Religion vs. America
by Dr. Leonard Peikoff
Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
In this lecture, Dr. Leonard Peikoff contrasts the contemporary embrace of religion by Americans across the political spectrum with the fundamental ideas that formed the essence of America as a uniquely philosophic experiment in limited government. He reviews the essential positions of all religious beliefs as they relate to the key questions of government and highlights their opposition to the vital institutions that formed the American experiment.
Study Guide
This material is designed to help you digest the lecture content. You can also download a printable PDF version below.
| What events prompted the unification of religious political elements in America? |
| How is the New Right religious perspective different from previous eras? |
| What is the definition of religion? |
| What core elements of philosophy are necessary to any religion? |
| What position must religion come to in epistemology? In ethics? |
| What is the political reality that is demanded by religious fundamentals? |
| Describe the characteristic approach of the American Founders on these questions. |
| Why is atheistic communism not actually an expression of logic and reason? |
| What are the ways that religious premises lead the New Right to control individuals? |
| Why is economic control the natural outcome of religious premises? |
| Why is atheism as such not a solution to religion? |
Q&A Guide
Below is a list of questions from the audience taken from this lecture, along with (approximate) time stamps.
| 1:02:21 | What is the alternative to Reagan? |
| 1:03:53 | Would you consider the institutionalization of religion in Scandinavia as an example of what the New Right would like to accomplish in America? |
| 1:04:50 | Who do you consider more dangerous, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, the New Right, or the Catholic bishops? |
| 1:06:46 | What is your opinion on the recent military action taken by the U.S. against Libya? And what, in your opinion, would be the best course of action in dealing with terrorism? |
| 1:10:35 | Please comment on the fact that the Unitarian Universalists have produced many great thinkers and persons throughout the years—including Thomas Jefferson—and that, as a religion, they are devoted to the search for the truth. |
| 1:14:42 | Why is agnosticism no solution? |
| 1:16:29 | How does the New Right defend their stance on capitalism? |
| 1:17:56 | What is an individual to do to stem the tide of mysticism in society? |