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Good morning. I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction. I just finished reading HOW NOT TO ACHIEVE FREEDOM, and was intrigued by the claim/criticism that libertarianism gets funding from Christians, mainly because, on the surface of it, I've seen much antagonism towards libertarianism from Christians, philosophically, though admittedly, I've seen some overlap, but then, I lean more "Objectivish" than Libertarian. And the thing that sticks out in my mind is that Rand famously said she rejected a significant monetary offer if she would just incorporate religion into her philosophy. Knowing that Rand did have relations with Isabel Paterson, Leonard Reed, etc, it does seem to be a plausible claim, however. (And relatedly, there is a current theory going around that ARI is being influenced by external funding to not only over-ride the previous rejection of libertarianism, but also to promote leftist causes like open immigration, etc, reflected in a push to vote for Clinton and demonize Trump, etc...). That's why I'm intrigued by this claim, primarily. If I remember correctly (I need to re-read it), Stefan says something along the lines that this isn't certain, maybe more anecdotal, based on his experiences. I was trying to Google the topic, but there's a high signal-to-noise ratio, there. I did watch his videos "Why I Was Wrong About Libertarians" and "Why I Was Wrong About Atheists", but I didn't get much answer there. (Edit, 11/14/17: I found Stefan's quote from the book, and I have to partially correct my above question:) "For instance, when I say that libertarianism has an innate hostility towards the discipline of psychology – and in particular, the exploration of the unconscious – because of its financial dependence upon Christianity, what is my proof for such an assertion? "This theory certainly fits and explains the consistent facts of my considerable experience over many years, and I do think that I have made logically consistent arguments as to why those who take their bread-and-butter from the insane can never consistently advocate sanity, but what is still missing is the widest objective and empirical proof for my assertions." So, here, specifically, he is not disputing his own claim about Christians funding libertarianism, but the idea of an innate a hostility of libertarians towards psychology, BECAUSE of that funding...) End edit The one source I did find useful was Brian Dougherty's RADICALS FOR CAPITALISM: A FREEWHEELING HISTORY OF THE MODERN LIBERTARIAN MOVEMENT. I had read it before, but not thoroughly. A quick re-skimming does reveal details about Christian-backed funding of libertarianism, but also points out some more details that make the issue not so clear-cut (i.e., how some people rejected such religious involvement, how Leonard Read was less Christian than he was "on a spiritual path", etc...that kind of stuff...no clear-cut "smoking gun". So, my question is two-fold: Could anyone point out some more sources that might substantiate Stefan's claim? And, in light of his more recent "Why I Was About Libertarians/Atheists" videos, and the defense of Christians he makes in the latter, has Stefan tempered his antipathy towards Christians funding libertarian causes, as well? Thanks, in advance.

I was just having a little heated argument over Christianity in a Facebook thread (Oh-oh. I know, I know). It was kind of fun. If you're interested and have a little time, here's the link: Keeping the Christ in Christmas A little information - The original poster is a feminist liberal, but my beef was not with her. I'm still learning about libertarianism and do not yet feel comfortable arguing about it. My FB user name is Lori Ellis Swank. The one I'm arguing with is Tiger Acuff.

Hey hey, I recently had a conversation with my mother regarding the government. I was arging as that she is a christian and therefore dislikes theivery. I said the government takes her money forcefully and she has no say in it. Her response is that she gives the money to them willingly because every time she uses the roads she owes them money to finance the war against drugs & iraq/afghanistan. I told her if she did not give the money willingly they would take it anyway. She said she would give it willingly anyway and therefore its A-ok. Is it just me or is she an idiot? I told her she doesnt owe them the sweat off her back and that her money goes to evil causes. She wouldnt hear any of it and I should, "Find a new place to live". Anyone wanna jump on this and assist me in any way possible please? Thanks!

Forgive me if I am not doing this correctly, but I wanted to get some thoughts about my recent relationship with a Christian MD (resident) that I worked with in the pediatric ICU in one of the hospitals in my city in West Texas. I know how Stef would feel about my pitiful attempt at connecting with a person whom I know the relationship wouldn't work with, but I tried anyway. We immediately had a shared physical attraction (which I find is very important) but after talking with her for a while I could immediately tell that she was a similarly-minded person (at least in caring, compassion, understanding, listening). She is very intelligent (hence the MD) and we had plenty to talk about because we are both clinicians. We hit it off immediately. We talked about very basic things initially but I soon came to discover that she came from a very religious background (both parents are overseas missionaries). I of course, against my better judgement, decided to see where it would go, so I kept on talking. She asked what church I go to... to which I replied "I don't go to church". She replied "oh well that's okay, a lot of people prefer to not associate with a specific group. The reason I ask is that I was wondering if you'd like to go to a bible study with me some time." At this point I had to let the cat out of the bag. I looked her in the eyes: "I am an atheist", and watched the life drain from her face. She was deeply disturbed by this, and barraged me with language that made me feel her deep pity for me, but seemed to accomplish it by being non-abrasive. She is a very stubborn yet kind person, so we were able to just avoid conversations regarding this topic from then (3 weeks ago) until tonight. Tonight I went over to her place for dinner, since her schedule didn't allow us to meet much this month. We ate dinner and everything seemed fine. We watched an episode of MadMen and had some good laughs. At the end of the episode she said she had some reading to do for school. I had my tablet with me so I obliged, and two hours later she returned with the "We need to talk", and so we ended up having our final god chat and breaking up. After watching Stef's latest discussion with Peter Boghossian, I decided to approach the discussion in this manner: I reach objective conclusions based on objective analysis. Religion reaches objective conclusions based on subjective analysis. I also brought up that she doesn't live in my world, but that I do live in her world. I think I somewhat struck a chord with these statements, but the stubbornness was there to blockade her thought, and she had already made up her mind. She absolutely doesn't seem like she was ever physically abused, however I do think that she was psychologically tormented by the ever present fear of hell fire for eternity. I always try to be open to criticisms of inconsistencies and faulty logic, and make concerted efforts to live my life in a way that lets my actions speak louder than words. In the case of this woman, she watched as I saved the lives of 3 children in our pediatric ICU, yet it amazes me that my actions have NOT spoken louder than words, and that although I have gone out of my way to help her in her daily life, explained to her that I value truth above all things, I am still seen as going to hell... and the most upsetting part is that this is all coming from a physician. The person I thought would be able to reason more than any others that I had previously spoken with here in West Texas. Any ideas? Here's some very basic information about me: 1) I recently moved to Texas from Kansas, so have lived in the bible belt my whole life, but have moved to probably one of the most religious places in the entire United States. 2) I am a type 1 diabetic (pancreas no longer produces insulin) 3) I am a pediatric respiratory therapist 4) For about 6 years now I have had no contact with a woman on a physical level until this brief relationship 5) I work 12 hour night shifts 6) I am a very outgoing philanthropist, helping people on my days on and on my days off. 7) I am 29 years old (my dick hasn't been destroyed by the diabetes yet) I am a year-long follower of the show and have used it immensely to get across my view regarding religion. I feel like I tried my best to make it work, but my fear is that West Texas is absolutely the worst possible place I could be, and that I have more or less shut myself away from any kind of meaningful relationship that has a mutual understanding of what can and cannot be considered logical or reasonable. I know this whole thing seems very jumbled up, but I was just wondering if anyone thinks that I could have approached the relationship or conversations differently. Should I move elsewhere? (Some places are less insane/less religious/less statist than others) Thank you so much for bearing with my communication skills, I know that they could use some work. I'm desperately trying to avoid depression, but it feels like I'm inevitably headed in that direction