Rand was an athiest. That’s no secret. She was a philosopher. The basis of her philosophy was the ambition, character and spirit of the individual person. She came from communism and settled in the USA.
If you can separate her philosophy from theology in general and focus on the civics associated with government’s relationship with the individual, I think all conservatives would agree with her political positions.
Her philosophy was that righteous citizens, acting in their own best interest is in fact what is best for all citizens and society at large. She believed that by nature, the individual success spawned opportunities for others to pursue their own success. She also believed that charitable giving was something each individual was to decide and should not be compelled by either mandate or taxes. She had no pitty for the lazy person or the looters (poor entitlement class).
On same sex marriage, I’d be curious to know where she would have stood. I suspect she would have been ok with it as individuals desired it. She didn’t have a religiously based moral compass.
'nuff said.
Peace out, all.
Rand had any number of worthwhile things to say about intellect, general freedom, production, honest trading and what not. She was, however, a bit too flawed to be a general moral authority. Give her credit where it is due and criticism likewise.
She would defend the individual's right to dispense charity to others (a part of property rights) but then deride the charity as "cruelty" to the recipient (The Virtue of Selfishness).
She also would defend one's right to one's beliefs but deride religious believers as being in service to "witch doctors." She "excommunicated" a young Murray Rothbard from her inner circle when he was still an atheist after he introduced la Rand to his Episcopalian fiancee. Did she actually worry about such weak tea as Episcopalianism???
She had a limited and not useful view of what constituted a "righteous citizen." I can certainly concede that there are many authentically "righteous" people who are either agnostics or atheists. In some ways they are particularly heroic in their virtues since they lack the bulwark of well-considered religious belief and faith and yet they act in a quite virtuous manner toward others. With graces and sacraments and the loving hand of God, virtue is easier to achieve. Rand would not have been a reliable co-occupant of a foxhole in extreme circumstances. Just my opinion.