Posted by Benjamin Johnson on September 26, 1999 at 01:07:39:

In Reply to: Objectivism-Is Atheism necessary? posted by beatmuse on May 18, 1998 at 00:58:22:

: Hi...i am very interested in Ayn Rand's Objectivism but read that she was an adamant atheist...is atheism necessary to be a "true" follower of objectivism? Just wondering. Thanks for any input!

Ayn Rand was always very proud to say that her entire philosophical system was so well integrated that, if you accept one premise, you must accept them all because they are bound tightly and they each imply the others.
The entire system crubles unless you accept the whole of it. I read Scarshoulder and, if I have not misinterpreted the idea, I do not agree. Ayn Rand did not believe that God exists. She thought that God was too much of an affront to man and knew that there was no conclusive proof for His existence. The passage from "The Fountainhead" that Scarshoulder quotes is an expression of the joy that Ayn found in Man, the "search after God and finding himself" that each must do because God represents the highest, the most perfect and man will find these things in himself. He will not find God but will find that he himself is the highest and an end in himself.

This is what she constantly expounded and it is what she saw. There will always be battles between over details but an Objectivist must hold the basic tenets of the philosophy...

...and atheism is at the heart of her ideas.

I would like to add that atheism is no more a reasonable position than theism is. The atheist makes the mistake of an absolute negation by asserting that he/she has infinite knowledge that there exists no being in the universe with infinite knowledge. In light of this fact, the atheist cannot reasonably state, "I know that there is no God." Rather the atheist must claim, "I BELIEVE that there is no God." Thus atheism is based on belief, on faith, and is a religion itself. One cannot prove nor disprove the existence of God and, therefore, any answer is simply an opinion.

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• Re: Objectivism Demands It But Reason Is Silent... nandini 23:19:51 12/21/101 (0)

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: : : Hi...i am very interested in Ayn Rand's Objectivism but read that she was an adamant atheist...is atheism necessary to be a "true" follower of objectivism? Just wondering. Thanks for any input! : Ayn Rand was always very proud to say that her entire philosophical system was so well integrated that, if you accept one premise, you must accept them all because they are bound tightly and they each imply the others. : The entire system crubles unless you accept the whole of it. I read Scarshoulder and, if I have not misinterpreted the idea, I do not agree. Ayn Rand did not believe that God exists. She thought that God was too much of an affront to man and knew that there was no conclusive proof for His existence. The passage from "The Fountainhead" that Scarshoulder quotes is an expression of the joy that Ayn found in Man, the "search after God and finding himself" that each must do because God represents the highest, the most perfect and man will find these things in himself. He will not find God but will find that he himself is the highest and an end in himself. : This is what she constantly expounded and it is what she saw. There will always be battles between over details but an Objectivist must hold the basic tenets of the philosophy... : ...and atheism is at the heart of her ideas. : I would like to add that atheism is no more a reasonable position than theism is. The atheist makes the mistake of an absolute negation by asserting that he/she has infinite knowledge that there exists no being in the universe with infinite knowledge. In light of this fact, the atheist cannot reasonably state, "I know that there is no God." Rather the atheist must claim, "I BELIEVE that there is no God." Thus atheism is based on belief, on faith, and is a religion itself. One cannot prove nor disprove the existence of God and, therefore, any answer is simply an opinion.

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