1
Nietzsche and Christianity
Nietzsche was one of the most famous philosophers in the world; many of his
thoughts had a significant impact on the history of philosophy. His thoughts were inspired
from many aspects. Religion, especially Christianity, had a significant influence on
Nietzsche. As we all know, Nietzsche was an anti-Christian. His thought of anti-Christianity
exerted a profound influence on later generation, and it subverted western traditional morality
and value systems.
Nietzsche’s thoughts about anti-Christianity originated from many aspects. His
personal experience, the appearance of English scientist Charles Darwin’s work On the
Origin of Species, and the most importantly, the depraved instincts of Christianity’s morality,
made great influences on his thoughts of anti-Christianity.
Nietzsche was born in a pious Lutheran family. He was expected into a pious
protestant as his father (“Friedrich Nietzsche”). However, unexpected incidents changed his
life and thoughts. The death of his father, little brother and his poor healthy condition caused
that he became an anti-Christian and stated that, “God is dead”. In his family history, a
vascular-related mental illness was recorded and his father died from it at age 36 (D.
Hemelsoet, K. Hemelsoet and Devreese). His younger brother passed away shortly after the
death of his father (“Friedrich Nietzsche”). As for himself, in the article, “The Neurological
Illness of Friedrich Nietzsche”, Nietzsche was in a poor healthy condition almost in all his
life. He suffered from sever migraine and eyesight problems from his childhood. And he
suffered from psychiatric illness in his second half of life (D. Hemelsoet, K. Hemelsoet and
Devreese). From Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, because of the migraine, eyesight
problems and vomiting, he resigned from his professional position in Basel at age 34
(“Friedrich Nietzsche”). Besides, Hemelsoet and Devreeese pointed that he had cognitive
2
decline with dementia and stroke in his last part of life. Finally, he died of pneumonia in
1900, at age 56.
In addition to his unfortunate experience, according to the article written by Christian
Benne, “Nietzsche’s supposed Darwinism has traditionally been read as an important factor
for his attack on Christian religion” (Benne 170), which means the appearance of On the
Origin of Species shocked creationism; or in other words, evolutionism denied the existence
of god, which also made an influence on Nietzsche’s thoughts. The creationism supposed that
the earth and all the species were created by the god in accordance with specific plans and
purposes, and they wouldn’t be changed once they had been created. While according to
Professor H. James Birx, “The scientist Charles Darwin had awakened the philosopher
Friedrich Nietzsche from his dogmatic slumber by instilling in him the realization that,
throughout organic history, no species is immutable (including humankind)” (Birx). The
