Evangelicals Seduced By Ayn Rand Worship Crypto-Satanism, Suggest Scholars
Rand's Objectivism celebrates selfishness as a virtue. And, as it happens, the glorification of selfishness is one of the foundational principles of Anton LaVey's form of Satanism. This raises a bit of a conundrum for Christian conservative fans of Ayn Rand's philosophy - are they really caught up in idolatrous worship at the altar of crypto-Satanism? Are they to be meek and selfless like Jesus, turning the other cheek to their enemy? Or do they follow LaVey's approach, and "SMASH him on the other!"? It's a question that Frank Cocozzelli and Frederick Clarkson raise, if gently, in their essay The Randian Fault That Could Shake Conservatism. As they write,
"The spectacular failure of the film version of Ayn Rand's novel Atlas Shrugged has drawn fresh attention to one of modern conservatism's most influential and controversial figures. Movement conservatism usually presents itself as the stalwart guardian of traditional faith. But conservatism may experience a profound identity crisis due to the increasing popularity Rand's philosophy of Objectivism -- which celebrates selfishness as a virtue; declares religious faith to be incompatible with reason; and altruism -- including self-sacrifice - is a vice. Objectivism says there are only two kinds of people in this world, creators and parasites. Suffice to say, such a view is very far from the vision of most conservative Christians." The current Church of Satan acknowledges Ayn Rand's influence on LaVey's thought while stressing that there are significant differences between LaVeyan Satanism and Rand's Objectivism:
Objectivism, the philosophy of Ayn Rand, is an acknowledged source for some of the Satanic philosophy as outlined in The Satanic Bible by Anton LaVey. Ayn Rand was a brilliant and insightful author and philosopher and her best-selling novels Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead continue to attract deserved attention for a new generation of readers. I am a strong admirer of Ayn Rand but I am an even stronger admirer of Anton LaVey for the vital differences between the philosophies of Objectivism and Satanism.
Evangelicals Seduced By Ayn Rand Worship Crypto-Satanism, Suggest Scholars | 73 comments (73 topical, 0 hidden)
Evangelicals Seduced By Ayn Rand Worship Crypto-Satanism, Suggest Scholars | 73 comments (73 topical, 0 hidden)
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