The historical and religious background of the morality Espoused in American National Socialism

Liliana Ionescu

“Without God, everything is permitted.” – Fyodor Dostoevsky

There is no such thing as morality without religion. It is undeniable that to believe in right and wrong, one must first believe that something higher dictates it. Some hard atheists will say “society” dictates morality, but until the modern era, there was no such thing as society without religion.

People will point to China as a non-religious country, but the point still stands. Once, there was a rich religious tradition in China, and it influenced everything China is today. Every value we have comes from some religion or another, because without a divine authority, there is no ultimate standard of right and wrong — only opinion.

This all goes to say that while American National Socialism is not directly linked to one religion, its religious foundations cannot be denied. We say we promote white values and morality, but what are those?

Civility, Respect, Caring for one’s community, Rejection of degeneracy, Cleanliness, Order, Protection of innocent life, Strength, and Honor — to name a few.

And where do these values come from? Christianity and Norse Paganism. Which, consequently, are the two most followed religions of our movement.

Christianity and Norse paganism both elevate civility as a mark of a good man. In the Hávamál, it is said, “A man should be wise enough to know when to speak and when to stay silent” (Hávamál, stanza 27). Similarly, Proverbs 15:1 states, “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Both traditions recognize that restraint and measured speech build not only stronger men but stronger communities. In contrast to barbarian tribes who resorted to shrieking violence at the first offense, the Norse and the Christians both expected a man to first master himself before seeking to master the world.

Respect is another value deeply entrenched in both systems. In 1 Peter 2:17, the command is clear: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.” In the Norse tradition, respect is closely tied to the importance of reputation and proper conduct. “A guest must depart again on his way, nor stay in the same place forever” (Hávamál, stanza 35) warns that one must know his place and not impose on the goodwill of others. True respect is not mere tolerance; it is understanding one’s role within the larger order of society.

Both the Bible and the Hávamál emphasize caring for one’s community as essential to a man’s worth. Galatians 6:2 commands, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Odin echoes this idea, saying, “A man should be loyal through life to friends, and return gift for gift” (Hávamál, stanza 42). Loyalty, generosity, and support of the folk are not optional virtues — they are sacred obligations. In a world full of foreign tribes who saw no duty beyond the family or the warband, Norse and Christian men alike upheld the idea that the well-being of the broader community was a mark of strength, not weakness.

Rejection of degeneracy is another pillar where Christianity and Norse paganism stand shoulder to shoulder. Ephesians 5:11 commands, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” A Christian is not merely to avoid evil, but to actively oppose it. Likewise, in the Völuspá, the collapse of the world is heralded not by war or famine alone, but by moral decay: “Brothers will fight and kill each other, sisters’ children will defile kinship. Hard it is in the world: whoredom rife…” (Völuspá, stanza 45). Both faiths recognize that when loyalty, chastity, and virtue are cast aside, destruction is not far behind. To tolerate degeneracy is to invite death — not just personal death, but the death of entire civilizations.

Cleanliness is another domain where Norse paganism and Christianity converge. While the Anglo-Saxons might have seen soap and combs as luxury items, the Norseman’s weekly bath was legendary across Europe. James 4:8 exhorts, “Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts.” Cleanliness was a sign of inner discipline, not vanity. Hávamál stanza 61 reminds even the poor to present themselves properly: “Washed and fed, one may fare to the Thing.” Civilization, whether Christian or Norse, demands a man to first be lord over himself before he can aspire to lordship over anything else.

Both systems cherish order as an antidote to the chaos that lesser tribes seemed to embrace. The Christian call for order is blunt in 1 Corinthians 14:40: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” The Norse creation story itself, as told in the Prose Edda’s Gylfaginning, celebrates the gods bringing cosmos from Ginnungagap — the primordial void. “They set the sun and moon on their courses, bringing order to night and day.” Where the savage tribes celebrated anarchy, the Norseman and the Christian knew that order was the first command of civilization.

Protection of innocent life further shows the deep overlap between Christianity and Norse paganism. Proverbs 24:11 exhorts believers to “Rescue those being led away to death.” In the Norse sagas, honor demanded no less. In the Volsunga Saga, it is said plainly, “It is better to die with honor than to live with shame.” Men were expected to defend their women and children even unto death rather than suffer the disgrace of abandoning them. Similarly, in the Poetic Edda, Helgi’s valor is shown when he refuses to allow the woman Sigrún to be forced into marriage, slaying seven of her brothers and her father to defend her honor (Helgakviða Hundingsbana I, stanzas 16–17). Protection of the weak — far from being a modern invention — was central to the warrior codes of both Christian knights and Norse heroes. A man who failed to defend the innocent was no man at all, but a coward to be despised in life and forgotten in death.

Both Christianity and Norse paganism also prize strength — physical, mental, and moral. Joshua 1:9 commands, “Be strong and courageous.” Odin’s wisdom reiterates that although “cattle die, and kinsmen die, and one dies oneself, one thing never dies: the fame of a dead man’s deeds” (Hávamál, stanza 76). Strength is not brute savagery. It is enduring hardship with honor, facing death with dignity, and standing firm when lesser men falter.

Finally, honor binds all the other virtues together. Proverbs 22:1 teaches, “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches.” Odin himself warns that while all things perish, “the fame of a dead man’s deeds lives forever” (Hávamál, stanza 77). In a world beset by enemies and liars, honor was the true mark of a man — not blood, not treasure, but the legacy of his deeds. This same spirit flows through the Christian Gospel: to live not for the world’s favor, but for a name that endures beyond death.

It’s hard to deny that Christianity and Norse Paganism have shaped our movement the most, and to use religion to cause division among our people is foolish when we share so many values and systems of morality. Christians may object, saying they know paganism is false and wonder how they could ever cooperate with pagans. This is easily remedied by remembering these shared virtues — that our movement is about morality and values that stem from Christianity and paganism alike.

And to paraphrase Robert McKee’s Story: “All good stories are true, very rarely are they real.”

There is truth in many teachings of historic paganism, which Christians can recognize through sources like the Hávamál, without claiming to believe in the old gods, or that any of it is literally real. We cannot discount truth simply because it comes from outside our faith. American National Socialism seeks to unify European white people regardless of religious differences. It is easy to spark religious debate and fracture a group; it is much harder to stay unified. But National Socialism has never been about the easy path. Religion cannot and will not destroy the unity we have built, nor will we allow it to become an obstacle to the preservation of our race.