Ayn Rand vs. Christianity

Via mistermix at Balloon Juice, the American Values Network tries to highlight the anti-Christian beliefs of Ayn Rand.  Again, I find that her justification of selfishness and hatred of government are what draws so many Christian conservatives to her "literature," even though it attacks their belief in Jesus.  So long as they can feel that God is rewarding them for their "hard work" and "brilliance," they can likewise believe that God is punishing those who the government tries to help out, because they are shiftless and lazy.  It is a pretty good gig, believe Jesus will save you, even as you ignore His Gospel teachings.



Mark Silk isn't comfortable with the video's approach:

It's not difficult to make the case that the Ryan budget plan has a lot more in common with Rand's teachings than Jesus'. Yet there have been devout Christians in the past who have embraced draconian social policies towards the poor. Call me prissy, but I'd have been happier if the video traded less heavily in guilt by association with an anti-Christian atheist.

I think that in the end, it is appropriate to question why Christians support the radical Republican cuts to social spending. The thing to remember is that many of the conservatives or libertarians who support drastic cuts to social spending don't consider themselves Christians, or just believe that private charity can take care of the needs of the people. They will always be able to justify slashing the social safety net to put more money in their pockets. This video won't change that.