Though her atheism never wavered, Rand\u2019s feelings toward religion weren\u2019t simplistic. She admired the brilliance and impact of historical religious thinkers like Aquinas and respected religious freedom, even drafting a speech for Barry Goldwater that included ample references to God. And one account, if true, suggests that Rand understood the powerful appeal of spirituality during times of grief.<\/p>\n
Steve Mariotti\u201d\u201dan education entrepreneur whose grandfather, Lowell B. Mason, had been Rand\u2019s friend\u201d\u201dspoke with Rand as she was grieving the loss of her husband, Frank O\u2019Connor. Hoping to comfort her, Mr. Mariotti suggested that she would see Frank again in a spiritual sense. He told me in a recent interview that Rand replied, \u201cI hope you are right. Maybe you are. . . . I will find out soon enough.\u201d\u009d Mr. Mariotti jokingly responded to let him know, prompting a laugh that lifted her mood.<\/p>\n
More important, militant atheism doesn\u2019t spring from the pages of Rand\u2019s fiction. If she truly believed that religion was such a threat, where are the religious villains in her novels? Corrupt priests or hypocritical churchgoers are nowhere to be found. It\u2019s possible to read \u201cAtlas Shrugged,\u201d\u009d \u201cWe the Living,\u201d\u009d \u201cThe Fountainhead\u201d\u009d and \u201cAnthem,\u201d\u009d cover-to-cover and have little idea what Rand thought about religion.<\/p>\n