Christian Values Aren’t Christian: How Greek and Roman Philosophy Became America’s “Sacred” Inheritance
Christian Values Aren’t Christian: How Greek and Roman Philosophy Became America’s “Sacred” Inheritance
There’s a popular claim circulating in certain political circles today: that America is a “Christian Nation,” built on “Christian values,” and that modern secular society is somehow “borrowing” morality from Christianity.
But here’s the twist: the very values being defended as “Christian” were already ancient long before Christianity existed. They were Greek. They were Roman. They were Pagan. Christianity didn’t invent them—it absorbed them, repackaged them, and later claimed ownership.
The Logos Trap: Christianity’s Greek Skeleton
When people talk about a “transcendent moral order,” or the idea that the universe is governed by rational principles, they often assume this is a uniquely Christian concept. But centuries before Christianity, the Greek Stoics were teaching the Logos—a rational, organizing principle of the cosmos.
Christianity didn’t originate this idea. It borrowed it. Early Christian theologians adopted Stoic terminology to make their mythology sound like a philosophical system. The Gospel of John opens with “In the beginning was the Logos,” but the word—and the concept—was already a cornerstone of Greek thought.
In other words: the philosophical backbone of Christianity is Pagan.
Human Dignity: A Roman Idea, Not a Christian One
Another common claim is that Christianity invented the idea of human dignity. But the Roman Stoics—Cicero, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius—were already teaching that all humans share a spark of reason, belong to a universal human community, and deserve moral consideration.
Christianity didn’t plant this orchard. It simply built a fence around it, hung a “Jesus” sign on the gate, and started charging admission.
The idea that every person has inherent worth is a Stoic concept. Christianity adopted it, narrowed it (only baptized souls counted), and then centuries later expanded it again under pressure from secular philosophy.
The MAGA Irony: America’s Foundations Are Pagan, Not Biblical
Here’s where the irony becomes unavoidable. Some political movements today insist that America is rooted in Christianity. But the Founders didn’t build a biblical society—they built a Roman Republic and an Athenian Democracy.
- The Constitution is a secular document.
- It cites “We the People,” not the Ten Commandments.
- Its structure mirrors Roman republicanism.
- Its philosophy comes from Enlightenment thinkers who revived Greek and Roman ideas.
There is not a single reference to “democracy,” “individual rights,” or “freedom of conscience” in the Bible. Those concepts come from Athens, Rome, and the Enlightenment—not from scripture.
So when someone claims America is based on “Christian values,” they’re actually defending a political system built on Pagan philosophy that Christianity itself once tried to suppress.
The Constitution: A Roman Document in American Clothing
The Constitution doesn’t cite divine authority. It doesn’t invoke biblical law. It doesn’t reference Jesus, the Trinity, or scripture. Instead, it grounds its legitimacy in the people—a Roman concept (Populus Romanus).
The Founders were explicit about their influences: Montesquieu, Cicero, Locke, Aristotle. These are philosophers who drew from Greek and Roman traditions, not Christian theology.
The Dark Ages: What Happens When the “Christian Framework” Dominates
If Christian morality were the engine of progress, then the Middle Ages—when the Church held maximum power—should have been a golden age. Instead, Europe saw:
- the Inquisition
- feudalism
- suppression of science
- persecution of dissent
Universities, scientific inquiry, and human rights only flourished when Greek logic and secular reasoning were reintroduced during the Renaissance and Enlightenment.
Progress came from rediscovering Pagan philosophy—not from doubling down on religious authority.
“Image of God” vs. Stoic Equality
Some argue that Christianity introduced the idea that all people are equal because they are made in the “image of God.” But the Stoics had already articulated universal equality based on shared reason and common humanity (Città del Mondo).
The Church later limited this equality to believers, while Stoicism applied it universally—regardless of tribe, nation, or religion.
The Final Irony: Who’s Borrowing From Whom?
When someone claims that secular morality “borrows” from Christianity, they’re missing the historical reality:
Christianity borrowed its best ideas from the very Pagan traditions it later condemned.
The moral principles we value today—reason, equality, democracy, human rights—are not Christian inventions. They are the legacy of Greek and Roman thinkers, revived by Enlightenment philosophers, and woven into the fabric of the American experiment.
So if anything, the “Christian values” being defended today are actually Pagan values wearing a monk’s robe.
