I guess I pretty much agree with Scarshoulder. I enjoyed reading The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, and I think Ayn Rand has some great ideas. But I think there are a lot of wholes in her philosophy.
If neither one of you have read Kierkegaard or Dostoevsky, I'd recommend learning about both of these Christian existential writers. They are very concerned with avoiding what is called "double-mindedness" in James. Their intellectual honesty in talking about faith, doubt, justice, love, etc. is refreshing since Christian writers often avoid the hardest questions, which is why I enjoyed Ayn Rand--I think she has some really good points about insincere love (which is what I think she always is referring to when she talks about altruism). Kierkegaard calls this "egocentric service of the good" and Christ calls it hypocrisy.
Nietzche and Camus are also writers who I think are very thought-provoking and worthwhile reading. I'd be happy to recommend specific essays by way of introduction to these writers or talk about more ideas with you--
: Hi...i am very interested in Ayn Rand's Objectivism but read that she was an adamant atheist...is atheism necessary to be a "true" follower of objectivism? Just wondering. Thanks for any input!