The Bible is the backbone of western society

When Somali-born Dutch American activist, writer, and politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali addressed the Alliance for Responsible Citizenship conference (ARC) forum in London in February 2025, she claimed that Christianity and the Bible is the backbone of the secular state. Nations need Christian morality. It’s like the operating system of society. Remove Christianity, Ayaan argued, and the entire Western system topples over.

Every successful nation has to be based on more than a constitution and a body of law. There must be transcendental stories that unite citizens to an ethical as well as legal code. For the west that was the Bible.

She claimed that the biblical understanding of human sinfulness inspired the concept of limited state power or rule of law (Is. 33:22). This emphasized checks and balances to prevent tyranny. Governments are seen as instruments to maintain order and justice, but not as ultimate authorities – God is the ultimate authority.

The belief that all humans are created in God’s image (Gen. 1:27) underpins ideas of equal worth, human rights, dignity for all individuals including the poor and the neglected. Biblical teaching such as loving your neighbor as you love yourself (Lev. 19:18), emphasizes care for others, and fairness in governance.

The Bible’s distinction between God’s sovereignty and earthly authority (Mt. 22:21) influenced the Western principle that the state should not overreach into matters of faith and conscience.

Biblical ethics stress that rulers and citizens are accountable to a higher moral law, ensuring that government acts justly and protects the vulnerable (Rom. 13:3-4).

Western values like democracy, human rights, and constitutional government are fruit of this Christian vine, asserted Ayaan.

Responsible citizenship in the West is inseparable from Christian morality. Thus, “secularism without Christianity will fail,” the former Muslim added. “It already has.”

Acknowledgement

This posts comes from a message by Ayaan Hirsi Ali on “These visions of a post-national world are delusional”.

Posted April 2026