Nihilism provides a dark contrast to faith and hope. And yet, it is also very attractive. Consider, for example, this quote about nihilism's appeal by French philosopher Albert Camus in his book The Rebel:
"If we believe in nothing, if nothing has any meaning, and if we can affirm no values whatsoever, then everything is possible and nothing has any importance."
Nihilistic philosophy has made the rounds for decades in pop culture. Its ideas appear in bands whose lyrics focus on hopelessness and being angry at God (shoutout to my emo phase), films like No Country for Old Men, and dark comedic shows like South Park and Rick and Morty.
While some Christians may understand what nihilism is, others may not and aren't sure how to respond to it, and that's okay. But what is nihilism exactly? How does this impact our faith, and what does it mean for Christians struggling with hope? We need to go to its source to understand this belief. Today, we'll get a little philosophical, historical, biblical, and personal about nihilism.
Who Coined the Term Nihilism?
While the idea of nihilism has existed since sin entered the world, the term "nihilism" was coined by 19th-century philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who outlined its meaning in various books. In one of his most well-known books, The Will to Power, he states:
"What is Nihilism?—That the highest values are losing their value. There is no bourne. There is now an answer to the question, 'What is my purpose?' Thorough nihilism is the conviction that life is absurd, in light of the highest values already discovered. . . Nihilism: any aim is lacking, any answer to the question of 'why' is lacking. What does nihilism mean?—that the supreme values devaluate themselves."
A few paragraphs later, Nietzsche states:
"What is belief? How is a belief born? All beliefs assume that something is true. The extremist form of Nihilism would mean that all belief—all assumptions of truth—is false: because no real world is at hand."
In other words, nihilism is the belief that nothing—no idea, belief, religion, or worldview–has meaning or value. Nothing matters.
So, what does that leave humanity with? Does nihilism mean just giving up? Technically speaking, yes, but not in a suicidal, throw-everything-out-the-window way.
According to Nietzsche, nihilism can be in two forms: moral and existential. Existential nihilism means no inherent purpose to life, while moral nihilism means no objective morality of good and evil. Technically, one could give up on everything, even faith, and live as if life was ending. Or, one could rise and become and become something greater than himself: his own master or, in a very extreme sense, his own god.
Nihilism's radical position has made it a popular topic for villains in various works of fiction. Author Tim Hickson (better known on YouTube as Hello Future Me) considers one notable example in his video essay, "The Philosophy of Sauron." As Hickson discusses how this philosophy appears (and is critiqued) in J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, he observes, "The Will to Power was Nietzsche's attempt at understanding how we can find purpose, meaning, and morality in a world without god."
Since it assumes God doesn't exist and that we have the freedom to create our worldview from nothing, nihilism directly contradicts Christianity. We may well ask, how did Nietzsche view Christianity and traditional Western values?
How Did Nietzsche view Christianity through Nihilism?
In his book The Joyous Science, Nietzsche includes a short story called "The Madman," which states his view about Christianity and God.
"The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes. 'Whither is God?' he cried; 'I will tell you. We have killed him—you and I. All of us are his murderers. But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea? Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon? What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun? Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving? Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually? Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions? Is there still any up or down? Are we not straying as through an infinite nothing? Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us? Do we need to light lanterns in the morning? So we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers who are burying God? Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose. God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.'"
Talk about bleak and dark. With no longer needing God, Nietzsche believed that Western traditional values and religion were no longer necessary and held humanity back from becoming something greater. With humanity having "killed God," according to Nietzsche, it follows that man has power over himself and others. The necessity for a god, supreme government, and tradition were no longer necessary. Man would only need himself. The concept would come to be known as the "Ubermensch," translating to the "superior man" or "superman" (unrelated to the DC Comics superhero). To Nietzsche, the Ubermensch makes the best decision for himself and others, including acts of kindness and change for the better of life and society. Because there was no need for Commandments, God, or any service to a supreme being, we could shape society how we wanted, when we wanted.
As anyone can imagine, this view of life raises concerns in a fallen world full of sinners capable of horrendous acts. Some scholars have suggested that Nietzsche saw the Ubermensch as never ruling others—because only a few can become superior people, and they must each figure it out themselves, not force other people to follow their beliefs. Others have argued that if there is no god, nothing can stop someone from calling themselves an Ubermensch and using the belief to play God and pursue power.
