by Wen Wryte –
Western culture and civilization are rooted in Christianity. Remove Christianity and the foundations crumble to dust. Which is exactly what we are seeing today as nihilism pervades our culture and society.
Nihilism is now a pervasive feature of Western society. Friedrich Nietzsche gave us the formulation of nihilism that is now commonly accepted: a sentiment that nothing really matters, and that there is no point in life. In the most extreme manifestations, life itself is considered worthless.
Passive nihilism consists of simply withdrawing from life-affirming activities (this was Nietzsche’s verdict on Schopenhauer’s pessimistic philosophy). It is demonstrated in the hopelessness and despair of those seemingly condemned to a life constrained by adverse circumstances or their own lack of imagination or resourcefulness. Some go further than resignation — for example, the slow suicide of opioid addicts attests to the life-denying motivations of passive nihilism.
dismantling of Western culture and civilization will result in the collapse of the West
Active nihilism – Nietzsche’s own contribution to the philosophy of nihilism – consists of seeking the destruction of what is viewed as being worthless. Contested values — and their expression — are marked for abolition and destruction. The idea of value itself may be replaced by the goal of getting one’s own way, which does not qualify as a value in itself because it could involve the destruction of the world and everything in it — the ultimate expression of active nihilism.
The political activism of the radical progressive liberal-Left is actively nihilistic in that they are intent on destroying all that stands in the way of imposing their worldview on others. They do not seem concerned that their dismantling of Western culture and civilization will result in the collapse of the West. All that matters is getting what they want: political power.
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An individual lacking in moral character has no defense against either passive or active nihilism.
An individual lacking in moral character has no defense against either passive or active nihilism. Such an individual will easily succumb to hopelessness and despair. And the availability of an outlet for the more destructive motivations is provided by radical progressivism, which demands only ideological conformity and suppresses independence of thought and opinion.
Nietzsche never considered that a solution to nihilism might lie in the renewal of teaching on moral character, in Christian values and the moral training that goes with them, and in the sense of a moral culture and community that arises from this. Nietzsche’s views on Christianity acknowledged its role as a bulwark against nihilism, but he believed it had failed due to the rationalistic impact of the Enlightenment, and in any case enslaved its followers with its “slave morality.”
He also argued that the Christian moral conscience had become an intellectual conscience under the secularizing influence of the Enlightenment, thus bringing about the “death of God.” Nietzsche was looking for a way forward without Christianity.
But now the Enlightenment too has failed (which Nietzsche also predicted) and been replaced by the pathological irrationality of radical progressivism and its anti-Western post-modernist philosophy. With no sign of a Nietzschean “perfect moral being,” or anything close to it, the time is ripe for a renewal of Christian moral teachings.
Remove Christianity and the foundations crumble to dust.
Western culture and civilization are rooted in Christianity. Remove Christianity and the foundations crumble to dust. Which is exactly what we are seeing today as nihilism pervades our culture and society.
Teaching moral character as part of a Christian education and moral training benefits all who receive it, even those who, like myself, later lose their faith. It can also benefit those of other faiths, and those who never had one to begin with, which is perhaps why so many non-Christian families seek to send their children to Christian schools.
The positive lessons remain with one for life.
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Excerpts from: American Thinker.
