Difference Between Fundamentalist and Extremist

Fundamentalist vs Extremist

When it comes to beliefs, most people like to play it safe and stay in the middle ‘“ such as staying in the grey area instead of openly choosing black or white. In any culture, religion, political ideology or fashion ‘“ in any belief, whatsoever, you will always have the two ends on both sides of this grey area and that is the fundamentalist belief on one side and the extremist belief on the other.

The fundamentalist belief usually means staying within the confines on what is given, what is proven and what has worked over time in a safe and comfortable manner. Call is safe, steady and reassuring, if you will. If you are into this kind of thinking you are not out to surprise, not out to challenge others and you certainly ought not to pull the wool over one’s eyes. Rather, you give what is expected and when you do introduce a certain concept, you are expected to have laid it out on the foundations of time-proven theories. This is the heart and soul of fundamentalist belief.

Extremist belief, on the other hand, is all about the surprise attack. It likes to go from one end of the rainbow to the other and back again, challenging thinking and trying out or venturing into spaces yet unknown or untried. Extremism is usually grounded on the thinking that it is better to try it out to see what it is rather than play it safe and not know. Someone who is into an extremist belief might be, according to convention, leaning towards the leftist movement or the ‘change’ movement rather than what is known and familiar.

This is the difference between the two, where the former (fundamentalist) supports itself on what is known and what is tested throughout time, while the latter (extremist) is ready and willing to try out and see what will happen if the extreme, or the excessive is put into practice.

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