Almost everyone knows what prayer is (or do they? dictionary.com lists 7 different definitions), but less know about the philosophy of Objectivism, popularized and dogmatically advocated by author and philosopher, Ayn Rand. Objectivism and the Evangelical notion that the Bible is the perfect word of the creator of the cosmos, are definitely mutually exclusive, and this can be proven by methodical logical deduction. There is no way a rational person can believe that the Bible is the word of God.

However, I will propose that a belief in “God” and in prayer are not mutually exclusive with the philosophy of Objectivism, or even Atheism. In other words, Objectivists and Atheists can believe in a version of “God”, and the power of prayer, without compromising their rationality or scientific principles. I know you want to stop reading now, I get it, but if you stay with me, maybe you will start to understand where I'm coming from. I ask for no "faith," and I worship LOGIC, so if you can dispute any of my assertions with LOGIC, great! I welcome criticism and skepticism as my only attachment is to discovering as much Truth as I can in my time on this Earth.



First, What is The Philosophy of Objectivism? Here is a nice summary from the Ayn Rand institute:



“Ayn Rand’s philosophy, Objectivism, begins by embracing the basic fact that existence exists. Reality is, and in the quest to live we must discover reality’s nature and learn to act successfully in it.

To exist is to be something, to possess a specific identity. This is the Law of Identity: A is A. Facts are facts, independent of any consciousness. No amount of passionate wishing, desperate longing or hopeful pleading can alter the facts. Nor will ignoring or evading the facts erase them: the facts remain, immutable.

In Rand’s philosophy, reality is not to be rewritten or escaped, but, solemnly and proudly, faced. One of her favorite sayings is Francis Bacon’s: “Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.”
Reality — that which exists — has no alternatives, no competitors, nothing “transcending” it. To embrace existence is to reject all notions of the supernatural and the mystical, including God.”



If you have read and comprehended the above statement and assume subscribers to Rand’s philosophy must be Atheists, you would be in good company. According to americanatheists.org; “Atheism is usually defined incorrectly as a belief system. Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of belief in gods. This statement seems straight forward, but when you look closely, there is a problem. Please define “god(s)”!

When one says the word “God” to another person, the concept is internally translated and comprehended by each human mind in a unique way that is directly related to their lifelong experience with the word. It is very difficult for those who have been indoctrinated by ANY system to imagine a version of God they never considered before, but the idea of God does not have a fixed definition, it is a moving target, and therefore, Atheists would be reasonable to ask how one could be claim to be an Atheist, when Atheist principles demand a lack of belief in god(s). Well, what if one wants to call the sum total of all reality, God? Many Atheists would accuse this person of committing the “moving the goal posts” fallacy, but I would argue that this concept of God, as the sum total of reality, has been around longer than the Christian, daddy in the sky, version. 



Physicist Dr John Hagelin recently spoke at a Stanford University symposium saying; “Modern science is often derided as “atheistic,” as lacking a purpose for Man. But what if, in the grand game of Nature, consciousness were more than a mere accident? What if Intelligence was a primary constituent of a Conscious Universe?” In other words, physicists have discovered evidence leading some to hypothesize that the sum total of consciousness could, itself, be conscious and “self-aware”. This hypothesis claims nothing as truth, but offers only an exciting and stimulating idea, in the form of a rational scientific hypothesis, to be pursued with scientific wonder and curiosity by all who are curious about the foundation of our reality.

Those of us who want to investigate this hypothesis do not believe, in the same way typical religious institutes believe, that our ideas are truth and should be forced on others against their wills. Scientists believe in the possibility of a higher level of consciousness, but a scientist would never state a theory is truth, until it is proven to be so. I find this to be a consistent application of Objectivism, which demands humans face reality and not ignore evidence when new evidence conflicts with one’s previously held notions. 



Recent developments (over the last 10 years) in the fields of quantum physics and consciousness have caused me to analyze my personal experience with prayer (I was taught to pray as soon as I could talk), and the knowledge that all matter is made up of atoms, protons, and electrons, and exists in a field that connects all matter to everything else, the “fabric” of reality. I believe this connection, combined with attributes of consciousness, causes an effect when one “prays.” Objectivism demands one not ignore reality, and for me to deny the effects that prayer has had on my life would be intellectual dishonesty. 

After I became an Atheist, I was introduced to the Theory of Attraction (often called the Law of Attraction) and found that using this method was just a different version of prayer than I was used to, but I decided to try it anyway and see if it worked for a non-religious Atheist like me. In the eight years since leaving religion, my abundance and resources have multiplied at exponential rates. When my career as a touring musician ended after 6 years of hard work and dedication, I had a couple thousand dollars to my name, and 4 years later, I manage two successful private schools and raised one million dollars to start my third business. Throughout this time, I have used prayer like a scientist, documenting my desires as well as my progress towards them over these last 8 years as an “Atheist”, and denying the results I have witnessed in my life would be dishonest.

Could prayer simply be a placebo effect that motivates me and helps me hold myself accountable to my goals? Definitely! Placebo or not, “prayer” works for me ( I would prefer to call it strategic thought, but that would ignore the slight similarities it shares to religious prayer, which is it's appeal to forces as yet not understood or known), so I continue to use it. I do not expect it to work by itself, though. Personally, it acts as gasoline to a fire already raging and just seems to give me fortuitous boosts, connections, and profitable synchronicities. 



I will never compromise my intellectual integrity by ignoring new evidence that forces me to change my current beliefs. I will always follow the evidence, and in my life it has led me to this belief: some version of God is real (if one want to call the sum total of existence God, as previous cultures did, and reality is real, therefore, that notion of God is real and provable).

The Bible and all other books claiming to be the perfect word of the creator of the cosmos are shameless frauds to rational minds, and prayer still seems to work for me, even when I don’t know who or what exactly I’m praying to. This matters to me because I believe Liberty is the most important right that humans have, and I believe evangelical religions are the biggest threat to Liberty that exists. I have no problem with anyone believing in the flying spaghetti monster, as long as they don’t force their will on me without my consent, and I hope anyone who has taken the time to read this self indulgent article will also support Liberty and Objectivism because a wide adoption of both these principles will vastly accelerate the success of our species.

-JLR