“Jesus was one of the first great teachers to proclaim the basic principle of individualism - the inviolate sanctity of man’s soul, and the salvation of one’s soul as one’s first concern and highest goal this means - one’s ego and the integrity of one’s ego.” - Letter to Mrs. Thus Christianity did preach egoism in my sense of the word, in high, noble and spiritual sense.” -Letter to Rev. “The salvation of one’s own soul means the preservation of the integrity of one’s ego. And, from this she concluded that Christianity did promote a similar sort of egoism to her own: The oldest daughter of Jewish parents (and eventually an avowed atheist). Though Rand was obviously not a theologian or student of Scripture, she knew enough about Christian theology to identify this foundational moral principle in the teachings of Christ: that the chief moral imperative of the Christian is the salvation of his own soul. Born in Russia in 1905, Ayn Rand moved to the United States in 1926 and tried. Ayn Rand, Letter to Reverend Dudley Ayn Rand on Christianity This is the basic statement of true individualism.” This duty comes above any he may owe to his brothers. The first duty of a Christian is the salvation of his own soul. “Christianity was the first school of thought that proclaimed the supreme sacredness of the individual.

And so, the proper question to ask here is: is she right? Surely, many will likely object that as an avowed atheist, Rand had no business commenting on, or presuming to understand, the foundational morality of Christianity that she is simply mistaken about this idea of individualism and egoism being an integral part of Christ’s teaching.

Ayn rand was an avowed