Sacralization,secularization and religious fundamentalism

Abstract

This paper seeks to understand religious fundamentalism and extremism by viewing it in a broader context in terms of a provocative fourfold distinction made by Canadian philosopher and theologian Bernard Lonergan: a sacralization to be dropped, a secularization to be welcomed, a secularization to be resisted and a sacralization to be fostered. Such distinctions shed light on the concerns of religious fundamentalisms and the dangers that the extreme aspects of these pose. Moreover, such distinctions reveal hope in the long-term from the ongoing inter-religious engagement leading to a context beyond religious fundamentalism and extremism.