Nietzsche's harsh Critique of Christianity

[judgeholden]

"The strong do as they will, the weak do as they must" -zarathustra

[AdrienMelody]

I’ve always felt that forgiveness is only a demonstration of strength if you had the strength to seek vengeance in the first place. If someone knows you’re capable of ruining their lives and they have every reason to expect you to, it actually means something when you let bygones be bygones. When you only have one choice, you don’t really have any choice at all.

[Emily-dfdk]

I definitely had this mindset for a while after rejecting my Christian upbringing, but especially as a woman, there’s way more power in letting things roll off instead of getting upset.

[emanonymous]

idk how that idea permeated through the church because Christ was demonstrably not a pacifist. maybe the "turn the other cheek" line was too vague in context? he was talking about not holding petty grudges, forgiveness being the virtue of a serene mind not poisoned with an urge for vengeance. loving your enemies is the foundation of that teaching, trying to express empathy for the opposition and showing triumph over the emotional impulses that arrive with conflict. but Christ made it clear to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" and "if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one". violence is always the last resort, but if you're not dangerous you're a victim essentially.

[Aisatsana]

I’m not a Christian, but to me forgiveness is a fine way of showing an acceptance of reality and an acceptance of the flaws of others.

To suggest that merely forgiving somebody is a sign of weakness, i.e. the acknowledgement that one does not have the power to punish them, seems like a great leap to me. If somebody forgives me for something I did wrong, I feel that they have a broader understanding than I do, not that they are weak.

Perhaps it varies on an individual basis.

Any of your inputs would be greatly appreciated, I may be missing something here.

[SloeElvis]

I'm insanely curious as to what Nietzsche would say about the mistranslation to "meek shall inherit" from "praust shall inherit", as in war horses who can do violence but choose to control it. JBP-style Christianity preaches the acquisition of strength almost as a way to allow yourself to forgive, because otherwise you're right; being forgiven by a weak person will always look like cope. They must have some power to retaliate, which they are choosing to not employ.

[Belenus]

My understanding is that “turn the other cheek” was actually a way of provoking your abuser into committing a crime. This is because in the Roman Empire, a patrician was allowed to strike a plebeian, but only once. Thus, if he struck you on the other cheek, he may be breaking the law. It was a way of turning their impulsive rage around on them.

Source: a friend of mine who knew a lot about history. I need to do more research about it, though.

[LeoAndBelphi]

My take is that when you forgive you forget and thus do not allow another being to control your emotions because they did something to you.
What are you gonna do? Fight them? Beat them up? Unless you need to defend yourself or loved ones, just forgive and forget.
The negative charge gets dropped and you are free. But the important detail here is that you truly let them go and dont let them in again.

[Mausertwo]

Jesus preached about strength, he was literally God, that's why it was admirable for him to forgive his captors and persecutors because he could end them with a single thought, but he didn't. He also said that he who does not own a sword may sell his cloak and buy one.

[orthobro]

With forgiveness we protect our own hearts. Even when we pray for our enemies, we protect our hearts. Christians pray for the enemies against whom they are ready to go to war on the same day!

[romaingilles]

In days of yore, a sage named Nietzsche spoke,
Of Christian morals, his thoughts awoke.
Through medieval verse, his tale we weave,
Unraveling the notions he did conceive.

Christian virtues, he held in disdain,
An intellectual rebel, he sought to explain.
In God's shadow, he saw a weakness arise,
The morality imposed, a mask in disguise.

With poetic flair, he questioned the herd,
Their meekness and obedience, he absurd.
"Beyond good and evil, " he dared to declare,
His words cutting through, a piercing glare.

Yet, in this tapestry of medieval rhyme,
We must ponder the origins of his time.
For Christian morality, deeply ingrained,
In the hearts and minds of those who remained.

Through Nietzsche's eyes, we see a tension unfold,
Between the noble and the herd, so bold.
He sought to free mankind from moral chains,
To embrace the will to power, where freedom reigns.

But in this age of chivalry and faith,
Where righteousness and piety held their sway,
Nietzsche's voice clashed with the sacred code,
A challenge to the moral path bestowed.

He questioned the concept of good and ill,
As arbitrary judgments, a moral thrill.
And yet, in his skepticism, a hidden clue,
To the depths of human nature, a different view.

For in the medieval tapestry, we find,
The seeds of Nietzsche's thoughts, intertwined.
A struggle for meaning, a search for truth,
In the clash of ideals, a perennial youth.

Though his views may clash with Christian lore,
Nietzsche's voice echoes from days of yore.
A reminder to question, to challenge the norm,
To seek our own path, amidst the moral storm.

So, let us explore his medieval tale,
Through poetic verse, his thoughts prevail.
For in Nietzsche's views on Christian morality,
We glimpse a quest for individuality.






- Chat GPT

[XXXXXXXXXXXXXZZZZZZZZ]

Similar to how poor people say that gold Rolex‘s and lamborghini’s are dumb and ugly.
Because they know they will never have it and have to cope with this fact that way.

Or how ugly people call beautiful people superficial and therefore ‚evil‘ because they will never be beautiful themselves.

[evanpavelko]

You're my new favorite youtuber. Great content.

[TheGiantMidget]

The way i see it you can retaliate or seek vengeance without holding a grudge. If someone commits an offence against you it is possible to retaliate and then move on without hanging on to hatred

[YUhaveBawsome]

A lot of people had lived a Christian-oriented forgiveness life for so long (centuries if I am correct) to such an extreme, that I can't help but feel how limiting and psychologically excruciating it could have been, had I chosen that path.

And that is horrifying to me.

[e]

A lot of comments mentioning the psychological benefits of forgiveness but that’s rather off the point of Christianity, the point of Christianity is that if you’re anything less than perfectly submissive and self-negating, be that for your psychological good or ill, a middle eastern fire demon will torture you in his sulfur pit. Higher interpretations of Christianity are copes on our ancestors’ trauma around the imposition of this concept. None too sophisticated is it - and that embarrassment is part of what has to be coped with - but it’s the historical reality of what’s been working on our collective mind.

[henrypaul]

First of all he’s wrong here. I make two points. First of all he disliked Christianity because it leads to pity. Pity brings us down with those that are downtrodden and theres a big difference between pity and compassion. Pity brings us down and makes us suffer while compassion tries to bring people up and asserts feelings with strength and positivity. Second, he disliked Christianity because he believed that Christianity simply negates life. Christians have such a negative attitude towards life so much that they need a savior and a joyous afterlife to look forward to. He pretty much viewed Christianity as a vice as such. People portray Nietzsche as this man who advocated villainy and immorality but those type of weak men were what he warned people against. People who take revenge have a slave type of thinking. I hope this helps some of you.

[tiborstefan]

Nowhere it is said that - in a christian sense - forgiveness should be given freely! That is mere apathy.
The offender have to have a sense of humility and strength of faith to show contrition and ask for forgiveness, and the offended has to have the same to be able to truly and honestly forgive, without resentment. The crux of the situation that You have to be able to imagine Yourself to the situation of the Other, and act as You would be like to acted to if the situation were the contrary.

[aminusaleh]

I respect Nietchzhe because his critique are on point, but would love to hear what he would have had to say about Islam though.

[nolegirlgod]

"Vengeance is mine, thus saith the Lord, I will repay." I'd rather be a slave to righteousness than a slave to sin. You are either one or the other. ✝️📖🙏❤️