Friedrich Nietzsche on God’s Death

Last Updated on July 24, 2023 by The Unbounded Thinker

“But when Zarathustra was alone, he spoke thus to his heart. ‘Could it be possible? This old saint has not heard in his forest that God is dead!” – Friedrich Nietzsche

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 – 1900), a German philosopher, is remembered for his popular phrase: ‘God is dead.’ He came up with this phrase after realizing that the society had shifted its focus from religion to science and progress. He had also observed how the scientific revolution resulted in the society believing that science was more reliable, than religion, in helping it understand life.

The phrase thus implied that, in the 19^th century, many stopped believing in the importance of God because the term ‘God’ became a cultural idea. It also indicated that the society stopped perceiving God as the source of creation and seldom involved spirituality in its everyday life.

Although Friedrich Nietzsche was an atheist, he believed ‘God’s death’ would bring disastrous effects to the society. For as he wrote, ‘God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, the murderers of all murderers, console ourselves?’

He knew ancient people used God to console themselves during hard times, and therefore, God’s death would result in people finding it difficult to face hardships because they would lack a source of consolation. He also argued that people will think life is meaningless if they stopped believing in God.

Friedrich Nietzsche was right because many people have stopped believing in God. To most people, God is just an ancient’s man idea.

For this reason, as Friedrich Nietzsche prophesied, many people today think life is meaningless as it is difficult to find life purposeful in a Godless world. Also, those facing hardships succumb to depression because they don’t believe that God will help them overcome their hardships.

Friedrich Nietzsche’s phrase must remind us about the importance of believing in a Higher Power/God. This belief reduces the chances of being depressed when one faces hardships as it makes individuals realize that God is on their side. Lastly, the belief makes life meaningful as it implies that we were created by a Higher Power for a Higher Purpose.

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