Your commentary is really right on target. I see Ayn Rand as grasping the true philosophy of free will and freedom and malice to none, but enriching the spirit within ourselves as individuals. The missing link is the realization of communion with God and one another, and I sense that Ayn was very conflicted about that, perhaps as being a Jew in a very oppressed society from which she came.
But I totally relate to your point that she enriched my spiritual and Christian beliefs and really helped me to understand that charity comes from the heart and one’s free will, not from government mandate and confiscation. Thanks for sharing a great post!
Gosh ... thank you so much for your kind words, and I am ELATED to find that others, also, had their faith boosted by Rand the atheist! God does work His wonders in the most strange and mysterious ways! And times like this are when FReeping is just plain GOOD FOR THE SOUL!