Those here who are arguing in favour of religion and the existence of god and anti-abortion or whatever are missing the point of this article and the particular point brought up by Chip Joyce – and, frankly, seem to be using this commentary field as their very own bible-bashing podium (you know who you are).
The particular issue here is NOT whether Christianity is good and Atheism is bad (as an Objectivist, I obviously agree with Ayn Rand on this one). Rather, the point is what kinds of values or set of values can be designated as having the quality of being “American”. Is it “Christian Values”, or, specifically, being a Christian? The answer is a definitive NO. If that were true, if you really believe that, then (a) you know very little about the history of the founding of your country and the beliefs and ideals that propogated it, and (b) you are advocating a form of government that can be classed as nothing less than a Totalitarian Religious Theocracy – i.e., Iran. The only difference between you and Ahmedinedjad, in terms of your conception of the proper form of government, is which religious minority to forcefully convert or persecute. That is NOT America – America, put simply, is based on the values of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. By her philosophy and her convictions, that made Ayn Rand one of the most completely and consistently American people in the whole of the country’s history.
