The technical term for the teaching that “God is dead” is theothanatology, a three-fold compound from the Greek: theos (god) + thanatos (death) + logia (word).
German poet and philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche is most famous for making the statement “God is dead” in the Nineteenth Century. Nietzsche, influenced by both Greek philosophy and the theory of evolution, wrote, “God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him. How shall we, murderers of all murderers, console ourselves? . . . Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us? Must we not ourselves become gods simply to be worthy of it?” (Nietzsche, The Gay Science, §125).
Nietzsche’s purpose was to abolish “traditional” morality-Christianity, in particular-because, in his mind, it represented an attempt of self-serving religious leaders to control the weak and unthinking masses. Nietzsche believed that the “idea” of God was no longer necessary; in fact, God was irrelevant because man was evolving to a place where he could create a deeper and more satisfying “master morality” of his own.
Nietzsche’s “God is dead” philosophy has been used to advance the theories of existentialism, nihilism, and socialism. Radical theologians such as Thomas J. J. Altizer and Paul van Buren advocated the “God is dead” idea in the 1960s and 1970s.
The belief that God is dead and religion is irrelevant naturally leads to the following ideas:
1) If God is dead, there are no moral absolutes and no universal standard to which all men should conform.
2) If God is dead, there is no purpose or rational order in life.
3) If God is dead, any design seen in the universe is projected by men who are desperate to find meaning in life.
4) If God is dead, man is independent and totally free to create his own values.
5) If God is dead, the “real” world (as opposed to a heaven and hell) is man’s only concern.
The idea that “God is dead” is primarily a challenge to God’s authority over our lives. The notion that we can safely create our own rules was the lie that the serpent told Eve: “ye shall be as gods” (Genesis 3:5). Peter warns us that “there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction” (2 Peter 2:1).
The “God is dead” argument is usually presented as a rational, empowering philosophy for artists and intellectuals. But scripture calls it foolish. “The fool hath said in his heart, ‘There is no God'” (Psalm 14:1). Ironically, those who hold to the “God is dead” philosophy will discover the fatal error in the philosophy when they themselves are dead.
altruistico 
Also ironically, you will never experience the error in your philosophy, because then you’ll be dead.
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The difference here is subtle, but extremely important. altruistico is considering the matter of God’s existence from an eternal perspective. Ironically, we would say he is “dead serious.” On the other hand, I have to wonder whether you have taken the prospect of your own death and the deaths of those you love as seriously.
In your latest post “Logic and Reason” (http://atomicwasteland.wordpress.com/2014/01/22/logic-and-reason/), you suggest that Christians denigrate logic and reason. It seems you are unaware that most of the great universities of the West had their beginnings as schools for Christian theologians.
Because God says He is not the author of confusion, Christians assume the universe is orderly. Because Christians have faith in the existence of an orderly universe, we examine our environment expecting evidence of that order. Hence science, the mathematical modelling of cause and effect relationships, blossomed first in Christian nations.
Christian philosophy, however, is not limited to human logic and reason. Because we accept the fact that an infinite universe must be the creation of an Infinite Being, we accept the limits of our finite minds. Because of our inability to fully comprehend, we accept the logical necessity of adding the element of faith to logic and reason. Therefore, just as a child accepts can accept truths he cannot understand from those he has learned to trust, we can accept the fact of God’s existence and the even more remarkable fact He cares about us from those who passed the Bible on to us.
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Of course I have taken them seriously. Only that’s no reason to flee into the delusion that it might be anything else than death. Yes, I know it can be hard to cope with, but it is possible without having to rely on a myth.
No, I’m not unaware – unfortunately, at that time, these universities were no strongholds of science. The arabs overtook the west there, simply because they better preserved the knowledge of the greeks, which then later lead to the Renaissance.
And of course, even if we assume, for the sake of the argument, that in earlier times there were great Christian logicians, that doesn’t mean that Christians arguing today have the same capabilities automatically, does it?
