Relationship Between Fundamentalist Religious Groups in the US and Public Educations Influence on US Culture

15 May, 2022

Sociology of Religion 

To what extent is the relationship between fundamentalist religious groups in the United States and public education influencing US culture? 

Introduction

Freedom of religion and religious expression is protected in the United States (US) by the First Amendment. The First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” This statement is meant to fundamentally separate any church from the state. Despite this “right to freedom of religion,” lobbying and media outreach by fundamentalist groups have pushed the government into a less secular state. Many government decisions, notably in the education sector, are based on Christian centric ideas. In this paper, I will examine the relationship between religious fundamentalist groups in the US and public education, and how that relationship shapes the identity of the nation. I will be focusing primarily on the Southern Baptist and Westboro Baptist churches in my investigations. In referring to fundamentalists, I will be referring to members of these and similar groups within the United States. 

Fundamentalism 

The term fundamentalist originated in 1920 to describe “conservative Evangelical Protestants who supported the principles expounded in The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth” (Munson, 2006). The central idea of this fundamentalism was that the Bible should be interpreted literally. Fundamentalism is an orientation. According to Richard Antoun, there are four defining characteristics of fundamentalism: purity, scripturalism, traditioning, selective modernization and controlled acculturation. In fundamentalism, there is a “quest for purity in an impure world” (Antoun, 21). Essentially, fundamentalists seek a pure fundamentalist world that shares their beliefs. Another element of fundamentalism is scripturalism, which is the literal belief in an inerrant sacred text. For example, Southern Baptists believe in an explicit and literal interpretation of the Bible. There is also the characteristic of traditioning which makes the ancient/religious times outlined in texts, such as the Bible, relevant for explaining present-day occurrences. Lastly, the characteristic of selective modernization and controlled acculturation means that fundamentalists accept modern life and ideas selectively, prioritizing the words and ideas of their religious texts. Fundamentalists and fundamentalism are ideal types. No one individual or group is completely fundamentalist or completely lacking in fundamental attributes. Despite fundamentalist groups being seen as “the repugnant other,” they still wield considerable political and cultural influence (Harding, 390). 

Fundamentalism originated in the United States in the 1920s and from this point on, fundamentalism has had an interesting relationship with the United States. The US famously has a policy of freedom of religion, but fundamentalists actively fight to blur the line. Former president, George W. Bush, was favoured by fundamentalists for his rigid religious beliefs. According to the documentary Jesus Camp, Bush was seen as “an agent of God” (Jesus Camp). He actively aligned himself with the fundamentalist voters and based parts of his platform on their ideals. After Bush, President Donald Trump became an icon in the Fundamentalist community. Despite his blatant embrace of modernity values, such as narcissistic hedonism, Trump held major popularity in the fundamentalist community and based much of his platform when running for office on fundamentalist issues. “Fundamentalists create themselves through their own cultural practices, but not exactly as they please. They are also constituted by modern discursive practices, an apparatus of thought that presents itself in the form of popular "stereo-types," media "images”. (Harding, 2-3). Fundamentalists have created an image for themselves through their authoritarian beliefs that have been further solidified by their media and the media’s reaction to them. 

Fundamentalism in US Public Education

Despite the US’ claim of separation of church and state, religious regulation has made its way into public education. This is largely due to the influence of fundamentalist groups (Provenzo 2-6). Since the 1920s, fundamentalist groups have attacked US education on a number of fronts, “Textbooks and Curricula, Evolution versus Creationism, Sex Education and Prayer in the Public Schools are all issues that have been recently addressed” (Provenzo, 4). The discussion below serves as an explanation of the role fundamentalism has had in shaping the US public education system. 

One of the most notable cases of fundamentalists influencing public education is the case of The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes or the Scopes trial. “The Scopes trial had its origins in 1923 when several Southern states began passing laws that opposed the teaching of evolution in public schools. The most famous of these laws was passed in 1925 in Tennessee. It was immediately challenged by John Scopes, a young biology teacher from Dayton. Although he was provided legal counsel by the American Civil Liberties Union, Scopes was found guilty of teaching evolution” (Provenzo, 2). There was considerable media response to this case, which a majority of Americans defending Scopes. According to Susan Harding, “Fundamentalists were “othered" in the Scopes trial. They were present and participated in the event which stigmatized them, cast them out of public life, marked them as a category of inferior persons whose very existence required explanation” (Harding, 390). . Despite this, fundamentalist educational legislature continues to grow in the US. 

Fundamentalists still actively fight to integrate their religious views with public education. They fight for textbook regulations, censorship, creationism over evolution, the removal of sex education, and an introduction of daily prayer in public schools (Provenzo 4). Many states, particularly in the South have education legislature that is heavily influenced by these religious groups. For example, according to Planned Parenthood, only eighteen states require that sexual education information be medically accurate. According to PBS, it is illegal to teach about climate change in public schools in Florida, North Carolina, Louisiana and Tennessee. 

