Seite - 14 - in Limina - Grazer theologische Perspektiven, Band 4:1

14 | www.limina-graz.eu LIMINA 4:1 | Religious Fundamentalism | Editorial Christian Feichtinger investigates current forms and dynamics of religious fundamentalism in an analysis based on an elaborate theological concept of purity. He makes the category of purity fruitful for a description of fun- damentalism that highlights the role of violence and establishes relevance beyond the domain of religion. Fabian Müller casts an investigative eye on the classic topos of fundamen- talist religiosity and questions whether biblicism, as still practiced in some Christian communities, can play the role of the “guardian of tradition” as claimed by its advocates. He provides a brief historic overview of Bible exegesis and concludes that the literal and historicising interpretation of the Bible since 1800 contains typical elements of modern religious funda- mentalism within it. It becomes clear that this particular approach to Bible exegesis shares little commonality with the various traditions of theologi- cal and ecclesial interpretations of the scripture since early Christianity. The following five articles focus on counter positions against specific forms of fundamentalist religious practices. Their common argument is for the role of civic and human rights in the context of a politically engaged theo- logy and the aim to not only offer options for resistance and critical dis- course but to keep channels for dialogue open. Adem Aygün starts the discussion with his article on “Fundamentalism in contemporary Islamic thought”. He proposes that Islamic fundamentalism is rooted in an ideology of resistance, as embodied in Salafism. The multi- tudinous conditions underpinning this ideology require a long-term pre- ventative strategy in order to effectively counter them. Aygün also outlines educational approaches to address Islamic fundamentalist practices. Wolfgang Weirer, Julia Brunner and Agnes Gmoser present their collaborative paper “Professional – missionary – borderline fundamentalist? New reli- gious movements and the religiosity of young adults on the example of the HOME Church Salzburg”. Looking at a particular segment of new Christian movements, they observe an emergence of stricter forms and styles of re- ligious expression, which incorporate traditionalist elements and may be perceived as fundamentalist from an outside perspective. The public pro- grammes and church services of the HOME Church Salzburg, which forms part of the Loretto Community, serves as the case in point and reveals the fine line between markers of a strong religious identity and fundamentalism. Rita Perintfalvi puts the spotlight on Hungary and warns of the urgent threat posed by neo-right ideology through the political instrumentaliza- tion of the COVID pandemic. Recent arbitrary amendments to the Hungar- ian constitution can be seen as a brutal attack on transgender and intersex