The attack that killed two National Guard troops in Washington, DC In November. The Bondi Beach murder of 15 Jews in Australia in December. An ISIS-inspired New Year’s Eve terror plot foiled in North Carolina.  Religious fundamentalism is still recruiting and encouraging violent deadly terrorism in our world. What are the lures and promises that make fundamentalism attractive to some people? And not just within a Muslim context—every major religion has fundamentalist groups. Religious fundamentalism right here in America has certainly influenced much of our political dividedness today. What are the common characteristics and traits of fundamentalism, and what does it have to teach us about our own liberal religious beliefs and faith expression?

Rev. Gretchen Weis is a Unitarian Universalist minister who served Murray UU Church in Attleboro until her retirement in 2023.  She was named Minister Emerita at Murray upon retirement.