God is Dead...And We Killed Him
A deeply misunderstood quote shows us how to cope in a seemingly godless world
“God is dead” is a quote that has been grossly misunderstood, to say the least. From misinterpretation in film (God’s Not Dead) to shallow Reddit memes, “God is dead” is a phrase that has been misconstrued for over 140 years. And it was written by a man that has been equally misunderstood: Friedrich Nietzsche.
Most people don’t know who Nietzsche is, but his legacy lives on in a corrupted form, filled with shallow misinterpretations of his beliefs. From his critics to even his modern followers (i.e., emo teens, Nazis, internet atheists, etc.), Friedrich Nietzsche’s words have been warped time and time again. This includes the phrase “God is dead.” But if we take a look at his words, line for line, we will find that the brooding philosopher wasn’t the pessimistic atheist some people think he is.
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844 - 1900) was a Prussian philosopher, scholar, poet, cultural critic, and composer. The best way to describe him is complex. On one hand, he had a sharp tongue, didn’t care about your prissy feelings, and felt there is no objective purpose in life. On the other hand, he felt that we should find our own purpose in life (more on that later); respect the balance of chaos and order; value the arts; and that we appreciate all of life itself—the good, the bad, and the ugly—because there is nothing more precious in this universe than mere existence. (He’d fit in perfectly on Substack!)
The philosopher wrote in long prose, that in—in his words—ranged from “clumsy…frenzied…[and] uneven in pace” to “sentimental” and “sweet to the point of effeminacy.” But for 28 years, from The Birth of Tragedy to Ecce Homo (published posthumously), Nietzsche strove to write works that were passionate and heartfelt, even if disjointed.
With all this in mind, it would be odd for Nietzsche to just say, “God is dead! BAH!” and move on. So here’s what Nietzsche actually wrote:
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers? What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us? What water is there for us to clean ourselves? What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent? Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?”
— The Gay Science (1882)
This passage was written at a time when the world was rapidly changing (Nietzsche was a cultural critic, after all). The Industrial Revolution had pushed us into the modern era; capitalist titans were changing how we lived; the West was experiencing social upheaval and political change; science was evolving faster than it ever had; and atheism was on the rise. Once a fringe belief system, atheism and/or a complete disregard for religion was threatening the Christian West.
It is a common misconception that Nietzsche was an atheist. This is about as accurate as saying Picasso was a Muslim—he wasn’t. Nietzsche simply disagreed with Christianity in many areas. For example, he believed the religion denied basic human desires in the name of piety and fake virtue (e.g., fasting and chastity over eating and having sex). Nietzsche wasn’t a hedonist (his love life was filled with more rumors than actual lovers), but he disliked dogmatic self-denial. In fact, he disliked dogma in general. Nietzsche wrote extensively about true nonconformity—that is, following structure as needed but staying genuine to oneself and not following the crowd just because everyone else is doing it. He understood that people could easily be manipulated by dogma, so he found Christian dogma distasteful at best.
But while he may not have wholly agreed with Christianity, Nietzsche did respect it. Like many academics, he saw the value of a structured religion, seeing it as a way to foster true virtue in the world. Compassion, charity, honesty, love of family, etc. (i.e., what we call “being a good person”) are pillars of Christianity, and Nietzsche understood this.
That being said, he also understood what would happen if we were to suddenly remove Christianity and replace it with atheism: anarchy. The reason being is that atheism has no set rules. One is free to do as they wish, because there is no higher god to please. The only thing you have to do to get your Atheist Badge revoked is to start believing in higher power(s).
Christianity—and all other major religions—on the other hand, have structure. Lots of structure. The head god in every modern major religion loves structure. And the purpose of a religion is, ultimately, to make the head deity pleased. So if your head god loves structure, then it is your job as a good follower to make sure a specific type of order permeates through every aspect of your society. In Christianity alone, there’s the Ten Commandments, the wider Holy Bible, the clerical structure, the doctrine (e.g., whether Jesus was human or not), sacred rites, chants, communion, confessions, family structure, fasting, holidays, meals, patron saints, patron angels, specific prayers, etc., etc.
Christianity = Order.
