(The Doctrine of Original Sin) declares that (man) ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge – he acquired a mind and became a rational being. It was the knowledge of good and evil – he became a moral being/ He was sentenced to earn his bread by his labor – he became a productive being. He was sentenced to experience desire – he acquired the capacity of sexual enjoyment. The evils for which (the preachers) damn him are reason, morality, creativeness joy – all the cardinal values of his existence.

Ayn Rand, author and creator of the Objectivism philosophy

Ayn Rand’s *Atlas Shrugged* was one of the guiding works in my becoming an atheist. One of the big parts that led me to reject my Christian faith was the idea of Original Sin. Why in this instance would I as an individual, accept guilt, shame, and blame for an act I didn’t commit? Why is the gaining of knowledge a sin? This was one part in a series of philosophical quandaries that led me to conclude that religion is a lie perpetrated on men by men for the purposes of control – either out of benevolent or malfeasance.

For the record, I am not a devout follower of Rand. I think her eschewing of charity is wrong, for example. Still, I will give her and her works credit for helping me shape my beliefs and giving voice to the doubts that were running through my head.