Source: Column: You can’t reconcile Ayn Rand and Jesus – USATODAY.com.

The source article is about how many conservatives have put Ayn Rand on a pedestal lately. It goes into how much of her philosophy runs very contrary to espoused conservative values. The graphic I attached here from that article is pretty neat. It does a good job of showing the broken link between Ayn Rand and supposedly Republican party principles.

Here are some words from the reference article:

Turning the tables on traditional Christian morality, Rand argues that altruism is immoral and selfishness is good. Moreover, there isn’t a problem in the world that laissez-faire capitalism can’t solve if left alone to perform its miracles

Looking at the graphic also got me to thinking that even the right side of the graphic is an oxymoron to me.  I just can’t see how so many Christians can be so aligned with today’s version of conservatism?  With the exception of two issues (anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality) conservatism and Christianity seem to be very different to me.  That is what this post will primarily be about.

Let’s approach this issue with discussing what conservatism is about vs. what Christianity is about:

• Conservatism is about being a “hawk”
• Christianity is about being a peacemaker
• Conservatism is about keeping your own money
• Christianity is about giving a stranger the shirt off your back
• Conservatism is about a strong work ethic
• Christianity is about helping the poor and downtrodden
• Conservatism is about strict enforcement of the law
• Christianity is about giving freedom to prisoners
• Conservatism is about a strong national patriotism
• Christianity is about being a citizen of another place

As is obvious with these directly opposite characteristics I have my doubts about how sincerely conservatives cling to the cross of Christianity. But for me the most pointed example of the lack of Christian compassion by conservatives is the current crop of Republican presidential candidates. There is almost nothing in any of their platforms that indicate that they will be compassionate presidents.

• They talk continuously about taking back Obamacare and leaving the uninsured to the mercy of the insurance companies.
• They talk about reducing Medicaid allocations to eliminate even that safety net for the poor.
• They want to eliminate agencies like the EPA and Education
• They talk about cutting the safety net for everyone and yet leaving our extremely bloated military budgets unscathed.
• They talk about defunding the U.N. which is the last vestige of peacemaking  left.
• They take great pride in the governors in their party who are making massive cuts in State level funding for the poor.

I wish someone would point me to just a handful of things that could be considered compassionate about any in this group. I really don’t want to believe that these guys are intent on turning us into a “survival of the fittest” nation. I know they almost exclusively are saying what they are against; I wish they would show us what they are for or at least on occasion show a little compassion.

But what do I know…..