18 December 2015
God is dead and we killed him
“God is dead, and we killed him” these famous words come from a German philosopher. Who was he? What did he mean? Is he right? What does this mean for Christmas?
God’s age
If you go back, say 400 years, all Europeans believed in God. The church played a big part in people’s lives. Churches had the role of the district council, the police and the health service. The dominant church was the Catholic Church of Rome.
Fate
Bad happenings were God’s will. Good fortune was thanks to God. Abandon yourself to God’s will. The Ancient Greeks had the same approach to natural events, but they believed that there were a host of Gods. Love was the result of Eros or Hera, and a death at sea the work of Poseidon.
Christian difference
Christianity is a “compensatory religion”. It is one of those religions that promise you justice. Behave well and you will get your reward in the next world.
This promise appeals to everyone, because we all discover human life is unjust. You live, suffer, panic and die. Philosophers call this the “human condition” and you and I are stuck with it. Life is uncertain and death is certain. Continental philosophy is much about how you should face this reality.
Christian heritage
Most of the Christians live in the United States, then Brazil, Mexico, Nigeria, Philippines, Russia and China (in deceasing order). There are about 68 million Christians in China, but that is a tiny proportion of the population who have no religious belief.
The “number of Christians” figure indicates those people with a Christian heritage, not the active believers in God. New Zealand is a Christian country but 35% of the people say they have no religion. The Anglicans are the Catholics in Britain, and they are now the largest religious group in New Zealand (roughly, half-a-million members and shrinking fast).
1000 years
The medieval period – God’s age – lasted for about 1,000 years. Then things changed. God died, in the sense that God no longer was the dominant force in the lives of European people. What took over from God?
Science
Galileo, Newton and others began to think about natural things in a different way – a way that did not involve God. Galileo’s telescope magnified about 9 times, like your binoculars. When he looked up he could not see heaven. People really believed heaven was up there somewhere – why was it not seen? Then, to make thing worse, Galileo produced evidence that the Earth is not the centre of the universe. You are not in the middle, even though you feel everything revolves around you. How could God make Us and not put Us at the centre of the universe?
Christmas present
There is a great book about Galileo. It has the letters his daughter sent to him over his whole life. “Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith and Love” by Dava Sobel won the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for biography. Cost less than $20 from amazon.com, until the government starts to charge GST on overseas purchases.
Daughter
The daughter was a Catholic nun and she spent her whole life in a small convent. She entered the convent at age 12 and was promoted to a larger cell when others died. The job of the convent was to say the prayers that the world needs to keep going. The morning shift started praying at 4 am, and there was no let up.
Science’s age
Modern science killed God. Natural events now occur for reasons that scientists can discover. It is not necessary to believe in fate and God’s will. If you are sick you prefer the doctor to the priest. If your town floods the South Taranaki District Council that has to fix it, not The Wave Christian Fellowship, in spite of their positive name.
Nietzsche
The German philosopher, cultural critic and classics scholar, Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) wrote “God is Dead, and we killed him”. This appears in two of his works. He is not easy to read, but there are plenty of good introductions to his work. Email me and I will email you one as a Christmas gift. The leisurely study of Nietzsche could be your new hobby. Beats TV.
Friedrich Nietzsche the advanced thinker who declared
“God is dead, and we killed him”
(photo in Switzerland about 1875).
The Death of God and the Meaning of Life
Some of the best books about Nietzsche are written by the Auckland scholar Julian Young. Julian presents continental philosophy in his introductory book “The Death of God and the Meaning of Life”. I do not recommend this book, it is too cryptic.
Julian’s book, “Friedrich Nietzsche: a Philosophical Biography”a nice mix of history, personal insight and philosophy. It won an American Publishers’ Association prize in 2010. It is a long book (650 pages), but very easy to read. About $45 from amazon.com and it should last someone the best part of a year and beyond.
China & Christmas
The Chinese love Christmas. Decorations and music are in all the shops and there are large decorated trees in shopping areas. But they know little of Jesus Christ, slightly more about Santa Claus. Chinese students struggle to understand what it is that Christians believe. I struggle to tell them. Basically, for the Chinese, Christmas is an excuse to spend money on distractions.
Happy Christmas to Our MPs
Taranaki struggles on with its lack of development and human needs. The government neglects us and I blame the Labour Party. All the Taranaki electorates are safe National seats. If the Labour Party did better we would get more goodies. There is little chance of either event.
Our status
Our status reflects in the quality of our Members of Parliament. Nice people who work hard, but they are not going to achieve much for Taranaki. The irony is that Jonathon Young took New Plymouth off Labour and made it into a safe National seat. This is an impressive political achievement, although boundary changes helped.
Christmas report on MPs
Before Christmas each year “trans Tasman” publishes a “Roll Call” on the “fortunes” of our Members of Parliament. They are insightful. You can buy their monthly news sheet for $1 an issue. However, if you want to know about the quality of our MPs I suggest you watch Parliament on TV.
Borrows
Chester Borrows (Whanganui): His performance score was 4/10 which was down from 6/10 last year. They said: “A consistent but unremarkable performer. His career has moved strongly to the side.” Chester is the “Un-reconstructed Man” which suits his electorate.
Kuriger
Barbara Kuriger (Taranaki-King Country) scored 2/10 for her performance. They said: “Says she wants to promote regional growth. Her own area is doing well but it’s clear she has not had much impact anywhere else.” I walked around her area a few months ago and looked in the window of her office – saw no signs that they are doing well. Her window had a sign saying she was working in the electorate, when she was not.
Young
Jonathon Young (New Plymouth) scored 3/10, down from 4/10 last year. “Has a Committee chair role, but not much else going for him. Not destined for the top table.” Jonathon responded at length and made some relevant points.
Season’s greetings
Last Christmas Day I was in China, at work as usual, so it is especially good for me to be with my family this year. Merry Christmas everyone! Love each other and reject crass commercialism. Please support the Police and all the social service people who do such a tough job on our behalf. They will not have a holiday over Christmas. In the New Year, I hope we can all debate issues and work together towards the development of our wonderful province.
Robert Shaw
robert@porirua.net