When faced with secularization in public education, many Fundamentalists have shifted to homeschooling and religious education programs. In these situations, education is heavily shrouded by religion and many topics focus on promoting fundamentalist political views. According to the documentary Jesus Camp, “75% of homeschooled children in the US are Evangelical Christians”. The documentary shows scenes of these children engaging in their homeschooling. In these scenes, education is focused on political issues (such as evolution and global warming) taught strictly through religious lenses. The children are guilted from questioning the fundamentalist ideas they are taught. As a result, “43% of Evangelical Christians are ‘born again’ by thirteen years old” (Jesus Camp). Similarly, the law is a focus of education within the Westboro Baptist Church (WBC). Many members became lawyers who use their law education when advocating for their fundamentalist beliefs, especially in the public education sector (Interview with WBC). 

Fundamentalist Education’s Effect on Culture

Education is eternally tied to culture. They influence each other to no end. Culture dictates the manner, method, quality, and content instructed. Education socialises the individual while transmitting and promoting culture. “Through various agencies, unintentional and designed, a society transforms its youths into trustees of its resources and ideals. Education is thus a fostering, nurturing, and cultivating process” (Provenzo, 4). By controlling what is taught, and how it is taught, groups can influence young mindsets. “Fundamentalism … represents a specific and coherent view of the world- one whose implications are of extraordinary importance to American education and culture” (Provenzo, 3). Through controlling education to reflect fundamentalist ideals, fundamentalism seeps deeper into the culture of the US. 

The most notable way that fundamentalist influences US culture through education is by influencing political ideas. Several political issues are largely influenced by fundamentalist churches and they use education as an influence. They want only their beliefs to be taught. To these fundamentalists, many political problems are black-and-white, leaving little to no room for opinion or debate. For example, the documentary Jesus Camp shows scenes of children being taught to fight against abortion. In these scenes, children are taught solely a religious perspective on abortion. The teachings are rigid and aggressive, bringing many of the children to tears (Jesus Camp). Notably, the Westboro Baptist Church uses its religious beliefs as the basis for its protests against gay rights. Through their literalist view of the Bible, they firmly believe that homosexuals should be prosecuted and stripped of their right to marry one another (Interview with WBC). 

Feminism and women’s rights are also major political issues for fundamentalist religions in the US. The documentary Battle for the Minds depicts the struggle for women’s rights within the Southern Baptist church. The Southern Baptist church is made up of strict fundamentalists. According to the documentary, the Southern Baptist church views men as closer to God than women are, therefore women are not allowed to be preachers or even speak in church (Battle for the Minds). The Southern Baptist Church advocates for the legislature which would allow for these ideas to be taught in public schools, and teach these ideas in their private universities (Battle for the Minds). 

Sociological Theorists

There is much debate in sociology as to whether the role of religion in society is positive or negative. Marx saw religion as a negative, constantly degrading religion in his writing. Marx sees religion as solely necessary for the control of the working class. (Marx, 1843). This can be applied to the work fundamentalists have done to put their religious beliefs into public education. In doing so, they are essentially controlling the American public. Marx supported the Paris Communards in 1870 for making education free and removing influence from the church and state (Simon and Simon, 1978). If Marx’s views of secularism were applied to the US, as it is meant to under the first amendment, these fundamentalist groups would have to stick to private education and homeschooling. 

Durkheim writes with an interesting mindset. He believed that the role of education was to prepare the individual for joining the labour market. He believes that education should be specialized to people’s interests, skills, and talents. If this were applied to the US, that would allow the individual to choose whether or not they wanted secularized education. While this is available through private and homeschooling, it is not an easy option with public schooling. The children who are segregated by fundamentalist groups for religiously explicit schooling develop extreme views (Jesus Camp). The fundamentalists work hard for laws in the US to entangle religion with public education allowing the fundamentalist children to partake in public education. Public schools provide “the necessary homogeneity for social survival” and the “necessary diversity for social cooperation” (Durkheim, 1956). This causes problems because fundamentalist education influences the American masses. 

Conclusion

Despite the pushback by modernist society, fundamentalists stand strong with their beliefs. The literal interpretation of the Bible, their binary thinking, and their authoritative manner make for a strong stance. Through their abrasive media tactics, unrelenting political beliefs, and strong contradiction to the values of modernity, fundamentalists have managed to influence the entire US culture. The relationship between fundamentalist religious groups in the United States and public education deeply influences US culture. By controlling how children are educated, and the materials they are educated on, the fundamentalists gain influence on the thoughts and opinions of the American people. Since fundamentalist groups, such as the Southern Baptist and Westboro Baptist churches lobby so heavily for education regulation that follows their beliefs, public education is deeply limited and acts as a religious influence on the American people. A great deal of legislation regarding issues beyond education is subsequently influenced by the fundamentalist groups. By promoting censorship and religious views over science, religious ideas are now heavily entrenched in American culture. 

Word Count: 1893

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