Is God Dead?

Fredrick Nietzsche is considered by some to be the father of modern atheism. He was also a pioneer in the postmodern philosophical movement. His most well known quote comes from his book “The Gay Science” published in 1882.

“God is dead. God remains dead. We have killed him.”

This has been the atheist mantra for over a hundred years. Nietzsche never believed in a literal deity, instead this was his way of saying that religion and spirituality are no longer a viable source of wisdom in this modern, enlightened age. The supposed death of god is a rejection of all absolute values themselves. This loss of a universal moral law inevitably leads to nihilism.

Nihilism is the philosophical belief that life is completely void of meaning, purpose, and intrinsic value. Nihilism also asserts that morality does not inherently exist, but that it is abstractly conceived. In other words, it denies the moral argument of general revelation. It supposes that all of the moral principles, which are strikingly similar throughout all of ancient and modern history, are a fabrication of mankind.

Nietzsche was especially hostile toward Christianity. He viewed the Christian faith as the true cause of human bondage, oppression, and suffering. He saw himself as a philosophical messiah, setting the people free from the evils of religious thought. This is apparent in the following quote:

“When one gives up the Christian faith, one pulls the right to Christian morality out from under one's feet. This morality is by no means self-evident... By breaking one main concept out of Christianity, the faith in God, one breaks the whole: nothing necessary remains in one's hands.”



Nietzsche was wrong. God is not dead. He is very much alive, and he is in complete control of the cosmos. His moral law and His truth defined in His Word are eternal and absolute. The church has not ceased, and will continue to persevere until Christ’s return. Not even the gates of hades can overpower the church (Matt. 16:18).

The existence of God is clearly evident through His general revelation in creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1). God has made Himself known to all mankind.

Romans 1:19-20
Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

The pride of life hardens the heart and darkens the mind. Nietzsche, the fool who said in his hear that there is no God, made the mistake of elevating the human mind above God. He deified man by His assertion that earthly wisdom and knowledge has killed the notion of God.

Over a century later, the church is alive and well. God is not alive, but Nietzsche on the other hand is dead. In 1889 at the age of 44, Nietzsche had a complete mental breakdown. He wrote several letters to his close friends and colleagues that were incoherent and full of Christian allusions. One of these “madness letters” stated the following:

"I have had Caiaphas put in fetters. Also, last year I was crucified by the German doctors in a very drawn-out manner. Wilhelm, Bismarck, and all anti-Semites abolished."

Nietzsche was admitted to an insane asylum and was later cared for by his mother and sister. He spent the last eleven years of his life gripped by madness.

God is the sovereign creator and sustainer of the universe. Nietzsche was a madman.

for His glory,
DJ