I have a question for all of you: can anyone explain me what are the major differences between "charismatic" and "fundamentalist" churches? As a non-US resident, I am usually taken quite aback when I find references to both these organizations in the press and I have an hard time telling the differences between them. Please try to keep the conversation as civil as possible. Thank you.

Fundamentalists believe that everything you can or will ever need to know about God is in the pages of the Bible; and there is no other source.

Charismatics use the Bible as the context in which the Covenants of God have played out--Yes, God is responsible for the outcome that the Bible creates--but more than this, to a Charismatic, they can receive the Holy Spirit directly, and prophesy and dream dreams and receive spiritual gifts day-to-day that are NOT contained--already written in stone--in the Bible.

Fundies point to scripture; Charismatics, to Holy Spirit as primary Source.

Thanks. Can you also provide a short list of the main churches inside the movement?

Fundamentalist are those who believe, as Emily said, that the Bible is the authoritative Word of God and should be taken literally. These people are the ones we see painted as odd by the media. They believe in terrible things. Things like stealing, murder, adultery, and lies are wrong. That God created us and we are held accountable to Him for our actions. Why does the liberal population dislike this group of people? It's the fact that these beliefs are personal and effect a persons every day life.

"Charismatic" comes from the Greek word for divine gift. ( kharisma) A charismatic believes everything the fundamentalist does, and more. They believe that the gifts given to the early apostles can be theirs as well. You might also see the label Pentecostal which implies the same thing.

Here are the ones that I can think of off the top of my head. I'm assuming that you are referring to denominations

Charismatic
Assembly of God
Church of God
United Pentecostal

Fundamentalist
Catholic - (Almost it's own group)
Baptist
Church of Christ
Methodist
Lutheran

Thanks again... I did know that Catholics and Baptists had "charismatic" branches, but I didn't know they ranked so high... Maybe it's beacuse I never went to a church inside the "Bible belt"!

From what you have written, I cannot believe that you are a Christian. No way.

QUOTE: These people [fundamentalists] are the ones we see painted as odd by the media. They believe in terrible things. Things like stealing, murder, adultery, and lies are wrong. That God created us and we are held accountable to Him for our actions. Why does the liberal population dislike this group of people? It's the fact that these beliefs are personal and effect a persons every day life.

Anybody who HATES Liberals as you do, has NO CLUE about what Jesus did when he came here--not a clue.

Originally posted by dbates
These people are the ones we see painted as odd by the media. They believe in terrible things. Things like stealing, murder, adultery, and lies are wrong.

MANY people, including Atheists, Moonies, Wiccans, plumbers, computer programers, etc believe those things are wrong, too. I hate it when bible-thumpers try to claim that religious delusion = being a good person and everyone else isn't.

I'm not a liberal, but in general neither liberals or non-religious people "dislike" you folks, we just dislike being talked down to and dislike the theory that it's "God's Way or the Highway". The bottom line is that I can accept the fact that you might be right, but you (presumably, based on past experience) can't do the same.

Sorry everyone, I forgot to say "Sarcasam on" in my last post.

I know that there are lots of fine people who have never set foot inside a church. The things I listed are in fact seen as wrong by most people despite their religion. I think that the thing that more liberal population dislikes is the way that some fundamentalist goups try to influence politics with their beliefs. That's probably the main point of contention.

And you're entitled to believe that.

But, from the standpoint of someone who lives by the Sermon on the Mount--LITERALLY--the problem people have with Christian evangelism that is stripped of all behavioral criteria--cheap salvation--is hypocrisy.

It's not evangelism. It's not even political pressure. Every person and every social or spiritual group has the right and responsibility to express their views.

No, it's the hypocrisy of the so-called Religious Right who practice Hate and preach Love; who practice Hoarding and preach Giving; who practice Intolerance and preach the Compassion of Christ.

Hypocrisy.