Ayn Rand vs Christianity

[Truthmatters]

Have the religious right ever figured out that Ayn Rand hated the idea of sacrafice for other human beings?


It occurs to me that many of the people who worship Rands ideas also claim christianity.

They are ideas which are diametricly opposed to each other.

 

[Avatar4321]

havent read her, let alone worshiped her ideas. I have no idea what she says right now, im not in a particular rush to find out. I have other things im studying.

But did you ever think that maybe more people than just Christians agree with what she says?

 

[Truthmatters]

Thats just you .

Now realise she is a hero of the rights ideas wether you agree do or not.

 

[Truthmatters]

Not one of you can address this fact?

 

[AllieBaba]

Fact?

Lol...what a loon.

 

[Truthmatters]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

 

[theHawk]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

There are no "facts" here.

Just your idiotic presumptions.


If you have a case, present the facts to us.

I won't hold my breath.

 

[konradv]

Fact?

Lol...what a loon.

Look who's talking!!!

 

[Truthmatters]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

There are no "facts" here.

Just your idiotic presumptions.


If you have a case, present the facts to us.

I won't hold my breath.

So you then claim that Objectivism is in line with Christian teaching?

That is what you just claimed by saying nothing in the OP is correct.

Prove your case with something other than personal insults.

 

[AllieBaba]

You prove your case first, you nitwit. You made a claim, back it up with some numbers.

Otherwise, there's nothing to disprove.

 

[Truthmatters]

You dont know what Objectivism is do you AB?

 

[Truthmatters]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Objectivism_(Ayn_Rand)


Objectivism is a philosophy defined by the Russian-American philosopher and novelist Ayn Rand (1905–1982). Objectivism holds that reality exists independent of consciousness, that human beings have direct contact with reality through sense perception, that one can attain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive and deductive logic, that the proper moral purpose of one's life is the pursuit of one's own happiness or rational self-interest, that the only social system consistent with this morality is full respect for individual rights, embodied in laissez faire capitalism, and that the role of art in human life is to transform man's widest metaphysical ideas, by selective reproduction of reality, into a physical form—a work of art—that he can comprehend and to which he can respond emotionally.


Is this in line with Christianity?

 

[editec]

Have the religious right ever figured out that Ayn Rand hated the idea of sacrafice for other human beings?


It occurs to me that many of the people who worship Rands ideas also claim christianity.

They are ideas which are diametricly opposed to each other.

Spot on.

Rand is rather Neitzscheian in her views.

It's quite apparent that her heros are based on Freidrich's concept of Übermenschen.

Look, anybody subscribing to the philosophical position that GREED IS GOOD (which is Ayn's position in a nutshell) has assumed a philosophy that is antithetical to one of the basic premises of Christianity.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF

 

[Truthmatters]

Yet faced with these facts all thesse people can do is spew hate on the person bringing them the facts

 

[Truthmatters]

Every time you praise Ayn Rand you slap Jesus in the face.

Do you think Jesus will remember that?

 

[konradv]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

There are no "facts" here.

Just your idiotic presumptions.


If you have a case, present the facts to us.

I won't hold my breath.

There's a good site that basically points out the failings of Libertarianism and Objectivism.

Critiques Of Libertarianism

Here's an excerpt on Rand and religion:

Another experience with Objectivism and Libertarian ideas.

In her discussion of capitalist trade as the only just means of exchange between men, she divides non-capitalists into two categories. The socialists are labeled the Brutes and the religious people are the Witch Doctors. By using those terms, Ayn Rand cannot profess a neutral perspective of the situation. A choice between capitalism, socialism, and theocracy is not the same as choosing between men, Brutes, and Witch Doctors. These terms and negative characterizations are common throughout Ayn Rand's works.

..and then later in the piece.

Among the Objectivist virtues is pride. Rand defines pride as a sense of self-worth from one's other virtues and accomplishments. She sets this up on direct opposition to the Christian virtue of humility, which she defines as a statement of self-worthlessness and an unwillingness to judge others. Now a Christian would define pride as feeling superior to others, judging others unfairly, and having an inflexible belief that one is correct. A Christian would define humility in the willingness to accept that one can be wrong, and a tendency to be very careful in making judgements because one is not omniscient.

