> Religion, as I understand it, claims to know the final truth about
> some basic things. "We know there's a god (after all, my revelation
> tells me so) but he or she moves in mysterious ways."
Christian fundamentalism is mostly about afterlife insurance. These are people who are obsessed with death, not the overall message of Christianity. Just look at the success of the "Left Behind" series and the stuff that fundamentalists talk about. This is the chief difference between the fundies and the liberal/progressive currents. The latter understand that the message of Jesus was about social justice and helping the poor, whereas fundies have a selfish interest in making sure that their souls are "saved" after they die.
Chuck