Liberal Christians are attacking Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) for his budget due to the influence author Ayn Rand has had on his political beliefs. The issue, they claim, has to do with Ryan's belief that Washington could use more of Rand's values. Ryan, a Roman Catholic himself, claims to be a fiscal conservative and has proposed a controversial budget. Members of the American Values Network have come out in opposition to Ryan based on their Christian faith and Ayn Rand's atheism; however, while Ryan was indeed influenced by Rand and would like to see her Objectivism influence more of Washington's policy, his budget is not wrong due to Ayn Rand's lack of belief in a supreme being. The real issue is not atheism, but Randian dogma, which holds a strict commitment to cutting government, promoting libertarian ideals, and allowing for the best to emerge, even if it occurs at the expense of the downtroden.
Atheism has no direct requirement that calls for an adherence to Rand, nor does atheism determine the type of politics one will adhere to. With that said, atheists are still capable of dogma, and strict Randians are just as guilty of blind faith as any religious believer (nor dogmatic Marxists, Fascists, Platonists, Epicureans, etc.). The real issue isn't God with Paul Ryan's budget, but his strict belief that one ideal and one political ideology will fix the crippling budget problems the U.S. faces. The Liberal Christians opposed to Ryan should not do so based on their faith in a God, but should do so based on the facts of the legistlation.
Religion doesn't determine political belief either. There are religious people who call themselves Liberal, Conservative, Moderate, Socialist, and every other political affiliation, and in some cases do reference their faith as justification, but in reality, there is nothing in theism that necessitates a particular political position. Some believers view religion as personal and politics as public, while others see no differentiation. Liberal Christians and Liberal atheists likely agree on most political levels, and likely equally oppose Ryan's budget. Christians are making a mistake by attacking Ryan due to Rand's atheism by isolating themselves from likely allies. They have remained so committed to their dogma regarding a supreme being, that they may alienate their own Liberal allies, damaging relations between the faithful and faithless for some time.
Ayn Rand has indeed influenced Paul Ryan, but she has not made him an atheists, just as Liberalism has not made many Christians atheists (as some Conservative pundits would have you believe); the issue with Ryan's budget is political, and Liberal Christians would be best served to remember that. By attacking Randian beliefs on fallacious grounds, they have only harmed their own position.
Comments