God is not dead

Nietzsche’s Just Critique of Christianity

Bro. Felix Joseph SDB

 

This world is filled with suffering and misery. There is no end for the death. It is inevitable for all the beings on earth. The mere thought of death leads the man into hopelessness. The impermanent of life and the inevitability of misery raises the question about the permanent thing. In this situation projecting Jesus as the savior and the giver of the eternal life by Christians may pave a way for some questions. Such as If Jesus is God, Why there exists a suffering? If He is the giver of eternal life, What is the necessary for the human beings to pass this material world?...In this context Nietzche criticizes that if Jesus is God then there should not be any suffering. On the other hand he criticizes that the Christians are making the people to look forward to the eternal world. This belief makes the people to worry about this world. This lies as an impediment for the human being to enjoy the pleasure and the wealth of this present world. Nietzche sees that the dualism leads the people into misery. The moment we make the difference that it is good and that is bad creates confusion among the human beings. Jesus redeemed the world through his paschal mystery, yet it is not complete until the time of his second coming.

At this juncture what I could say that Nietzche understood the paschal mystery in a different manner. Jesus through his first coming he established and made sure that there is redemption for all. But this is a process. It will be complete only when we finish our life here on earth. Till Jesus’ first coming the redemption remained as a belief. But after His victory on earth as a risen Christ He fulfilled the covenant and assured the eternal life once and for all.