Laurent Guyénot: The West is Not Based on Christianity | Jerm Warfare

Laurent Guyénot, a historian and author, joins Jérôme on the UK Column News podcast to challenge the widely held belief that Western civilization is rooted in Judeo-Christian tradition. He argues instead that the West is fundamentally Greco-Roman in origin, with the Renaissance serving as the pivotal rebirth of classical Greek and Roman intellectual, artistic, and philosophical achievements. Guyénot contends that Christianity did not create Western greatness—art, science, philosophy, and humanism all emerged from the rediscovery of antiquity, not from Christian doctrine. He critiques the idea that Christianity was a natural or peaceful evolution, asserting instead that Christianization was a two-century-long religious war marked by state terrorism, civil conflict, and persecution of pagans. He highlights how Christianity's rise was not due to its merits but through political power, state sponsorship, and the suppression of competing beliefs. Guyénot also explores the complex relationship between Judaism and Christianity, suggesting that Christianity functioned as a strategic, group-evolutionary tool for Jews to influence and eventually reshape the Roman world, using Hellenistic philosophy like the Logos to bridge cultural divides. He further examines how the Roman Empire's treatment of Jews—initially tolerant yet ultimately hostile—was shaped by their refusal to assimilate, culminating in Emperor Hadrian’s brutal suppression of Jewish identity through banning circumcision and renaming Judea as Palestine. The episode concludes with Guyénot emphasizing that the West’s true foundation lies in reason, humanism, and classical antiquity—not in religious revelation.