Nietzsche and the Death of God Theology Essay - 2129 Words

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) was perhaps best known for pronouncing that â€Å"God is dead! God remains dead! And we have killed him!† (Nietzsche, The Gay Science 388). Thinkers of the death of God theology of the American 1960s such as Thomas Altizer insisted that â€Å"we must recognize that the death of God is a historical event: God has died in our time, in our history, in our existence† (Christian Atheism 61). Although these two conceptions of the death of God differed, they had several aspects in common: they faced opposition, they thought religion was a product of human necessity, they acknowledged the importance of coexisting opposites, they expressed a certain humanism and interest in individuality, they saw God and religion as products†¦show more content†¦On the other hand Christian theology perceived evil as a threat and insisted on its eradication (Nietzsche, The Twilight of the Idols 417). This unacceptance of the idea of necessary evils did no t resound with Nietzsche’s own ideology. Nietzsche’s views were often discordant with religious tenets, which led him to question the validity of many Christian claims. Another major clash between Christian beliefs and Nietzsche’s thought lay in the question of how to uncover the ideal self. Christianity insisted that identity was a product of spiritual inquiry and that people turned to religion and God out of emotional necessity (Nietzsche, The Gay Science 395). On the other hand Nietzsche asserted that core character existed within the individual and could not be grasped by exterior means. The ideal man that lurked beneath external superficialities was not the same man that was the model Christian. Nietzsche’s ÃÅ"bermensch (over man) had a well-defined, self-created individuality and moral code much different from Christianity’s imposed idea of goodness. In overcoming societal influences, the ÃÅ"bermenschen acknowledged their animalistic natures and knew not to attempt to gain an extraordinary position within existence. ÃÅ"bermenschen focused on the present instead of a sort of ideal religious afterlife, and in doing so the y accepted the self-control necessary to live amid the world’s paucity of certainty. The certain contrastShow MoreRelatedThe Philosophy Of Religion : Thomas Aquinas And Fredrich Nietzsche1364 Words   |  6 Pagestheories and guidelines to help people to realize what is most suitable, important, and critical in their spiritual lives. However, the Philosophy of Religion caters to everyone, not just believers. Today we will look at Thomas Aquinas and Fredrich Nietzsche and their takes on religion. To fully understand their viewpoints its important to first understand what the philosophy of religion entails. The philosophy of religion is the philosophical study of the meaning and nature of religion. 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