Molnar completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Brussels in Belgium and received his Ph.D. in philosophy and history from Columbia University in New York City.

He was visiting professor of philosophy of religion at the University of Budapest. As author of over forty books in French and English he published on a variety of subjects including religion, politics, and education. He emigrated to the United States, where he taught for many years at Brooklyn College. Molnar said he was inspired by Russell Kirk's The Conservative Mind. Like Kirk, he wrote a good deal for the magazine National Review.

Molnar was married with Ildiko and has one son, Eric. He died at the age of 89 on Tuesday, July 20, 2010.

Among the awards Molnar received was the Széchenyi Prize, from the President of the Republic of Hungary.