POLITICAL CONSERVATISM AND CHRISTIAN RELIGIOSITY are joined at the hip in america, twin ideological towers of long established thinking. Conservatism embraces the world as it is, resisting change, the more conservative, the less change.
What better companion than a religion which stresses that everything was figured out long ago, and needs neither alteration nor mild amendment? The older the doctrine, the more immutable the precepts, the better.
But alas there is a bit of a chink in the armor. For alas, there are conservatives who are also atheists. In particular, the conservative icon, at least economically, ayn rand, was an atheist. In her book "Atlas Shrugged", rand demonstrates convincingly, at least to those who already worship at the alter of the free market, that even the slightest taint of economic cooperation is sufficient to derail society by allowing those who ought not survive, who are not strong enough to sustain themselves, to survive, and thus become a burden to us all.
Most americans who adore ayn rand attend church every sunday, and when they refer to rand, they conveniently omit mention of the fact that she regarded all religion as superstitious nonsense.
Rand was born in russia, hence her disdain for socialism, which she considered to be the ruin of her impoverished homeland. But at least the commies had the good sense to abolish all manner of superstition, including the russian orthodox church.
Who knows? had she been born in america, she might well have found a way, as american conservatives inevitably do, to reconcile the arguably contradictory doctrines of capitalism and the teachings of christ, who, after all, said "sell whatsoever thou hast, and give unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven."
Jesus taught that the accumulation of wealth prevents one from achieving eternal salvation. But that's quite beside the point in america, isn't it? maybe if ayn rand had been born in the united states she would have been a devout christian, and a socialist. She abhorred inconsistancy.
Bb
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