A Look at Religion as Interpreted by Niccolo Machiavelli's The Prince

Niccolo Machiavelli discussed the issue of religion more than once in The Prince, discussing its role in the governing of countries, and the influence of the church at the time. Religions influence over society at that time is unquestionable, and he does not wish to shake that. He merely was attempting to take an analytical look at how religion is used in society, and more specifically, the governing bodies that rule those societies.

In chapter six, Machiavelli praises Moses for his dealings with God. He stated that Moses entered the perfect situation and had all the right tools to become what he did. Machiavelli projects the idea that it, "…may be presumptuous and rash not merely to question God but also to question those who claim to speak with God" (Benedetto). The influence of the Church at the time when this was written is apparent through his writing. He obviously is very influenced by the church, and holds those who are associated with it on a very high pedestal. Moses is a great person not only because he freed the Jews from Egypt, but because he talked with God. The church has settled its own set of values within even the most intellectual of people. It has such a grip on power that it isn't even second guessed, but assumes as the truth. Because The Prince is an analytical look at how principalities and republics are run, Machiavelli is forced to discuss how religion is used to exact power and influence over people. This is a sensitive topic, especially during that time, and it would not be wise to speak ill of the church, seeing as how powerful they were. The church had the power to ruin Machiavelli, which wasn't good seeing as he had just been ousted into poverty the year before. In order to tiptoe around the topic without making himself seem critical of the church, Machiavelli used a type of masking technique. "The treatment of the sacred with such seeming awe and respect, when followed immediately by a political and historical analysis of its power, establishes an ironic contrast between what is sacred and what is profane" (Benedetto). It is apparent that Machiavelli had an extreme amount of faith in the church, but he was also willing to admit its large amount of influence in the ruling of lands and peoples.

Contradictory to his apparent faith in religion, he speaks to the prince in chapter eighteen in a manner that would suggest otherwise. Machiavelli suggests that princes only appear to be, "all compassion, faith, integrity, humanity, and religion, and there is nothing more necessary for a prince than to appear to have the last of these" (Najemy). The idea that a prince would lie about his faith in the church was not only blasphemous, it didn't go unpunished. Machiavelli has been labeled as a key element in the decline of religion, and even as a teacher of evil. It is not only unethical that a prince would lie about his faith, at the time it didn't even make sense as to why a prince wouldn't have faith. God is all knowing and all powerful, so you'd think that if a prince were faking his faith in God, that God would punish that prince. Machiavelli's deception is recurring throughout the book, and is one of the more questionable tactics suggested in The Prince. Though they may be shakey on a moral standard, it was well known that governing bodies were less than honest, and it is still true today. Dishonesty has been, and always will be a theme in governments. To suggest that the prince feign his religiousness isn't out of the ordinary for the time. His faith is questionable, but the influence of religion is not lost in the book.

God is often coined as the word Fortune, which seems more suitable for his discussion. In chapter 25, Machiavelli comments on how rulers come in and out of power without any clear change in the way they have been ruling, "I would observe that one sees a ruler flourishing today and ruined tomorrow, without his having changed at all in nature or quality" (Nederman).

Looking through the religious lens, this could be written off as the will of God, or the righting of wrongs, or a plethora of reasons having to do with higher mandating. In a practical sense, there are a lot of reasons which have make a lot more sense. Maybe the way the person was ruling was causing much turmoil and anger among the lower class, or anyone else for that matter. It is much more feasible for there to be a shift in social behavior, than for the will of God to be the reason for the ruining of a King. Fortune has a lot to do with the successes and failures of people, which is also touched on at the end of chapter twenty-five. "men are successful when they are in close harmony with Fortune, and when they are out of harmony, they are unsuccessful" (Nederman). This suggests that faith is a link with success, because Fortune is linked to faith in religion. Fortune is bestowed upon men by God, therefore faith bestows Fortune.