Article

2007-03-06 Home Front: Culture Wars

Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.

Posted by Seafarious 2007-03-06 10:06|| || Front Page|| [11131 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Yep-my favorite all-time novel.

Some will be upset about Rand's view of God and religion. Even though I don't agree with everything she ever said, I still think she is a phenomenal thinker. Her philosophy is a perfect counterpoint to Islamism.

Posted by Jules 2007-03-06 10:51|| 2007-03-06 10:51|| Front Page Top

#2 "was" a phenomenal thinker. She died some years ago. Sorry 'bout that.

Posted by Jules 2007-03-06 10:53|| 2007-03-06 10:53|| Front Page Top

#3 Atlas Shrugged - is that the one they made into the computer game Railroad Tycoon?

Posted by SteveS 2007-03-06 13:06|| 2007-03-06 13:06|| Front Page Top

#4 Concur Jules.

I read it in college and it has forever remained one of my top 10 as well.

Posted by Broadhead6 in Iraq 2007-03-06 14:12|| 2007-03-06 14:12|| Front Page Top

#5 I too found her intellectually enlightening and stimulating. However, I found her "reasons" for becoming an atheist to be shallow and juvenile, reflecting the fact that she was a jewish teenager making that decision in soviet russia. I engaged in a systematic reformulation of Objectivism with regard to Christianity, in the process becoming an intellectual terror to my teachers, both at school and church. However, a top theologian of the church thought I was sliced bread and wanted me to get into theology and be his PhD student. I was leaning toward physics myself, so had to beg off.

I'm going to snip off what's a longish theological discussion that I think should go onto my website. I'll post a link later.

Yeah, she died years ago, while I was teaching at a private college: I wore a black armband for a week in mourning.

As interpreted, current Christianity and Objectivism are indeed incompatible. However, if one disposes of certain assumptions made by both sides, especially those arising from allegorical, rather than literal, interpretations of Scriptural texts, a Theistic Objectivism is possible that is compatible with a literally interpreted Judaism or Christianity. there are problems with pretty much every other religion based on either social incompatibilities, basic assumptions, or patently unacceptable deities (i.e. those that are not necessary causes of reality).

If one recognizes that modern logical terminology was unknown to Christian or Hebrew recorders of scripture, then an Objectivist Christian can regard 'statements of faith' as axioms that can be input to a logical deductive process, yielding

Posted by Ptah">Ptah 2007-03-06 14:22|| http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org]">[http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2007-03-06 14:22|| Front Page Top

#6 ack. I FORGOT to snip off everything after the bolded word. sorry.

Posted by Ptah">Ptah 2007-03-06 14:23|| http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org]">[http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2007-03-06 14:23|| Front Page Top

#7 Rand's better works - "Atlas Shrugged", "Fountainhead", "Anthem" - are not the end point AFAIC, but are very definitely places one MUST stop along the way.

Posted by no mo uro 2007-03-06 17:47|| 2007-03-06 17:47|| Front Page Top

#8 I admire Rand almost as fiercly as I oppose her mischaracertization of Christianity. The militant atheists she attraced are what ultimately choked off Objectivism, relegating it to a minor corner (excpet for its influence on Republicans and libertarianism).

Posted by OldSpook 2007-03-06 19:33|| 2007-03-06 19:33|| Front Page Top

#9 I engaged in a systematic reformulation of Objectivism with regard to Christianity, in the process becoming an intellectual terror to my teachers

Ptah dear, you would have been an intellectual terror even had you not worked to tie two such putative unconnectables together. I've read your blog, and you remain an intellectual terror...and a joy. For those who haven't visited there yet, I highly recommend it.

Posted by trailing wife 2007-03-06 22:05|| 2007-03-06 22:05|| Front Page Top

#10 Lest we fergit, CSM > THE MYTH OF MUSLIM SUPPORT FOR TERROR article. Nutshell - even dedic Muslims whom don't agree/want the USA in the ME agree wid Dubya' = USA's local actions against the Terrorists in their communities or nations. IOW, THE BIGGEST ONES SAYING "USA GO HOME " ARE ANTI-DUBYA/GOP AMERICANS + ANTI-US GLOBALISTS, NOT MAINSTREAM MUSLIMS.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-03-06 22:43|| 2007-03-06 22:43|| Front Page Top

23:31 Tony (UK)
23:29 Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo)
23:14 RD
23:14 twobyfour
23:13 PBMcL
23:05 USN, ret.
22:49 DMFD
22:46 DMFD
22:46 JosephMendiola
22:43 JosephMendiola
22:42 Shieldwolf
22:40 DMFD
22:36 Mike N.
22:35 JosephMendiola
22:34 Shieldwolf
22:30 JosephMendiola
22:25 exJAG
22:24 Zhang Fei
22:23 JosephMendiola
22:19 twobyfour
22:14 trailing wife
22:12 Barbara Skolaut
22:10 JosephMendiola
22:05 trailing wife