The GOP Grapples With Ayn Rand's Atheism

Not Ayn Rand's cup of tea

My latest post in the FrumForum describes how Ayn Rand's atheism is infecting the far right, the Tea Party movement and, through Ron Paul especially, Republican politics in general.

It's kind of a sneak preview of one of the themes that I explore in AYN RAND NATION: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, which will be published by St. Martin's Press on Feb. 28.

Given how fashionable Rand is in the GOP nowadays, her atheism is going to raise some thorny issues for the Republican Party. She repudiated not just belief in God but cherished Judeo-Christian moral tenets, including the desirability of altruism and help for the needy. Rand's Objectivism celebrates selfishness and promotes the belief that the poor need to rise up without relying on help from anyone.

Rand's celebration of individuality certainly has its place, but her influence on national politics is corrosive -- if, that is, you believe that government plays an important role in society.

Read more about it on the FrumForum, and feel free to plunge into the lively discussion taking place there.

© 2011 Gary Weiss. All rights reserved.
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AYN RAND NATION: The Hidden Struggle for America's Soul, will be published by St. Martin's Press on Feb. 28, 2012. Click here to pre-order the book from Amazon.com, and here to pre-order from Barnes & Noble.