Regardless, some people have used the concept to justify power abuses. Most famously, the Nazi party referred explicitly to Nietzsche's ideas to claim "the Aryan race" (a contested term for Germanic ethnic groups) was a superior race that could use force to dominate others. Their policies led to horrific violence in World War II—over 15 million soldiers killed, 38 million civilians killed, and 11 million "undesirables" (primarily Jews, but also Romany people, prisoners of war, and religious minorities) during the Holocaust. Ironically, Nietzsche viewed Jews as "the strongest, toughest, and purest race in Europe" and that "they know how to succeed even under the worst conditions," as recorded in his book Beyond Good and Evil.
One must wonder, did Nietzsche consider the possible evil acts one can do with this worldview?
Does Nihilism Claim Evil Always Wins or that Evil Doesn't Exist?
Nietzsche opposed the concept of evil, believing it to be problematic. In his book On the Genealogy of Morality: A Polemic, Nietzsche believed that the concept of evil came from negative emotions, such as hatred and envy. As the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy explains, "Nietzsche argues that the concept of evil should be abandoned because it does not describe moral reality...he argues that the concept of evil is dangerous because it has negative effects on human potential and vitality by promoting the weak in spirit and suppressing the strong."
To quote Nietzsche in Beyond Good and Evil, "Whatever is done for love always occurs beyond good and evil." If evil does not exist, anyone can justify any act based on their sole dedication to personal belief and devotion. Despite evil not existing in the world of nihilism, evil acts would triumph over acts of good due to humanity's sinful nature, as seen in the previous example about World War II and much of history.
How Can Christians Respond to Nihilism?
To get a little personal, I became greatly interested in nihilism when I first learned about it at the Christian university I attended. I was puzzled why people would believe such a dark philosophy. Less than a year later, I found myself stuck in addictions and depression due to nihilism to the point of having thoughts of suicide. I found myself confessing and repenting only to return to it after falling into sin repeatedly.
At one point, I said, "If this is the Christian life, then this is hopeless." It was nihilistic to keep picking yourself only to fall again. I found no comfort in anyone telling me to "choose joy" or "just cast off anxieties to God." Rather than being joyful like many of the Psalms, I found myself in Psalm 88, where "darkness has become my only friend."
When opening up to my college pastor about my suicidal thoughts, he brought me to Paul's struggle in Romans 7, where Paul goes back and forth between sin and righteousness in the law. Rather than giving up, Paul says, "Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord." With a slow start, my life began to change as I began to find hope again.
The concept of nihilism is nothing new to Christianity, let alone ancient Israel. Ecclesiastes is full of Solomon's nihilistic thoughts, as he repeatedly quotes, "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" He goes on and on about how nothing is new under the sun and how harsh and cruel life can be, despite wisdom (2:12-17), toil (2:18-26), and honor (5:8-20). He even talks about evil and oppression despite the good that is done (4:1-14). Nihilism is no stranger to those in the faith.
The response Christians can give to nihilism is that in the end, amid darkness, uncertainty, and cruelty of life and our sinful ways, God has delivered us through Christ and continues to deliver us despite our conditions, our lack of efforts, and our sin. When we accept Christ's hand to deliver us, hope abounds. We could rely on our own strength with how the world is becoming worse. We could become our own masters and take matters into our own hands. But knowing what sinful and horrible acts have been committed in the name of "progress" and "the greater good," what good can we achieve if it leads to the harm and suffering of others and ourselves? How can we become gods when we change and contradict our very minds and beliefs over and over?
We cannot achieve long-run "progress" through our own truth. While it may work for a time, it can and will fail us down the road and may lead to long-term setbacks, as we have seen time and time again in history when God and faith are cast aside for what is right in our own eyes.
Yet, through it all, God has prevailed. As renowned apologist and writer G.K. Chesterton states in The Everlasting Man, "Christendom has had a series of revolutions and in each one of them, Christianity has died. Christianity has died many times and has risen again; for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave."
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