Norway: Understanding “Christian fundamentalism” in Utoya murders

Image by ssoosay via Flickr

“It is true that he sees himself as a crusader and some sort of Templar knight,” said Marcus Buck, a political science professor at Norway’s University of Tromso, referring to an online manifesto that Breivik appears to have authored and which draws inspiration from medieval Christian crusaders.

“But he doesn’t seem to have any insight into Christian theology or any ideas of how the Christian faith should play any role in Norwegian or European society,” Buck wrote in an email message. “His links to Christianity are much more based on being against Islam and what he perceives of as ‘cultural Marxism.'”

From what the 1,500-page manifesto says, Breivik appears to have been motivated more by an extreme loathing of European multiculturalism that has accompanied rapid immigration from the developing world, and of the European Union’s growing powers, than by Christianity.

“My impression is that Christianity is used more as a vehicle to unjustly assign some religious moral weight,” to his political views, said Anders Romarheim, a fellow at the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies. “It is a signifier of Western culture and values, which is what they pretend to defend.”

“I would say they are more anti-Islam than pro-Christian,” Romarheim said in reference to what appear to be Breivik’s views.

From CNN found here.

So this guy is as Christian as I am a Martian. He doesn’t understand Christianity and only considers himself as Christian because he thinks it’s the opposite to Islam. He isn’t either defending Christian culture or ideas, as reason, logic and dialectics, which are the basis of the evolution of thoughts and ideas, have nothing to do with killing unarmed boys (or civilians) at a summer holiday camp.

Related:

• Norway: Oslo mass-killer admires Obama (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com)
• Norway: Oslo terrorist copied (almost word for word) “Unabomber” manifesto (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com)
• Norway: the “Christian terrorist” nonsense (teaandpolitics.wordpress.com)