God and Ayn Rand - Oh the irony! :)

My favorite book in the world is the Bible.  I have spent countless hours studying it and have lost track of how many times I have read it through.

My second favorite book is Atlas Shrugged, a book written by atheist Ayn Rand.  Some people find that ironic and somewhat hard to reconcile.  I don't.  This Scripture helps explain why.

2 Timothy 1:7(NKJV)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

This is actually another of my foundational verses.  Some much in one short verse.  All through the Bible God tells us not to fear and I have given my belief that fear is a physical manifestation of lack of faith.  Well this verse also tells us point blank that God did not give us a spirit of fear.  So if we allow fear into our lives we are allowing an influence that isn't from God.

What kind of spirit did God give us?  Well first he gave us a spirit of power!  Now that seems to stand at odds with Jesus telling us the 'meek shall inherit the earth doesn't it"?  I believe that is because many people have in incorrect understanding of what is meant by meek but we'll save that discussion for another time.

Next Scripture tells us that God gave us a spirit of love.  I agree.  I think that is where our yearning to help our fellow man comes from.  Here is what Any Rand had to say about love.

"Love is the expression of one's values, the greatest reward you can earn for the moral qualities you have achieved in your character and person, the emotional price paid by one man for the joy he receives from the virtues of another."  Ayn Rand

I don't see any real conflict there, do you?

And lastly God gave us a spirit of sound mind.  In other words God didn't build "mind numbed robots".  He gave humans an intellect and Scripture gives us plenty of warning that God expects us to use that intellect.  Here is one example.

2 Timothy 2:14-15(NKJV)

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

I think we can all agree that it takes a sound mind to listen to both sides of an argument and then "rightly divide the truth" does it not?

Any Rand was a champion of reason and the supremacy of the mind of man over all of the other animals on earth.  It is that reason, that intellect, that elevates us and is why I believe that God gave man dominion over all on earth.

Let me end with another Any Rand quote. 

"To achieve, you need thought. You have to know what you are doing and that's real power."

Ayn Rand

If you haven't read Atlas Shrugged I would highly recommend it.  Disregard her atheism and learn from the rest.

Who is John Galt?