Ayn Rand's beliefs

Sunday, April 3, Gary Rust, in his column, reprinted part of a column written two years ago by the Wall Street Journal's senior economic writer Stephen Moore. Here, Moore praises novelist Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged."

Ever since its 1957 publication, "Atlas" has been hailed by conservatives and Libertarians for its scathing critique of Big Government. Moore states that a 1991 survey showed that this book ranked second only to the Bible in its influence on people's lives. I can understand Moore's admiration for Rand because she was a champion of capitalism and free-market enterprise. However, like most Rand proponents, Moore leaves out, or totally ignores, her dark side -- her philosophy of objectivism, which formed the cult she surrounded herself with and which she expounded upon in her writings.

But what most bothers me about Moore's assertion is that he fails to provide supporting numbers for his claim about Rand's following. And I find great irony in that. The Holy Bible is read largely by believers in Christ. Rand was an outspoken atheist who promoted glorification of the self above all other things. Rand once proclaimed that, "Faith is the worst curse of mankind, as the exact antithesis and enemy of thought."

Rand also declared that altruism, the giving of oneself to others, to be one of human kind's greatest weaknesses. So, no more Boy Scouts, Red Cross, Salvation Army, fundraisers to help the ill, poor or homeless. No more food banks or senior citizen centers.

Which philosophy is yours?

STEVE PARSONS, Marble Hill, Mo.