The Encyclopedia of World Religions

164 S fundamentalism, Hindu

W. Paul Williamson, The Psychology of Religious Fundamentalism (New York: Guilford Press, 2005).

fundamentalists went so far as to bomb abortion clinics and kill doctors who performed legal abor tions. Fundamentalists have also tended to see HOMOSEXUALITY as voluntary behavior and have condemned it as sinful. They strongly opposed the sanctioning of unions between homosexuals, whether they be marriages or “civil unions.” More broadly, fundamentalists saw the American family as threatened by a variety of movements, includ ing FEMINISM . They sought to protect it by empha sizing what they saw as the biblically mandated roles for men and women. They also produced literature espousing their views, such as Hal Lind sey’s (b. 1929) The Late Great Planet Earth (1970) and, more recently, Tim LaHaye’s (b. 1928) “left behind” series. Such books were extremely popu lar in fundamentalist circles. Finally, at the end of the 20th and the begin ning of the 21st centuries Christian fundamentalists were also active in American politics. Like evangel icals more broadly, they tended to believe that the state should be subservient to God. These political views show strong parallels to similar interests in Islamic and Hindu fundamentalism ( see FUNDAMEN TALISM , H INDU ; FUNDAMENTALISM , I SLAMIC ). Some fun damentalists sought to have the United States rec ognized as a Christian nation. Many became active in the Republican Party. By the beginning of the 21st century the center of gravity in the Christian world had shifted away from North America and Europe to the southern hemisphere, that is, to churches in Africa, Latin America, and some parts of Asia. Christians in these areas tend to be doctrinally and morally con servative. In many respects, their views resemble Christian fundamentalism. See also E VANGELICAL C HRISTIANITY . Further reading: Richard T. Antoun, Understanding Fundamentalism: Christian, Islamic, and Jewish Movements (Walnut Creek, Calif.: Altamira Press, 2001); Karen Armstrong, The Battle for God (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2000); Martin E. Marty and R. Scott Appleby, eds., Fundamentalisms Comprehended (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1995); Ralph W. Hood, Peter C. Hill, and

fundamentalism, Hindu Movements that aim to make Hinduism culturally and politically domi nant in South Asia. H INDUISM has had fundamen talist movements in a religious sense, too, such as the Arya Samaj, a “return-to-the-V EDA ” movement that arose in the 19th century. The term Hindu fundamentalism usually refers, however, to move ments that pursue the cultural and political ideal of Hindutva, literally, “Hinduness.” Hindutva derives from the writings of V. D. Savarkar (1883–1966). Unlike Mohandas G AN DHI , Savarkar advocated armed resistance to Brit ish rule in India. In a book published in 1915 he defined Hindutva as the common culture of India, a culture shared by people who practiced all of the many religions there ( see I NDIA , RELIGIONS IN ). An object of patriotic pride, Hindutva marked out the natural political boundaries of India “from sea to sea.” Today, three main organizations promote Hin dutva. They are often known by their initials: RSS, VHP, and BJP. Keshav Baliram Hedgewar (1889–1940) founded the Rastriya Svayamsevak Sangh (National Volun teer Association), or RSS, in 1925. It emphasized national pride and personal training through phys ical exercise. The government of India banned the RSS in 1948 because Gandhi’s assassin had some connections with it. The ban was removed in 1962, but other bans have come and gone, so that the organization is sometimes legal, sometimes not. After India achieved independence in 1947 the RSS became active in opposing the secular Indian state. A second Hindutva organization is the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (All-Hindu Congress), or VHP. Founded in 1964 to promote Hindu unity and fur ther Hindu culture, the VHP has branches around the globe, including in the United States (founded in 1970). It defines Hinduism broadly to include all religions that have arisen in India, including