Fundamentalism is anti-intellectual, and exalts our "obedience" (in reality, our legalism, since so many rules are designed to "protect" us from things not even overtly unbiblical) and downgrades the sovereign protective work of God, as though He were powerless to keep our minds from running off into apostacy if we read "wicked" works.
The ugly effects of this approach are evident to me lately in working with a number of Latino evangelicals. As some know, Guatemala is now over 65% protestant, and El Salvador is over 70%. But when you get with these people (many of whom are VERY sweet and loving and godly persons), you see the same legalistic and unbiblical "rules" approach that characterized American fundamentalism in the 50s and 60s (no wonder! Our missionaries left our bible colleges and seminaries and taught them!). It is the same old stuff. No movies, no make up, no haircuts for women, NO drinking, NO dancing, and varied other prohibitons. It is like stepping back in time. What is really interesting is that there is a kind of a consensus that "Doing these things (or not doing them) is a sign that we are different and not "worldly." This makes us attractive to the unregenerate world." In fact, this obsession with rules keeping is repellent to the unbelieving world around them. When questioned, the unbelievers will often say "I would like to be a Christian. They are really good people. But I don't think I could live that way." Either that, or they are just thought strange.
Oh good grief. I come from an evangelical background and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t wear make up (or if they don’t, it’s not because of a religious belief), doesn’t dance (I don’t, but its because I look like a goon when I do, not because I believe it’s wrong), my hair is short, and I’ve always watched movies. The list goes on. I teach ESL and two of my students are brothers from Guatemala. They seemed to indicate that they were not Catholic which surprised me, but now I see why by your post. These brothers were extremely nice young men, but I do not recognize them by your descriptions. They were even educated in those horrible “fundamentalist” schools you mentioned.