Nietzsche and Christianity

When the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche referred to himself and the Anti-Christ, he was doing more than simply using a metaphor. A slight ensure at his work reveals that practic totallyy his entire philosophical system was lie against Christianity. Most of his books, alone primarily The Twilight of the Idols, The Anti-Christ, The Genealogy of Morals, contain the fiercest rape that any philosopher has ever conducted against Christianity. Nietzsche attacks both Christianity as a religious system, as head as the Christian belief of divinity.The Christian conception of God God as God of the Sick, God as spider, God as spirit is one of the most corrupt conceptions of God arrived at on earth perhaps it even represents the low-water mark in the descgoaling using of God eccentric person. (Nietzsche, 2003, p. 140).And so he goes That quote is save a claw example of the insults Nietzsche proffers against Christian values. He does not seem to repair in the fact that Christia nity has disciplined the forgiving spirit for thousands of years that civilization, as we accredit it today, owes a lot to the Judeo-Christian values and deals. But, this is simply the problem. Nietzsche does not believe that the current status of humanity, the values that sustain it, atomic number 18 com workforcedable values. Since he states over and over that man is some social occasion that moldinessiness be turned into something else, this is, the overman, he also believes that, as a consequence, Christianity has done anything productive for humanity, especially when it comes to load-bearing(a) man to exercise his will to power.Nietzsche expresses his preference for Buddhism, which he calls the yet rattling positivistic religion history has to show us (2003 p. 141). However, he fails to let off in what manner would Buddhism attain what Christianity has. There is no doubt that the specify of Christianity could be evidently perceived in every realm of get down society . Political and social institutions, democracy, and in general, the concept of egalitarism, in one port or the other, are a consequence of Christian values. It is one thing to be critical of the defective concepts or practice of a oral sexed(p) system, be it political or religious, but it is a very antithetic thing to try to crush that entire system with a rhetorical hammer, as Nietzsche attempts to do. In his desperate discourse against Christianity, his censure at propagation becomes irrational.Nietzsches preference for Buddhism could be explained by his personality. He highly wanted idiosyncraticism, which is very emphasized by the practice of Buddhism. Nietzsche considered that both Christianity and Islam are religions of the sheep and that by their very nature deny individualism or prevent the individual from reaching his inner potential. Nietzsches system of logic states that these religions turn man into a little more than an ape, who mostly imitates but is unable to act in obedience to his own will. allows remind ourselves that insulting, using contaminating epithets against the adversary, does not prove anything, take away the fact that the one who proffers the insults does so precisely due to a lack of legitimate arguments. And this is exactly what Nietzsche does when the few valid points he has made against Christianity set out exhausted. Lets pay tutelage to this.Christianity also stands in opposition to all intellectual well-costitutedness it can intention lone(prenominal) the morbid mind as the Christian mind, it takes the side of everything idiotic, it proclaims a curse against the spirit, against the superbia of the kempt spirit. Be sire sickness belongs to the essence of Christianity, the typical Christian condition, faith, has to be a form of sickness (2003, p.181)The use of terms such as morbid, idiotic, sickness, all this insulting rhetoric, in reference to Christianity, is in the note where arguments were supposed to b e. This name-calling rhetoric must not be taken as the truth. It would be helpful to remember that while Christianity adds man with a signified of certainty, with a general explanation of the origin and current state of things, Nietzsches vagarys, especially his ideas of the overman with energy and freedom to do as he pleases, provide no satisfying explanation, but on the cussed, a lot of questions. What Nietzsche proposes could only bestow to anarchy. Even for a person who does not believe in the divine origin of Christianity, it is self-explanatory that its values have a supportive impact in society.Nietzsche directs a substantial degree of his criticism to the of import Christian believes. Concepts such as Guilt, Punishment, Bad Conscience, to which he dedicates an entire voice of On the Genealogy of Morals (2006), are treated as if they were not only errors, but a conspiracy against what Nietzsche calls the natural human spirit, which fit in to him has been contaminate d by Christianity. However, it is more than evident that it has been precisely the existence of that type of concepts and ideas what has disciplined man. It would not be exaggerated to state that ninety percent of the degree of civility with which humanity conducts itself is owed to Christianity.The German philosopher himself recognizes that if humanity were to distance itself from the idea of God, in general, and from the believe in Christian values in particular, it would lead to nihilism this is a state of emptiness that will lead legion(predicate) to self-destruction. In this regard, we arrive now to a very troubling question. Lets assume that, as Nietzsche conjectures, the entire system of believe upon which Christianity founds itself is a total lie that there is no God at the end of its road, and that every element that composes it is no more than a man-made fiction. wedded the fact that those values have been a great positive section to humanity, fro what reason are we su pposed to abandon all that and embrace Nietzsche mental object of the death of God and Christianity? Doesnt Nietzsche himself recognize that his ideas conduct to nihilism and Christianity to a state of certainty?Lets go as farthest as assuming that Nietzsches conceptions in reference to the inexistence of God are true. Is it really better to hold on to this truth that leads to the self-destruction than to a fiction that leads to self-preservation? This is a very difficult question. We have no idea of where would these super-human values that Nietzsche proposes take us. This is the poetic form of Nietzsches explanationSo I sank onceOut of my madness of truth,Out of my longing of days, have on of day, sick from light,-Sank downwards, eveningwards, shadowwardsWith on truthScorched and thirsty-Do you still remember, do you remember, hot face,How you then thirsted?