Of course a group need not be religious to be a cult.
Agreed.
But I was thinking how ironic it is in this case. The very idea of there being a leader with followers is antithetical to Rand's philosophy of individualism.
It absolutely drops with irony.
I guess it just proves that some people can't help their narcissistic bent and others can't help but adore them.
Interestingly, Ayn Rand became that which she preached against, much like in Animal Farm :)