The vacuum of belief

Friedrich Nietzsche is famously known for saying "God is dead". This is often misinterpreted to mean the Nietzsche was referring to the literal death of God. Many people believe this is not the case. What Nietzsche was warning us about is with the decline of religion, the rise of atheism, and the absence of a higher moral authority would plunge the world into chaos. An in many ways he was right. For thousands of years people lived with the belief of having a moral god to guide their lives and provide meaning to their existence. Without this higher authority the world would plunge into an era of nihilism. Although Nietzsche himself was a nihilist he understood the dangers of having such a dark view of existence.

Nihilism is the rejection of all religious and moral principles, often in the belief that life is meaningless. And when you believe life is meaningless and without moral consequence, you will either do or accept the most extreme crimes against humanity or violations of the public trust as being okay and without any meaningful moral consequences. Here's a quote from Nietzsche writings:

“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?”

With with the death of God this creates a vacuum of belief. People easily become authoritarians or worshipers of authority. From the vacuum of belief people worship cults of personalities. Here is a great quote from the English philospher G.K. Chesterton:

“When men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.”

Whether political leaders, rock stars, or athletes, we live in a world where people, objects, or ideas are worshiped as a personal God:



From Jim Jones, Madonna, Obama, to Trump it's all the same. People have no inner compass. People have no sense of an inner authority. People even worship Jesus as a personal God and they do not worship God alone as the God of everyone. We are all consumed by our own personal fandom. We are all fanatics where each person has their own personal dogma. We are all cult members of our own personal dogma.

As a people, as a society, we no longer share a community of God. The commonwealth, the group as a whole, our connection to each other has been replaced by belief "in anything" with a deep down unconscious belief in nihilism.

How as a people will we ever evolve beyond our own personal attachments of fanaticism and elitist dogma moving to a more egalitarian benevolent belief system where everyone is valued and appreciated as being worthy and sacred in the eyes of a one true God?

Just imagine a world where everyone you meet treats you and everyone else like each of us is the most sacred object in existence. Just imagine a world where we have no enemies and the communal form of God again exists.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Friedrich Nietzsche is dead. God.

a reply to: XstReturnsX

Friedrich Nietzsche is not my God either! The problem with nihilism is it is also meaningless that it is meaningless. So you might as well choose meaningful because it's more fun.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Yes, i'm all about fun. Want to see the nail... never mind.

Interesting.

I suppose the counter-argument would be that we ought not believe a delusion (God exists) just because the absence in belief of God (atheism) causes an objective moral void.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Just imagine a world where everyone you meet treats you and everyone else like each of us is the most sacred object in existence. Just imagine a world where we have no enemies and thecommunal form of God again exists.

When did any of that exist?

I don't know of any religion that has practiced the behaviors you mentioned; including Christianity.

-dex

originally posted by: dfnj2015

VS

a reply to: DexterRiley

You are right. It probably has never existed. One can only hope and pray for a more benevolent egalitarian society where we all feel a strong sense of connection and life is meaningful. What else would you consider more worthy of praying for?

a reply to: XstReturnsX



"Your skin makes me cry. You float like a feather in a beautiful world"

a reply to: dfnj2015

You say "exist again" as that has ever happened before? When was that?

Ah see you already agreed on that. But other than that nice thinking.
S&F
Maybe we could come to the belief turning fact if we would look more deeply at what's right in front of our noses. Our perception, our conclusion, our brain calculating, estimating, other stimuli guide us in certain ways, the concert gets delivered to a you, who makes a decision. What exactly is a "you"?

a reply to: dfnj2015



I don't care what they may say I don't care what they may do, Jesus is just alright with me!

a reply to: Peeple

There are some very beautiful churches in the world. I was just assuming something so beautiful and central to the community could not come into existence without some sense of meaning in life.

a reply to: XstReturnsX

a reply to: dfnj2015

Loved the song and edited, did you see?

I like both songs. We need something in the middle.

a reply to: dfnj2015

Nice. I like this one.

a reply to: dfnj2015

a reply to: XstReturnsX

a reply to: dfnj2015

originally posted by: Incandescent
Interesting.

I suppose the counter-argument would be that we ought not believe a delusion (God exists) just because the absence in belief of God (atheism) causes an objective moral void.

My atheist friends relentlessly remind me their lack of belief in no way implies they have no morals. I've even hear my atheist friends claim they actually behave with a higher degree of morality because they are not influenced by some of the crazier parts of religious doctrine.

I don't think I was advocating one way of being as better than any other. I think every point of view has its place in the pantheon of appreciation.