I’m going to go out on a limb here … I think Objectivism is a form of demonic possession.

Satan’s greatest trick was convincing the world that he doesn’t exist.

Rand’s greatest trick was convincing mental cripples that they are the epitome of rationality.

There’s a connection.

Consider what Jesus says about the devil: “Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me!”

Do you ever get the impression, talking to Objectivists, that they simply don’t hear what you say? I certainly do. A lot of it comes down to Rand’s penchant for pernicious redefinition. Rand twisted words like ‘altruism’, ‘sacrifice’, ‘selfishness’, ‘concept’, ‘good’, ‘right’, ‘reason’ and ‘existence’ and so on, beyond recognition in some cases. Pernicious redefinition is tantamount to lying.

Again, there’s a connection.

Satan loves cults. It is of the nature of cults to put in place mechanisms that make it easy to join and difficult to leave. Cults almost invariably have strong contempt for the intellect, human intelligence, and any attempt to think independently.

Do you ever wonder why so much scorn is heaped on “philosophers,” “academics,” and “intellectuals” around here? I argue that Objectivism is a cult here and in several places here.

Satan loves Objectivism. As a matter of fact, my first exposure to Objectivism was the potted, plagiarised version that Anton LaVey tried to rebrand as Satanism.

If you think you might be insane, you’re probably not. Denial is a hallmark of true madness. It’s also Satan’s calling card. Reason is an Objectivist’s only absolute. But how many Objectivists are up-to-speed with even the basic elements of critical thinking? Not many, if any. Check out the total lack of interest in the virtues of rationality on display here. “Check your premises,” said Rand. But most Objectivists don’t know what a premise is. They don’t know that ‘valid’ is a technical term in logic. They don’t want to know about reason, and they particularly don’t want to know what Hume said about the limits of reason.

Denial, delusion, dishonesty … all the tell-tale signs of demonic possession, and all on flagrant display here. Like a skilfully coded Trojan, Objectivism’s first target is its host’s defences against infection. Objectivism quickly disables the mind’s rational faculty, often to such an extent that an Objectivist will mistake a mantra for an argument.

Hatred, vilification and scapegoating of Christianity are further conspicuous Objectivist traits … Satan’s near. If you don’t believe in demonic possession … think of Objectivism as an insidious mind virus.