Nietzsche: Nihilistic Philosopher

1178 Words3 Pages

Martin Luther once said, “Be a sinner, and sin boldly.” To Lutheran ears this seems infuriatingly controversial. How could the champion of Ephesians 2:8 say such an anti-gospel statement? It is quite simple actually. This statement appears so out of character for Luther because it is only part of his whole statement. After he declares this seeming heresy, he goes on to discuss how we as Christians should “rejoice in Christ even more boldly.” He was describing how the power of grace supersedes even the most blatant of sins. However, when the opening sentence is taken out of context it completely skews Luther’s point. Friedrich Nietzsche could easily relate to this situation. Known by many as the “nihilistic” philosopher, Nietzsche actually …show more content…

First and foremost, Paul hits Nietzsche with a knockout blow, by writing to Romans that “the requirements of the law are written on their hearts.” The concept of morality was not created by humans, it was placed by God himself in the conscience of any person who has ever lived. We cannot simply throw off all law and morality, because God has made it a permanent part of our being. Nietzsche sees morality as a curtailer of humanity when truthfully morality is the very force that keeps the human race from falling off the bridge of existence. Without laws and social constructs, the entire planet would be mass chaos and unlike what Nietzsche, the disciple of Dionysus believes, there would be no possible solution to that chaos without a standard of morality and social construct. We are completely sinful human beings who are incapable of doing anything right. As Paul writes, “There is no one righteous, not even one.” Without Jesus, humanity would be a complete and utter lost cause, doomed to nothing but death and eternal hardship. From a humanistic standpoint, the argument could be made that Nietzsche holds a much higher regard for mankind than Christianity does. Because of his strong beliefs against the idea of God, this Lutheran pastor’s son continued his moral philosophy by pointing out all the shortcomings of the Christian belief …show more content…

When Nietzsche declared “God is dead”, he was referring to Western society’s heavy inclination toward religion, specifically Christianity as the moral guide for the masses, not the actual death of God. I am convicted to include the entire paragraph of where this three-word bombshell is found in order for the reader to see a better view of it in

More about Nietzsche: Nihilistic Philosopher

Open Document