fundamentalism is not tempered with humility and compassion, it can be very dangerous.