[Praxis101]

I've got an interesting scenario, and am curious where you'd place this on your continuum.

FWIW - as a disclaimer, I suppose - I agree with you in that many of the common Christian ideals in America today limit the productivity of society as a whole and limit the individual to a certain extent (for those who do not truly study the religion, this is probably even more true.) This is based on my very limited understanding of Christianity in general, but I'm going to give it a whirl anywho.

There are exceptions, IMO, for those who are truly interested in reading-between-the-lines and discovering the true intentions of the Bible's author(s) (the real meaning.) I conceive that the continuum may prove invalid in assessing these individuals.

Einstein, IMO, lived his life in complete selfishness while maintaining "love your others" to the fullest extent as well.
- The man spent his life exploring reality, educating himself, empowering himself. When one rises to assume the capabilities which Einstein possessed (and yes, I think that it takes a lot of philosophical vigor and time/energy spent to rise to his level of understanding), I can only imagine it is a powerful feeling. I, personally, would call Einstein an extremely powerful individual.

- From my knowledge of the man (which is limited), I tend to imagine him as a very happy being. The photos I see of Einstein, along with his many playful and useful quotes, project a man filled with joy.
Happiness: what is more selfish than seeking self-pleasure?

And here the two coincide: Doesn't Einstein rival amongst the most influential figures in mankind's history? The man's accomplishments were recognized immediately as valuable, and his speculation remains as perhaps the most widely referenced literature in the physics world.
- I'd call that loving others to the maximum! (as his life was spent building to the point where he could really help others as much as his potential would allow.)

The man looked down on the education system present in his time, though - he thought a free-er environment was necessary in order to build true, valuable knowledge and understanding. Probably wasn't too fond of Christianity's general lay-down-the-law attitude in this respect, either.

Meaning: he seemed to agree with the "love your god" & "love your others" statements, but didn't like the fact that individuals were inhibited in the search for the understanding themselves (and, rather, were forced others' renditions of truth.) I think Einstein's example shows universal caring - that includes the weak as well...