Because you have faith, you are blind, sorry. You think you have the answer and thus only seek to confirm it. But that leads nowhere if your answer is wrong. The better way would be to open your eyes and look for the truth without thinking to know beforehand, what it looks like. In other words: Science.
And you really want to tell me, that by claiming to accept that your finite mind are limited (true) but choosing, at the same moment, WHAT it is, this mind cannot comprehend, you create only one thing: Absurdity. You claim not being able to comprehend – but to know exactly, what it is. Nonsense. Arrogant, stupid nonsense.
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Atomic Mutant — I am not interested exchanging juvenile insults. So please don’t bother yourself with them.
Christianity began its rise as the Roman Empire began its collapse. When did that decline begin? That occurred when Rome lost its republican form of government. Admittedly, republics are not particularly stable, but once established they do tend to be a bit more stable than any other form of government.
With the collapse of the Roman republic, science had little opportunity to prosper. Because it fosters a most repressive form of tyranny, Islam is not conducive to science. The Byzantine Empire, also tyrannical, did little to reward scientific progress. Nonetheless, Christianity does not provide a theological argument for tyranny. In fact, Jesus made it clear we must individually choose to accept His offer of salvation. The acceptance that the Bible actually says as much ended warfare between Christians following the Protestant Revolution. Political freedom slowly followed the acceptance of religious freedom.
The Renaissance occurred in Christian Europe. That’s a simply historical fact. With respect to progress of science, nothing that occurred anywhere else bears any resemblance. And where people are allowed liberty, scientific progress continues today.
Because I have faith I am blind? I suppose you have faith in that assertion? Seriously! Because we don’t have perfect knowledge, any one of the choices we make every day involves an element of faith.
We have faith the sun will rise tomorrow — and yet… Imagine a primitive people. Imagine the dead of winter. It is bitter cold, and nothing is growing. When bitter cold days pass one after another, when each day food grows more scarce, when each day the sun ascends just a little less higher into the sky — what would you think? Would it matter to you that at some point the sun again started ascending higher into the sky? Of course it would, and you might even express that relief as some sort of religion.
The Bible, however, does not merely express relief in the face of impending doom. Instead, the Bible tells the story of our redemption, and the more I study the Bible — and test what it says — the more faith I have that what the Bible says is true.
What is science? Science is merely faith that cause and effect follow certain rules, that God is not the author of confusion. What we call science today exists only because someone had such faith.
carmelitaspats666 — People do die, and those who remain must bear the loss of those they love. Why God made it so I don’t claim to entirely understand. I just know we die because we sin, and the longer we live the more losses we will experience. For those who don’t believe in God, a long life must of consequence be a dreadful curse.
As I indicated to Atomic Mutant, what we now call science originated in the Christian West. Why the Christian West? Rather than repeat what I once wrote in a post, here is a link. http://citizentom.com/2008/11/19/when-do-the-people-steal-their-own-freedom/
Why is that post relevant? We can make our way be helping others or by exploiting others. The former leads to happiness; the latter leads to isolation and fear. Science progresses poorly where there is no trust, when men must constantly protect their backs.
As to your list of questions. Do you honestly believe atheists were the first to ask those questions?
I believe the Bible because I have read it, and, as best I can, I have tested it. Because we have finite limits, we cannot fully comprehend God. Will we ever be able to do so?
The Bible speaks of seeing God as fatal. Why? Why does a computer seize when its input makes no sense to it? Consider what little we know of the universe. Do you really think our brains — our senses — are capable of grasping the Being who created it? And yet to “see” God, that’s what the task requires. So get use to it. At some point, that point where our finite minds can do no more, we can only go forward with faith.
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Is there evidence for the existence of God?
The existence of God cannot be proved or disproved. However, you are correct, Tom. The Bible says that we must accept by faith the fact that God exists: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). If God so desired, He could simply appear and prove to the whole world that He exists. But if He did that, there would be no need for faith. “Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed’” (John 20:29).
