Throughout history, we often see that the relationship between Church and State is quite complex. Unlike modern times, in the past there was much more of a relationship between government and church. This has led to many conflicting ideas, values ​​and ways of doing things. We can experience examples of religion, primarily Christianity, in relation to government and politics in Machiavelli's “The Prince” through the historical accounts and personal observations/opinions he shares. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Machiavelli has a very unique tactic when sharing his thoughts on religion and its place in politics and government. It is possible that at first the reader may be confused about Machiavelli's attitude towards Christianity due to the sarcastic tone he uses towards religion throughout the book, however, he uses this sarcastic tone to discredit the values ​​and logic of Christianity, as well as to highlight the rest of his teachings regarding the correct way to hold power and govern a territory. In addition to Machiavelli's irreverence for Christianity in general, the differences between Machiavelli's ideology and that of Christianity and its leaders are vastly different. As a result, the political techniques suggested by Machiavelli have far fewer limitations than those of the churches. Machiavelli accentuates the significance of virtue as a quality within political leaders; however, he defines virtues as qualities praised by others such as generosity, compassion, and piety. Machiavelli explains that a prince should try to appear virtuous to everyone, even though, if they behave virtuously unnecessarily, this could be detrimental to their status in the long run. Machiavelli also reveals the impact of having to perform cruel or dishonest actions based on “virtue,” that is, whether the outcome of these actions would benefit the state as a whole. Machiavelli thinks that a prince should always make decisions based on the big picture and do what is best for the state overall, not necessarily what is morally right or wrong. As a consequence of Machiavelli's strong views regarding doing whatever is necessary for the betterment of the state as a whole, we find a potential reason for his conclusion that religion really has no place in politics. Machiavelli often emphasizes the importance that a prince must possess skills and be able to build his own dynasty according to his own agenda. After Machiavelli gives us these statements, we watch Machiavelli begin to introduce religion, using examples of people and stories from the Bible. Use the Old Testament story of Moses to begin questioning religious leaders; attempts to discredit Moses' leadership skills, claiming that he was simply following God's orders. Machiavelli uses the story of Moses to similarly generalize other religious leaders prior to his time, stating that their actions and institutions did not differ much from what Moses did while under the influence of divine guidance. He also added that the only way these leaders would be able to convince their people to follow these laws was through the use of military forces and not through divine guidance. While Machiavelli recognizes and respects the church's tactic towards temporary power of accumulating wealth, using armed force, and the use of intelligent political strategy to gain power, he ironically still makes remarks against the church's presence in politics. The political actions of Pope Alexander VI and Julius II through the use ofan armed force to weaken other nearby city-states and ultimately gain power over other factions heavily influenced Machiavelli's perspective of the church and its leaders, but not in a way that would necessarily be expected. He saw the value in their strategy and how they were gaining power, yet he never dedicated any of that credit to God or anything related to faith. Machiavelli clearly conveys that a prince who is attempting to gain control or power over an area might similarly utilize the tactics used by these religious leaders. Machiavelli does not see the value of religion because there is nothing tangible that Machiavelli can find value in or that contributes to Machiavelli's overall goal, which is to gain as much power as possible and keep it for as long as possible. The sarcastic attitude/tone towards religion continues throughout the book until the end, leaving us with a very strong message regarding his views on the Christian faith. After all of Machiavelli's teachings in the book that emphasize personal power and legacy and all the choices that come with it, both good and bad, he leaves us sharing his ideas about the final divine judgment that truly confirm his mindset that he is seeking to transmit. the reader to be concerned with ends and not means as a ruler. Machiavelli claims that divine judgment, something that many Christians believe in and base many of their beliefs on, was non-existent. He places great importance on a person's reputation on earth and even goes so far as to say that even a person's reputation is not that important as long as it does not prevent him from obtaining and maintaining power, which corresponds to his previous reputation. he taught the ideals that a ruler should possess. Machiavelli's central argument for “The Prince” is the basic idea that it is not necessarily the prince's responsibility to be well-liked but it is better to be feared/respected among the people. This does not mean that the ruler should be cruel or hateful, but rather, think of ends rather than means when making political decisions and providing the people with security and stability, as a ruler should do according to Machiavelli. For Machiavelli religion does not really have a place in politics; he constantly makes sarcastic remarks claiming that religious ideologies govern these states rather than the governments themselves and that “higher powers” ​​help in running the state. Machiavelli clearly does not respect the values ​​of Christianity and this is simply because he does not recognize any value or importance in any of the ideals they uphold. From Machiavelli's point of view, the central goal is to obtain as much power as possible and maintain it, so if something does not help him in that pursuit, it is of no value to him. Therefore, Machiavelli does not truly recognize the religious aspect of Christianity, but still appreciates the parallel approaches that princes who come to power and religious leaders each use to gain power respectively. Essentially, Machiavelli recognizes religiously governed states just as he would any other state; this is a result of their political expertise and not because of any religious standards or ideals they may hold. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Overall, “The Prince” offers many separate ideologies regarding the governance of states and the different ways they can be governed. None of these imply “a higher power” or anything divine because Machiavelli cannot benefit from religion and this is why he makes.