I’m guardedly hopeful that just maybe we’ve seen the high water mark of fundamentalist Christian influence on American politics. Some key players have been outed as crooks and/or hypocrites. There seem to be an increasing number of churches offering a more liberal, socially-conscious brand of Christianity — a la Rick Warren. I also think the rise of fundamentalism can be seen as in part a reaction to the upheavals of the 60’s, which are now a second-hand story to anyone much under 50. I don’t want to downplay the threat these people still pose to our democracy, but I do think there may be cause to be somewhat optimistic.

The point you are making - the necessity of faith - is encoded in _another_ metamathematical theorem; Loeb’s Theorem, which says that a logical system which states its own provability is, in fact, provable. Faith in self is valid.

This is because self-proof is semantically void; it carries no information, and therefore cannot cause a contradiction. Self-confidence rises because, like a bubble, it is unburdened by weight. Faith in self is valid because, unlike pride, it does _not_ make any assumptions.

At the end stages, addiction boils down to three aspects of a cycle: want the thing, get the thing, have the thing. Repeat. (I say “thing” because gambling, for instance, can be used as a drug is used.)

So it’s easy for me to see slavish devotion to the tenets of a certain religion as the same thing as an addiction. It serves the same purpose; not thinking. Not making decisions. Not taking responsibility for the consequences of your actions.

Thank you.

This is holy.

Fundamentalism is very much a Pride. In your Hoffer quote, he anatomizes the shame within the pride.