That does not mean, however, that there is no evidence of God’s existence. The Bible states, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4). Looking at the stars, understanding the vastness of the universe, observing the wonders of nature, seeing the beauty of a sunset—all of these things point to a Creator God. If these were not enough, there is also evidence of God in our own hearts. Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us, “…He has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” Deep within us is the recognition that there is something beyond this life and someone beyond this world. We can deny this knowledge intellectually, but God’s presence in us and all around us is still obvious. Despite this, the Bible warns that some will still deny God’s existence: “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1). Since the vast majority of people throughout history, in all cultures, in all civilizations, and on all continents believe in the existence of some kind of God, there must be something (or someone) causing this belief.
In addition to the biblical arguments for God’s existence, there are logical arguments. First, there is the ontological argument. The most popular form of the ontological argument uses the concept of God to prove God’s existence. It begins with the definition of God as “a being than which no greater can be conceived.” It is then argued that to exist is greater than to not exist, and therefore the greatest conceivable being must exist. If God did not exist, then God would not be the greatest conceivable being, and that would contradict the very definition of God.
A second argument is the teleological argument. The teleological argument states that since the universe displays such an amazing design, there must have been a divine Designer. For example, if the Earth were significantly closer or farther away from the sun, it would not be capable of supporting much of the life it currently does. If the elements in our atmosphere were even a few percentage points different, nearly every living thing on earth would die. The odds of a single protein molecule forming by chance is 1 in 10243 (that is a 1 followed by 243 zeros). A single cell is comprised of millions of protein molecules.
A third logical argument for God’s existence is called the cosmological argument. Every effect must have a cause. This universe and everything in it is an effect. There must be something that caused everything to come into existence. Ultimately, there must be something “un-caused” in order to cause everything else to come into existence. That “un-caused” cause is God.
A fourth argument is known as the moral argument. Every culture throughout history has had some form of law. Everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Murder, lying, stealing, and immorality are almost universally rejected. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from if not from a holy God?
Despite all of this, the Bible tells us that people will reject the clear and undeniable knowledge of God and believe a lie instead. Romans 1:25 declares, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.” The Bible also proclaims that people are without excuse for not believing in God: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).
People claim to reject God’s existence because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The true reason is that once they admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God and in need of forgiveness from Him (Romans 3:23, 6:23). If God exists, then we are accountable to Him for our actions. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the theory of naturalistic evolution—it gives them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists. The very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is in fact an argument for His existence.
How do we know God exists? As Christians, we know God exists because we speak to Him every day. We do not audibly hear Him speaking to us, but we sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His love, we desire His grace. Things have occurred in our lives that have no possible explanation other than God. God has so miraculously saved us and changed our lives that we cannot help but acknowledge and praise His existence. None of these arguments can persuade anyone who refuses to acknowledge what is already obvious. In the end, and once again you are correct, Tom; God’s existence must be accepted by faith (Hebrews 11:6). Faith in God is not a blind leap into the dark; it is safe step into a well-lit room where the vast majority of people are already standing.
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Well said.
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Thank you, Tom. And, thank you also for having presented your comments and challenges to our opposition. Once again you’ve gained my respect for your profound comments and challenges to those as Mutant…….. Keep up the good fight, my dear friend.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob continue to bless you and yours.
Yours in Christ;
Michael
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Reblogged this on Citizen Tom and commented:
Both the post and the comment trail that follow it make for interesting reading. In this comment (https://altruistico.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/is-god-dead/#comment-5362), altruistico makes a concise and thoughtful case for the existence of God. Check it out.
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Reblogged this on Dead Citizen's Rights Society and commented:
Per Citizen Tom: Both the post and the comment trail that follow it make for interesting reading. In this comment (https://altruistico.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/is-god-dead/#comment-5362), altruistico makes a concise and thoughtful case for the existence of God. Check it out.
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Reblogged this on That Mr. G Guy's Blog.
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I wish to thank you for the reblog. It is greatly appreciated.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours always.
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Thank you again, Tom, for the link and your kindest of words.
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I wish to thank you for the reblog (link) to my post. It is greatly appreciated.
May the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob bless and keep you and yours.
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