International Programs

In recent years there has been a resurgence of religious fundamentalism around the globe. In the United States, this fundamentalism has displayed itself in the political realm. This phenomena is not unlike the rise of heresy in France of the Middle Ages. The relationship between the rise of heresy, the subsequent Albigensian Crusade of thirteenth century France and the political power that was held by the pope against heretics is examined. This is compared to the rise of the religious Right in twentieth century America and the kinds of power both held by the group and denied to the group by the existing system. The events that surround the rise of new movements, power as it was used against heretics and by modern fundamentalists, and the limitations to such power are examined. Both groups constitute minorities of the populations, both have an appeal to populations in the face of changing societies, and both are thwarted power by the order present in society. Religion as a source of dynamism for individuals and groups is examined over-all, and the nature of religion is discussed as a phenomena that transcends the ages.