Machiavelli's GodHow Machiavelli's Christianity shaped his political thought To many readers of The Prince, Machiavelli appears to be deeply un Christian or even anti Christian, a cynic who thinks rulers should use religion only to keep their subjects in check. But in Machiavelli's God, Maurizio Viroli, one of the world's leading authorities on Machiavelli, argues that Machiavelli, far from opposing Christianity, thought it was crucial to republican social and