The Dynamics of Extremism

In my humble opinion, extremism is one of the most pernicious forces in humanity’s journey on this planet. Extremism fuels all forms of social discrimination, fear, hatred, terrorism, and, of course, war. Somehow it’s not effective simply to tell people to stop taking such extreme positions. I think that most extremists truly believe that they are right and anyone who disagrees with their (extreme) position is wrong. Nowhere is extremism more prevalent (and in my opinion, destructive) than in the realm of church and religion. Because we are about to begin the celebration of The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18 – 25), it seemed appropriate to consider if Healthy Liberal Christianity might be able to shed some light on the problem of extremism.

Let’s begin by examining some of the characteristics of extremism. A quick internet search brought me to an article called Laird Wilcox on Extremist Traits (click on the link to see the full article). He began his article with this quotation from Robert F. Kennedy:

"What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents."

I have selected some of the characteristics Mr. Wilcox enumerates, particularly those that relate more to belief systems than behaviors. If you’re interested, go to the above link for the rest of the list and for his explanations. Remember that these characteristics apply to all extremists, not just to the side that opposes yours.

6. Tendency to view their opponents and critics as essentially evil.
7. Manichaean worldview [all/nothing or right/wrong thinking].
9. Tend to identify themselves in terms of who their enemies are: whom they hate and who hates them.
13. Doomsday thinking.
14. Belief that it's okay to do bad things in the service of a "good" cause.
16. Hypersensitivity and vigilance.
17. Use of supernatural rationale for beliefs and actions.
18. Problems tolerating ambiguity and uncertainty.
21. Extremists often feel that the system is no good unless they win.

None of these beliefs promote relationship, communication, or community. In fact, they serve to make people so suspicious of one another that trust and cooperation become impossible. In short, they generate fear and reactivity. Before we get too self righteous, let’s remember that some forms of liberal religion can be just as intolerant as the groups they oppose. Healthy Liberal Christianity, however, emphasizes not just tolerance, but active inquiry into how other people have come to hold their particular beliefs. An attitude of tolerance, at best, only serves to create space for people to “agree to disagree.” Tolerance by itself, however, does not promote loving curiosity, respect, or understanding, qualities that are necessary in any healthy community, or to use Jesus’ term, the Realm of God.

When I lived in Seattle a number of years ago, I heard a public service announcement on the radio: “In Seattle, we don’t tolerate diversity, we celebrate it!” That attitude goes in the right direction as far as I am concerned. It seems consistent with Jesus’ mandate to us that we “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.” This is not easy, to be sure, but it appears that Jesus thought it a necessary element in the Realm of God.

In my opinion, (and this is not an original thought) there are two primary motivations for human behavior: fear and love. Fear leads to extremism, while love leads to community. If you tell an extremist that he or she is wrong, their level of fear is likely to increase. So, the only way to engage extremism with any real hope of success is to ground your response in love. That’s what Jesus taught, and that must be the heart and soul of Healthy Liberal Christianity if we wish to promote the Realm of God on Earth.

Wayne Gustafson
"No matter who you are, or where you are in life's journey, you're welcome here."
The United Church___of Christ