Friedrich Nietzsche was a late, 1800’s philosopher, whose early theories, in my opinion, were misunderstood. I was as guilty as the academics who first read Nietzsche's works, because I skimmed the papers, picking up key words and completely misinterpreted his theories. After reading his works anew, I now believe that Nietzsche's theories were not as controversial as I first believed. Some of his later writings are a little out there on their own, such as his theory concerning the “superhuman.” (Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1883)  I suspect that his writings concerning this subject were in fact, in response to questions that arose from his work colleagues, after his papers were published. As Nietzsche propositioned, “If God were to be removed from the Judeo-Christian belief system, that system would become incapable of being defended or justified.” Nietzsche's challenge to Christianity, “If one breaks out of it a fundamental idea, the belief in God, one thereby breaks the whole thing to pieces: one has nothing of any consequence left in ones hands.” (Nietzsche, 1868 is not without merit and as is stated, it is a theory.

Nietzsche's theories concerning the belief system could have been formed through his knowledge and personal experience in life. The contempt, to which the academics of the time viewed his works, implies that Nietzsche's theories did hold certain truths. However, even in our advanced society, man, as a whole, is unwilling to relinquish archaic ideals.  As someone, who once participated in a Christian belief system, I found that Christian morality can sometimes lead to the suppression of the true self, thus implying that man can become something other than nature/God intended. This type of suppression can sometimes be advantageous to a community and sometimes, the man. Of course this is not true of all men, as some men thrive within such a community. Presuming that Christian morality can suppress the true nature of man, this then brings Christianity into question. If there is an almighty, supernatural being, who carved in stone, the ideals, and morals that man should obey, then this God, endowed the human animal with free will. (James, 53,56 A.D.) The words “free will” imply that man has the ability, to think, feel and choose for him/herself and yet the world has always condemned free thinkers. This is completely contradictory to the morals/lessons, we are taught from birth.

I would agree that it does take great courage to step outside of the Judeo-Christian belief system and that it would take a higher type of human to turn their back on it completely. For Nietzsche's challenge to prove its worth it would take more than one soul, it would take millions. This, in my opinion, will never happen because even though people move away from the Christian belief system, it is a teaching that remains with the individual for the rest of their lives, no matter how hard an individual pushes against it. I feel that Nietzsche's theories, although condemned at the time, relate a truth that is undeniable yet unattainable. His theories are still controversial in our now, modern world and could not be tested in any great detail, because the Judeo-Christian faith still retains a strong hold on much of the human race in one form or another. I do not believe that Nietzsche's theories could be adequately tested without substantial evidence proving the non-existence of God. This being said, the belief system alters to make allowances for discrepancies within their doctrines. This phenomenon occurs within most major religions because adjustments to belief structures allow religions to “move with the times.”

There has been an abrupt increase of belief structures in recent times and people’s desire to understand their reason for being. One possible reason for this "search for I" could be the introduction of the interconnectedness enjoyed by the masses, through a new and powerful community, the Internet: this centuries Colosseum. A new source of Godism to enthrall, entertain and unite a global community, under one God (belief structure). If Nietzsche's theory could be validated, the human animal would exchange one God for another. I believe this would occur because, so deeply rooted is “Christian morality” in our global community, that man would need to unlearn all that has been learned and start anew.

In summing up, I do not believe that Nietzsche's challenge to Christianity was successful and that it is something that could never really be proven one way or the other. I suspect that Nietzsche understood this truth, thus the use of the word, “superhuman.” I propose that Nietzsche began writing, to assess the way in which his life had become, and from that natural thought process, expanded his perception to encompass  the world that surrounded him. I do not believe that he attacked Christianity, but I do think that Nietzsche spent some time evaluating the structure of it. In my view, Philosophy is about the mental dissection of  observations, and the seeing of something clearly, sometimes requires the stripping down of its components. Therefore, Nietzsche's works do imply that this is what he did with the Christian faith. He suffered with health problems from childhood and his father died when he was only five, so his concept of the “mortal condition” could have intrigued and quite possibly, consumed him. His later works may not have been written with publication in mind. It is my belief, it is possible, that, under the care of his sister, after his mothers death, Nietzsche's unfinished works were sold for publication to assist in his treatments and ongoing medical requirements. In my view, this could suggest that, after receiving questions such as “what do you mean by a “superhuman”,” he may have pondered as to what he meant by it. To paraphrase, I would suggest that Nietzsche understood that “you can take the man out of the belief structure, but you cannot take the belief structure out of the man,” and that the only real truth is “Life is interpreted by the individual living it.”

Works Cited

James, K. (53,56 A.D.). The Holy Bible. In T. A. Paul, Galatians (pp. 1705,Gal:5:1). England: Church of England.

Nietzsche, F. (1882, 1887). The Gay Science. In F. Nietzsche, The Gay Science (pp. pp 3 - 4).

Nietzsche, F. (1883). Thus Spoke Zarathustra. Germany: Friedrich Nietzsche.

Nietzsche, F. (1868). Twilight of the Idols and The Anti-Christ. In F. Nietzsche, Twilight of the Idols (p. pp5). Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books.