Nietzsche’s Challenge to Christianity Series (1)
October 8th 2007 23:22
The German philosopher Friedrich (Wilhelm) Nietzsche (1844-1900) was one of the most significant and contentious thinkers of his time. Born in Prussia, the son of a Lutheran minister, Nietzsche went on to study philology at the universities of Bonn and Leipzig. A close friend of the German composer, Richard Wagner, Nietzsche was influenced by the philosophers Schopenhauer, Plato, and Aristotle (Encarta 2000).
Although philosopher Aristotle’s concept of morality was humanistic, closely linked to virtue and the living of a virtuous life in the fullness of one’s being (Greene et al 1999: 84), it was Nietzsche’s advocacy of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution that underpinned his true challenge to Christian morality. He believed in man’s ability to achieve excellence apart from God, in natural selection and survival of the fittest. Of course, Christians believe that God created the universe. Man brought sin into the world, the result: God gave Moses a set of Ten Commandments. By adherence, the Christian would lead a moral and virtuous life. Jesus then compressed all the Commandments into two: First, love God. Second, love your neighbour as yourself (NIV, Math.Ch.22, V: 17) The defining point is: God is the judge. He alone determines who will be found moral, virtuous, or righteous.
One of Nietzsche’s most famous and well-worn phrases would have to be: ‘God is dead’, from Book Three of The Gay Science. He follows with a set of discourses as to why he believes ‘God is dead’, under a number of subheadings. The heading ‘Let us beware’, strikes a blow at the very roots of the Christian belief-system. In speaking about the creation of the universe, Nietzsche states ‘…it is certainly not constructed to one end (Williams 2001: 109). The universe according to Nietzsche then, was not created by God, which is the first precept of Christianity, as stated in Genesis 1:1. God the judge is not omnipotent; hence no deterrent against breaking a Commandment. For a contemporary construct, if a judicial system had only token punishments for serious crime, like small fines and community service that may or may not be completed, no doubt anarchy would soon result.
(Cont)
Although philosopher Aristotle’s concept of morality was humanistic, closely linked to virtue and the living of a virtuous life in the fullness of one’s being (Greene et al 1999: 84), it was Nietzsche’s advocacy of Darwin’s Theory of Evolution that underpinned his true challenge to Christian morality. He believed in man’s ability to achieve excellence apart from God, in natural selection and survival of the fittest. Of course, Christians believe that God created the universe. Man brought sin into the world, the result: God gave Moses a set of Ten Commandments. By adherence, the Christian would lead a moral and virtuous life. Jesus then compressed all the Commandments into two: First, love God. Second, love your neighbour as yourself (NIV, Math.Ch.22, V: 17) The defining point is: God is the judge. He alone determines who will be found moral, virtuous, or righteous.
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