What are some things that religious fundamentalist say that doesn't match up with history? The only example I can think of is homosexuality caused the Roman Empire to fall. So are there any more of these out there? It doesn't have to be used by fundamentalist in a particular religion, although my plot is centered around Christianity.
A little background:
My MC was raised in a strict, conservative household. He's also in denial about being gay. He meets someone who is out of the closet and tries to save him. He does this by using all of the historical inaccuracies that he was told when he was younger that the other character disproves.
As a note, I don't mean any harm with this post. I know this is a touchy topic for some people and if you get offended, I am very sorry.
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Script Frenzy '08
Working Title: Nate and Dick
Script Type: Stage Play
Genre: Dark Musical Comedy
Page Count: 35
50,577 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2007 - 15 32
I don't know that this is exactly what you are going for but there are some scientific issues they may have problems with. Some Christians believe that Earth was created 10,000, which goes against how scientists view fossil record.
25,194 / 50,000
Oct 3, 2007 - 16 09
I could use that, but they have counter arguments for fossils. I think I'm looking for something a bit more recent than that (as in in recorded history).
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Oct 3, 2007 - 18 43
The word "save" (He meets someone who is out of the closet and tries to save him) is ambiguous here. I think you mean, tries to save him *from* religion, but the term in the context of religion usually means trying to convert someone *to* a specific religion.
A fundamentalist will have an answer for any argument made. A fundamentalist is a creature of belief, of faith; it is a virtue, to continue to believe, even when "tempted" not to.
There are two ways to "crack" fundamentalists. Confronting them with historical inaccuracies is not one of them. The two are:
Some also simply mellow with age, losing confidence that they know anything with certainty, yet still believing in God, a greater good, and a path to redemption.
Time period to look at: 200 - 350 AD
Place: Alexandria, and Rome
During this time, the Church decided which books to kick out of the Bible, and which to keep. The church also decided whether or not there was a Trinity during this time - and changed its mind on the subject several times, sometimes at the point of a sword. The argument that breaks your protagonist down might not be so much that religion is inconsistent with history, but rather that some of the very foundations of the faith are, in one kind of objective view, arbitrary.
In case it matters to how you read this, I am a liberal non-denominational Christian. I have been a Christian fundamentalist (Southern Baptist). I was raised a deist (Unitarian/Universalist). My family are Catholic.
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Oct 3, 2007 - 19 02
I might try to work the foundations of faith are inconsistent with history. It's convenient because I already have a major plot point about that. Lets just say that it involves vampires.
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Oct 3, 2007 - 21 24
The "Cracks In the Wall" and "Tunnels and Bridges" series over at the blog Orcinus might provide some good background for ya.
Here's part one of Cracks in the Wall - the other parts are linked in the sidebar.
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Oct 4, 2007 - 05 16
Thanks, that looks like an interesting read.