I am not a Christian, but the Christian definition of pride seems to more nearly fit Ayn Rand's attitude. She did not thoroughly study other philosophers before dismissing their ideas. She dismissed the idea that hypnosis and meditation have value. She would not consider the possibility that pollution could have detrimental effects on living conditions around the planet in the long term. She refused to believe any socialist or religious individual might act out of a misguided sense of right and wrong, and was instead convinced they all had hidden selfish agendas. She explicitly stated that a person must adhere to all of her standards in order to consider himself an Objectivist.

 

[Truthmatters]

She hated christianity.

She thought libertarians were fools.

 

[Political Junky]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

There are no "facts" here.

Just your idiotic presumptions.


If you have a case, present the facts to us.

I won't hold my breath.

Ayn Rand on Christianity

Rand Excerpt: On Christianity

The following excerpt is from a letter to Sylvia Austin dated July 9, 1946, in Letters of Ayn Rand, p. 287:

There is a great, basic contradiction in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus was one of the first great teachers to proclaim the basic principle of individualism -- the inviolate sanctity of man's soul, and the salvation of one's soul as one's first concern and highest goal; this means -- one's ego and the integrity of one's ego. But when it came to the next question, a code of ethics to observe for the salvation of one's soul -- (this means: what must one do in actual practice in order to save one's soul?) -- Jesus (or perhaps His interpreters) gave men a code of altruism, that is, a code which told them that in order to save one's soul, one must love or help or live for others. This means, the subordination of one's soul (or ego) to the wishes, desires or needs of others, which means the subordination of one's soul to the souls of others.

This is a contradiction that cannot be resolved. This is why men have never succeeded in applying Christianity in practice, while they have preached it in theory for two thousand years. The reason of their failure was not men's natural depravity or hypocrisy, which is the superficial (and vicious) explanation usually given. The reason is that a contradiction cannot be made to work. That is why the history of Christianity has been a continuous civil war -- both literally (between sects and nations), and spiritually (within each man's soul).

All emphasis was in the original. All punctuation and spelling is from the original.

 

[Immanuel]

Have the religious right ever figured out that Ayn Rand hated the idea of sacrafice for other human beings?


It occurs to me that many of the people who worship Rands ideas also claim christianity.

They are ideas which are diametricly opposed to each other.

Spot on.

Rand is rather Neitzscheian in her views.

It's quite apparent that her heros are based on Freidrich's concept of Übermenschen.

Look, anybody subscribing to the philosophical position that GREED IS GOOD (which is Ayn's position in a nutshell) has assumed a philosophy that is antithetical to one of the basic premises of Christianity.

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF

"Greed is good" was not the message I got from her book. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Hell, if you have read it, the greedy people in the story were not the John Galt's of the world, but the James Taggert's and Wesley Mouch's. I guess it is all in your perspective, but the industrialists of the story believed in an honest pay for an honest day's work. I see nothing at all wrong with that.

It was the people that represented society that believed in receiving what was not theirs to begin with that were greedy. Rand portrayed none of these individuals as being "good".

Immie

 

[theHawk]

Then tell me what you beleive the facts are here AB?

did her philosphy of Objectivism line up with christianity?

There are no "facts" here.

Just your idiotic presumptions.


If you have a case, present the facts to us.

I won't hold my breath.

So you then claim that Objectivism is in line with Christian teaching?

That is what you just claimed by saying nothing in the OP is correct.

Prove your case with something other than personal insults.

I never claimed Objectivism is in line with Christian teaching.

I simply asked you to present some facts on the matter, which you still have not done.

There are certainly elements of Rand's "objectivism" that are appealing, but to say it trumps Christianity is rediculous.

I realize these are tough times for you moronic liberals, and you need to dream up these strawmen arguements in an attempt to keep your sanity. But there is no way anyone's philosophy trumps Christs'. Not "objectivism", and not communism or socialism.

Carry on, Slapnuts.