In this episode of New Ideal Live, Onkar Ghate and special guest Robert Mayhew discuss Ayn Rand’s views on God and religion.

Among the topics covered:

• What Ayn Rand meant when she said that religion “is a primitive form of philosophy”;
• What is the difference between philosophy and religion?
• How the rise of philosophy influenced and thwarted religion;
• Why objectivism is uncompromising atheist but not militant;
• Why Rand considered religion an unworthy adversary of his philosophy;
• Whether people believe in God because of arguments, or use arguments simply to rationalize a previous belief in God;
• Why the concept of God and the supernatural are an attack on reason and reality;
• If freedom-oriented people (including the Founding Fathers) are fundamentally religious, and communists and socialists fundamentally atheists;
• The film Brian’s life and its message regarding religious belief.

Mentioned in the discussion are Ayn Rand trial “Faith and strength: the destroyers of the modern world” and the entries “Atheism”, “God”, “Faith”, “Reason” and “Religion” in the Lexicon Ayn Rand.

This podcast was recorded on June 9, 2021. Listen to the discussion below. Listen and subscribe from your mobile device on Apple podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Stapler. Watch the archived podcasts here.

Podcast sound: