Atheist Neckbeard

Have you read my holy books before you criticize?

Looks like I struck a nerve and you're trying to hide it behind humor.

You realize COVID-19, for one, originated from the world's most atheistic country and had a considerable death toll there? So only atheists can play golf during a thunderstorm? lol Locusts will never touch the crops of atheists? lol

I like your choice of imagery, as Feet of clay describes atheism well.

And Pratchett is generally a snappy read. But, yes, fiction, just like the Bible.

Pratchett's wit doesn't make his arguments or views correct.

The beautiful poetry of the Old Testament doesn't make every word of it true either. This is why Jewish culture has a history of dialogue with scripture and commentary.

Because the truth in the Old Testament doesn't depend on pretty speech lol

It IS pretty, but some of the truth is more contextual or allegorical.

Fiction often contains complex, edifying political themes and allegories - I know y'all love to cite 1984, even though Orwell was an admitted democratic socialist.

For your analogy to hold water, you'd have to find someone who literally believes that the stuff set forth in works of fiction actually happened. I don't think you can.

Well, considering that Ayn Rand created the philosophical system Objectivism...

Looks like a grain of truth struck a nerve. So even if Scripture were fiction, by your own logic it still wouldn't be wrong to adhere to it.

Except you don’t really “adhere to” a book like 1984 or Brave New World or Fahrenheit 451. They don’t tell you how to live your life. They pose questions, spark thought and reflection about how governments in the real world might resemble (or not resemble) a totalitarian fictional state.

I read those books in high school — I also read this one. Yes I was enthralled by it, yes, it pushed me in the direction of libertarianism (Ron Paul 2008, baby!), and yes, I also grew out of it.

Indeed — Ayn Rand is a different kind of author than Orwell or Huxley or Bradbury. Through her fiction, she very much tried to tell people how to live their lives, and to shame those who can’t or don’t want to live up to her vision of an ideal man. It’s a more rigid mindset and has attracted a more cultish devotion. To the point some have literally named their own kids Rand (see, famously: Rand Paul) or changed their own names to John Galt. Even though Objectivism is formally atheist, there are a lot of Christian-Right Ayn Rand devotees. A clue as to how the appeal of her brand of “libertarianism” is actually pretty damn authoritarian.

The fact remains that there are people who live their lives according to values promoted in the books of authors I cited, and some who actually believe they happened (eg; occultists seeking entities from Lovecraft's works). This proves my original point correct, my other statements remain valid. and nothing you said changes or refutes that.