-That I am banishedFrom all truth, precisely fool,Only poetNietzsches obsession with truth, as the poem reveals, not only deviates him from truth, but also prevents him from having in mind that the truth is not necessarily a good thing at all judgment of convictions. This, of course, does not sound good. However, in addition to appreciating truth for what it is in itself, as reasoning beings that we are, it is exceedingly of the essence(predicate) that we take into consideration tat the practicality of the truth is equally important to truth. Christian concepts such as prayer, grace, blessing, and many other concepts that according to the German philosopher do not have a clear connection with reality, provide men with a sense of inner spiritual unity, with peace of mind and heart that Nietzsche obviously sees as undesirable, but that, objectively speaking, seem to be extremely beneficial.But in addition to the passion with which Nietzsche criticizes Christianity, he also spends former(prenominal) discussing the founder of Christianity himself Christ. In reference to Christ, however, it most be poin ted out that Nietzsche enters into an obvious contradiction. On the one hand, he uses degrading epithets against deliverer Christ, such as idiot, but on the other hand, he claims that Jesus way of liveness has been distorted by his pursuit, and accuses the Apostle Paul of founding a religion that is contrary to that taught by Jesus.Nietzsche concludes that Jesus contribution was to teach others how is it that each individual must conduct himself as Jesus did during the incidents that led to his death in sacrifice. Jesus inaction, the fact that he did not defend himself during the events that surrounded his execution, is an example of how peck should live their lives. At times, it seems as if Nietzsche refers to Jesus with certain tenderness.The case could be made, therefore, that Nietzsche tries to save the historical image of Christ while, at the same time, he declares war against all that has been presented and the legacy of Christ, which Nietzsche sustains is no more that an i nvention of his disciples. The word Christianity is already a misunderstanding in reality there has been only one Christian, and he died on the Cross. The Evangel Died in the Cross. What was called Evangel from this mo onwards was already the opposite of what he had lived bad tidings, a dysangel The Christian, that which has been called Christian for two millennia is merely a psychological self-misunderstanding. (2003, p. 163)However, lets have one thing crystal clear here. Nietzsches criticism against actual Christians is obviously unfair if one takes into consideration that the masses of chase of the Messiah honestly try to imitate him, but are thusly surrounded by a social and political scenario that is totally several(predicate) to the one in which Christ emerged. Not putting resistance to the somatogenic attacks perpetrated against him had a particular purpose, that is, his execution by his enemies.On the other hand, his followers do not pretend, nor are they mandated by the Christian teachings to seek an fortune to give their lives. In other words, the word, misunderstanding, which Nietzsche insistently uses, could be applied to Nietzsche himself. He is the one who is misunderstanding what Christ was and what Christianity is supposed to be.In his virtually passionate criticism against Christianity Nietzsche launches a quasi-violent attack against priests. Nietzsche does not seem to recognize that priests have made any positive contribution to humanity. He adopts here a radical perspective and, according to his statements, priests are one virtually the slash type of ruling class that has ever existed. Nietzsche accuses priests of conspiring against what he calls the natural human spirit. In addition, Nietzsche accuses priests of denying men from exercising their free will when it comes to eating from the manoeuver of Knowledge.The beginning of the Bible contains the entire psychology of the priest. The priest knows only one great danger that is science the sound conception of cause and effect. But science flourishes in general only under able circumstances one must have a superfluity of time and intellect in order to know Consequently man must be made unhappy this has at all times been the logic of the priest. (2003, p. 177)In general, Nietzsche uses a very insulting language when criticizing Christianity. Instead of providing well founded logical thoughts, he decides to adopt a theatrical rhetoric that proves nil, except the fact that Nietzsche hated Christianity. But, again, lets bear in mind that hate an insults are not good arguments. It will be luxuriant to take a look into the following quote, in order to drift up to what point is Nietzsche mad against Christianity.Christianity also stands in opposition to all intellectual well-constitutedness it can use only the morbid mind as the Christian mind, it takes the side of everything idiotic, it proclaims a curse against the spirit, against the superbia of the he althy spirit. Because sickness belongs to the essence of Christianity, the typical Christian condition, faith, has to be a form of sickness. (2003, p.181)This insulting rhetoric, the use of words such as morbid, idiotic, sickness, etc., reveals nothing about Christianity, but does reveal a lot about their author. What do they reveal? It is quite evident that the mind that produced such insults is precisely a morbid, idiotic, and sick mind.Works CitedNietzsche, Friedrich, On the Genealogy of Morals, New York, Barnes & Noble, 2006. Thus round Zarathustra, New York, Barnes & Noble Classics, 20005. Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ, London, Penguin books, 2003