Order is good for society, and that pleases God. Rinse, wash, repeat.
While certain aspects of Christianity are dogmatic (this need for structure led to Crusades, persecution, societal repression, etc.), Nietzsche understood the religion was net-positive in modern society. It promotes messages of love, resilience, bravery, pride of ownership, curiosity, and more. But without this structure people have no reason to be organized. Families disintegrate, compassion for others vanishes, and ties to our fellow man unravel without a common goal in place.
Atheism also breeds a lack of humility. In Nietzsche’s words, without belief in some form of higher power, “must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?” If we can’t acknowledge that we are imperfect souls seeking the Truth, we instead try—unsuccessfully—to turn ourselves into “gods”. We become vain yet self-loathing, lazy, cynical, and depressed. Life becomes dull and meaningless without service to a higher calling. The effects were seen back in the 1880s and even more so in the 2020s.
I’m not saying that every atheist is depressed. I’m not saying every Christian or theist feels life has meaning. I’m not even saying we should all be Christian or that there is something morally wrong with atheism—we all have the inalienable right to choose our religion and/or spiritual practices (I myself am a Deist).
But what I am saying, and what Nietzsche himself was saying, was belief in a higher power—and dedicating one’s life to service of that entity or entities—is a way many humans find meaning in life. Atheism automatically removes that meaning, and without replacing it, we have no guidance. We’re lost.
Friedrich Nietzsche strove to solve this issue. How would we, sailors in the cosmos, fare without the north star that is God? Our mustachioed man came up with the answer: optimistic nihilism.
I know it’s an oxymoron, but let me explain:
Optimistic nihilism was and is a concept that acknowledges there is no objective meaning to life, the world, and even the universe…But that’s okay. If anything, it’s actually kind of liberating. The reason being that every single human has the opportunity to forge their own path in life. No matter where you are, how much money you make, or what your circumstances are—your life is not set in stone. You can decide your own purpose, and let that be your north star. Ideally, we should pick a purpose suited towards enlightening and uplifting humanity—but other than that, it’s all fair game.
This self-determinism was endorsed by a man who spent most of life sickly, in pain, and unrecognized for his writings. He had to separate himself from his longtime friend Richard Wagner over the latter’s extremist views—an ordeal that deeply saddened Nietzsche. Nietzsche died having never married, mentally ill, and unable to speak or walk. He had every chance to be pessimistic and cynical. But instead, Nietzsche chose not to. Even during his final years, while suffering from “madness”, he continued to hold a deep appreciation of life. He wrote about the necessity of earthly challenges, resilience, resistance to groupthink, and being genuine towards oneself and others. He believed we had control over our destiny and, even in a seemingly godless world, can still find purpose.
Unfortunately, Friedrich Nietzsche’s teachings were misrepresented by people with ulterior motives. Decades after his death, the Nazis of the Third Reich corrupted Nietzsche’s concept of the Übermensch, and turned it into a symbol of deep hatred and ignorance. Over a century later, Nietzsche’s words are now associated with doomers, pessimism, and darkness (aka, the dreaded “black pill”).
But for those who take the time to read his words, the German thinker offers hope and inspiration. “God is dead” is a shallow and incomplete statement, and completely misses the point. Remember: Whether you’re a Zoroastrian, Hindu, Christian, or an atheist; Whether you dedicate your life to the Most High or to no one in particular; We all have souls, and we can all find purpose in this thing we call life.
Great article! But I think you've misunderstood Nietzsche a little bit. You've recast the German philosopher in your own image, portraying him as somebody who respected religion but rejected dogma. But no, the Übermensch philosopher was much more radical! He rejected Christianity entirely, which he saw as representing the mediocrity of the masses. He instead found inspiration in the aristocratic ethos of pre-Christian pagan societies, notably Homeric Greece. Nietzsche was especially fond of Stoic fatalism (amor fati), which is similar to his own concept of "eternal return" and "the will to power."
Again, great article! I'd love to hear your comments on my response.
Great piece. Very thorough and in-depth.
It’s good to see that in some corners of the internet, Nietzsche isn’t being reduced to a three word quote.
Thanks.