Ayn Rand Hating on C.S. Lewis

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

"Ayn Rand was no fan of C.S. Lewis. She called the famous apologist an “abysmal bastard,” a “monstrosity,” a “cheap, awful, miserable, touchy, social-meta­physical mediocrity,” a “pickpocket of concepts,” and a “God-damn, beaten mystic.” (I suspect Lewis would have particularly relished the last of these.)"

-- Matthew Schmitz

This seems like a challenge for those who care for neither Christian mysticism nor Ayn Rand rationality.

Comments

[american-geist.livejournal.com]

It's compatible if you suck out all that nasty caring for the sick and needy stuff. Prosperity gospel, basically.

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

If it's in your rational self-interest to help the sick and needy, there's no conflict.

[american-geist.livejournal.com]

But isn't the point of Christianity that you should do it, ESPECIALLY if it isn't in your best interest? Jesus didn't say,
"turn the other cheek—but only if it's in your rational self interest."

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Christianity posits that it's in your best interests, as that's the gateway to Heaven. So there's not a ton of conflict there except that Objectivism wants you to put a little more thought into it.

[hardblue.livejournal.com]

I don't know if Objectivism makes allowance for such supernatural concepts as Heaven, but I'm pretty sure that Rand would say that you cannot be pursuing your best interest when you are deluded - you shouldn't do anything for heaven but for yourself (in the here and now, in reality - for money, not for heaven).

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Rand being an atheist, you're probably correct. I would also think many objectivists would agree with you on this, but I think it comes down to how rationally you view religion at the end of the day.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

How rationally do you view religion?

[badlydrawnjeff.livejournal.com]

Less rationally than most religious people, more rationally than most nonreligious people.

[yes-justice.livejournal.com]

Rationally = consistent with or based on reason.

Most atheists view religion rationally, all the religious require faith. Faith is not based on reason.

[american-geist.livejournal.com]

It's definitely not that simple a point to resolve, there are many theologians who would disagree with you, but I guess that's how theology works. Still it seems extremely shallow, corporate, and in a way unchristian to reduce being nice to people to a metaphysical exchange of services for goods, so it's probably the perfect theology for today.

But hey what do I know, I'm not a Christian.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

You are missing one of the major points of Christianity, you are not supposed to be doing it out of self-interest.

[fizzyland.livejournal.com]

It's a strangely legalistic view of salvation.

[usekh.livejournal.com]

Indeed, and please note my surprise at who it is coming from.

[the-rukh.livejournal.com]

And that Objectivism says that it is NOT in your self interest.