The
atheist right is an intersection between
atheist beliefs about
religion and
right-wing political views. The majority of the
atheist right is composed of supporters of
laissez-faire
capitalism, who
believe that religion (and
Christianity in particular) is an inherently
anti-capitalist force, due to its
altruistic message of
helping others. This sort of position can be discerned in the works
of right-wing atheists such as
John Stuart Mill,
Friedrich
Nietzsche, and
Ayn
Rand. Interestingly,
Barry Goldwater was deeply influenced by
these philosophers, and while not an atheist himself, he attacked
the
Christian right and came out against banning
either
gays in the military
or, eventually,
abortion.
Fascism, a political ideology often described as
being
far right,
draws much of its philosophy from Friedrich Nietzsche. The founder
of fascism,
Benito Mussolini, was himself an atheist.
However, fascism is not inherently atheistic, and there are also
many deeply religious fascist groups.
See also
Christian
right, another conservative philosophy often at odds with the
so-called Atheist Right, especially on moral issues
Atheist
left Christian left