Nihilism

Nihilism

Frederick Nietzsche (1844-1900) was a German philosopher and classical philologist, the first promoter of the “God Is Dead” doctrine which still persists until this day. Bertrand Russell is probably the most recent promoter of this doctrine. The first issue of Time Magazine not to have a picture on the cover, but only the words “God Is Dead” on
April 4, 1966 caused a circus in the fundamentalist and other religious denominations of the world. Russell, when asked why he did not believe in God, said “I have not been presented enough evidence.”

From earliest childhood memories, boys have always played such games as “King Of The Hill”. The most popular comic books are the action figure, male superlative figures such as “Superman”, “Batman,” “Spiderman,” Ironman, etc. Not until the 21st Century did psychologists as well as pastors and parents sense the feminization of males. Sensitivity training for maleness, the unpopularity of manliness even to the extent (probably from “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” and the integration of females into male units of the military) that basic training and other very male, very rough survival requirements which had kept many males alive in past wars have been softened to suit the politically correct ambitions of the liberal media spectators.

As an Army medical officer with staff rank, I expected the non-commissioned officers to have the knowledge and control of all recruits and trainees. If an enlisted man got out of line, there was always a tough sergeant who would get in his face and tell him about the facts of life in the military. The greatest thing about an all-volunteer military force is that you have forces who want to be there. In other wars where the draft was in effect and there was so many who resented their military obligation and even their country, espirit de corps was always a problem particularly in time of combat. After all, the military is not a democracy. You do not take a vote concerning a military objective.

It was truly amazing how smart my Father became when I went to college. As many of his friends said to me at his visitation and funeral, “He was a man’s man.” There were many ministers who participated at his funeral. Each had remarkable things to say to the huge crowd but I will remember one saying, “He could butcher a cow or a hog, accomplish anything on a farm but he could also sit down at a sewing machine and sew, he delivered all four of his children, he was an excellent cook, made sure his children were college educated and his home and farm were show places.”

After my Mother’s death, I was at the family farm home one day and there were probably 20 pecan pies on cabinet tops around the kitchen. I said. “What is the story with all these pies?” He said, “I could not sleep so I got up and baked pies. Like your Mother, I put them in the freezer and if there is a need in the community I can always take a pie.” This is the heritage he left his sons and like his father and his father’s fathers before him they knew the importance of a man in the house.

In the history of man, worship has always played a tremendous part. Every ancient city had an acropolis (highest point in the city) such as The Acropolis in Athens where the magnificent Parthenon was and is still located. Sculptures depicting their gods were so numerous around The Acropolis in Athens that even the Apostle Paul stated that they had a sculpture to an “unknown god.” One never forgets such magnificence as the frieze or sculptures at the Parthenon (much of this sculpture was hauled off by the British during their occupation and is now found in The British Museum). But perhaps the most perfect example of ancient sacrificial worship is The Pantheon in Rome. The Pantheon Dome is more than 43 meters high and until 1436 was the world’s largest. The Pantheon was built by Hadrian with a large opening in the center of the dome where smoke from animal sacrifices could escape and rain water could come in and wash away the blood.

At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple which was and has never been surpassed as the greatest and most expensive building in the world (estimated $20 billion dollars) there were 22,000 oxen sacrificed and “sheep without number.” Solomon’s Temple, built with cedar wood of Lebanon assembled without sound of hammer or ax or any tool of iron had the magnificence of gold and brass almost beyond comprehension.

It has always been a matter of a man’s need to worship something greater than himself. Nietzsche, Russell and even today’s Hawkins (Steven Hawkins of Oxford ) cannot understand this. “The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men.” (Proverbs 24:9) The worship of God has always been considered foolishness from the earliest history of man until the present.

Voltaire, a French philosopher and cynic said “God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh” and “God is always on the side of the big battalions.” It is significant that after his death, his home became a distribution place of Bibles. 

Albert Einstein, an American physicist and greatest mind said, “God may be subtle, but He isn't plain mean” and "Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish.” :

Eric Berne wrote the book “Games People Play.” The tragedy of the world even in the year 2009 is that even those who do not believe in God play games with God. Polls show that 75% of the population of the United States call themselves “Christians” but, it is hard to differentiate the Christian from the Non-Christian. The greatest number ever 15% state that they do not believe in God.

One of the world’s greatest creatures, Dr. R.G. Lee, famed pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church, Memphis, Tennessee, who preached to thousands in the huge sanctuary every Sunday baptized an average of 20 converts each week said, before he died, “I wish I knew that 10% of my members would be in heaven.” He knew, as do most pastors, that he is preaching in a cemetery that most of his membership is already dead. The most alive people in the world should be those who trust God, alive while still breathing and alive after clinical death, last breath here, first breath there.

Nietzsche was not only a philosopher but a great pianist and a friend of many great musicians. Nietzsche said, and this says it all about him, “Is man one of God's blunders? Or is God one of man's blunders?” He never could understand why he could not play as well as some of his friends.

Ted Turner one of America’s wealthiest atheists when his ex-wife Jane Fonda professed conversion to Christianity, had little to say good about Jane or God.

Our only salvation, our only redemption is through Jesus Christ who put on a tent of human flesh as God and dwelled among us so that we could be Christlike. “Light has come into the world, men prefer darkness to light.” (John 3:19 ) The scripture with which we should guide our existence is found in Paul’s Love Letter To The Church at Philippi. “To know him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his suffering.”