It's no secret that, at least before his anointing as VP candidate, Paul Ryan was a devotee of Ayn Rand . Lately, he doesn't seem so sure, but this is because knee-jerk reactionary Christians don't like her.

I don't know why. A close look at Ayn Rand's philosophy shows that she and Jesus pretty much saw eye-to-eye. Except for the fact that she didn't believe in him, but that seems like a minor quibble these days. Jesus would rather we be Republican than Episcopalian, after all. Unless you're an Episcopalian Republican.

I read some of Ayn Rand's work, particularly her sermon from the fountainhead, and it seemed to eerily parallel the sermon on the mount. I've listed the key elements for readers below. I'm not bothering to include the sermon on the mount because Christians know that by heart.

The sermon from the fountainhead

• Blessed are those who earn because theirs is the ability to buy whatever they need.
• Blessed are those who hunger and thirst if it motivates them to get off their asses and become successful.
• Blessed are you when men revile you because it gives you a chance to prove how superior you are.
• The meek will have to inherit if they get anything because they don't have what it takes to get it on their own.
• Shine your light to the world so that others will want to buy it from you and make you rich.
• Don't give alms to the poor because they don't deserve them. But if you don't have the strength of character to resist, do it in private so your competitors won't think you're weak.
• Don't pray in public. No one's listening anyway.
• No man can serve to masters, so serve yourself well.

So if you're a Tea Party member, you can quit worrying about Paul Ryan. He and Jesus and Ayn are thick as thieves. But, what am I saying? You're a Tea Party member. You probably never gave it a second thought.

Posted with Blogsy