The Plague of Nihilism
 Once
an atheist was demeaning a Christian for his belief
system and world view. The atheist, a sophisticated
egotist, looked down his nose at the Christian and said,
“I thought you would be too smart to believe in
fairy tales and to grovel before an imaginary God.”
Though unfortunate that is the attitude of many people
toward believers, especially the elite in the fields
of academia and the social sciences. So, from where
does this condescending and often antagonistic attitude
come? Is it the influence of the late Madelyn Murray
O’Hare and her atheist organization as they worked
to get God thrown out of government schools? What about
rock music and its lyrics about suicide and desperation?
Is this where such a world view came from? Actually,
no. Though atheism, rock music and other expressions
of godlessness are all part of the big picture, these
are simply spin-offs from a hellish philosophy called
nihilism; a world view that is growing like a malignant
cancer and, in the process, destroying everyone who
becomes immersed in it. The insanity of it all is that
this is being trumpeted all around us, but we are generally
unable to recognize it for the threat it is.
Nihilism as a philosophical position is the view that
the world, and especially human existence, is without
meaning, purpose, comprehensible truth, or essential
value. 1 This
kind of thinking, which glorifies man and his accomplishments,
goes back much farther than the birth of O’Hare
or rock music. Though nihilism is most often associated
with Russian philosophical thought, its roots go back
to the dawn of the human race when the descendants of
Cain and the descendants of Seth chose to take different
roads in life (Genesis 4). Cain’s people built
a city, invented arts and business and founded a worldly
kingdom. Seth’s people, though not opposed to
arts and business, called upon the name of the Lord
and founded a kingdom for God’s glory. And the
two have been at odds ever since.
Solomon, the great and wise man who was the third and
last king of the united Israel monarchy, wrote the book
of Ecclesiastes and portrayed a bit of nihilistic thinking
himself. We must remember that Ecclesiastes was written
by a man who had denied himself nothing in life and,
as a result, came to realize that the world and everything
in it is of no value apart from the Person and work
of God. Solomon’s refrain was, “All is vanity
and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 1:2. etc.).
As a result, he, “...hated life, for the work
which had been done under the sun was grievous to me;
because everything is futility and striving after wind
(Eccle 2:17 NASB).
Nihilism advocates violence as the best way to bring
about political change and rejects all authority and
normal social practices. To say it another way, nihilism
teaches that since human life is without meaning, purpose,
truth and value then people should be able to live as
they please with no responsibility or accountability.
They see no difference between a human and a horse regarding
a soul and eternal existence. Everything is relative;
there are no absolutes and most definitely no one should
tell someone else how they should or should not conduct
themselves. We do not presently have nihilism as the
social norm; should that ever happen chaos and pandemonium
would result. But, what we have is nihilism being advocated
on mostly an individual basis by some in the academic
and activist communities who are at odds with anything
godly and authoritarian.
 A
German philosopher named Friedrich Nietzsche is often
referred to as a nihilist because of his rather infamous
statement, God is dead. It is likely that he did not
mean that God had died literally, but that God was no
longer relevant to humanity. Nietzsche was not a pure
nihilist, but he did accuse Christianity of being a
threat to humanity because it demands a way of life
that reigns in unbridled impulses.
Well, what is the result of nihilism? Is it just another
philosophy with no real impact? Or, is this something
we need to be aware of? There is no doubt at all that
nihilism has touched many lives and that the results
have always been destructive. The balance of this article
will address some of the consequences of this terrible
philosophical plague.
First, it is a philosophy of hopelessness. The very
best they can come up with is the following statement
about strife in the world: “It’s long overdue
but nihilism will steal their ammunition literally and
figuratively once and for all. Communists will die for
communism, fascists will die for fascism and the religious
will die for religion, and with them all gone the nihilistic
remainder will joyfully inherit the planet.” 2
Joyfully inherit the planet??!! What joy do they have
to offer? Does anyone really believe that if the world
were populated by nihilists there would be no strife?
If there are no standards of living and no one to enforce
any sense of law and order, what would happen to social
stability when somebody gets greedy, lustful or angry?
No, the nihilist can offer no hope at all. Why? Because
they believe in the inherent goodness of people when
they are unrestricted, and the fact of the matter is
there is no inherent goodness in man (Jeremiah 17:9).
And certainly not so when people are living in the middle
of a dog-eat-dog morass of chaos and pandemonium.
Second, nihilism breeds suicide as a result of its
sense of hopelessness. How does this happen? Essentially,
it will cause people to grasp at just about any straw
the winds of tumult and madness blow in their direction,
especially during times of social turmoil and collective
mental and physical ill-health. 3
What did the Heavens Gate cult leaders, Jim Jones and
David Koresh have in common? The ability to play on
the hopelessness of desperate people who believe life
as it is presently is meaningless. The Hale-Bopp comet
sect (Heavens Gate) brought 39 to their deaths, Koresh
took over 80 with him in the inferno in Waco, Texas,
and Jim Jones convinced about 900 to drink poison in
Guyana. Nothing weakens a person’s mind and spirit
like hopelessness. Too often, they seem to believe suicide
is their only way out. Nihilism ensues from anomie,
the old order crumbles to dust and a new one is born
from the pain and suffering of the transition. Rarely
is this recognized as it happens. 4
Third, nihilism rejects the concepts of faith and purpose.
Faith is called, “...an imperative hazard to groups
and individual (sic) because it compels suspension of
reason, critical analysis and common sense.” Therefore,
reject faith. 5
This means human reason becomes one part of a two-headed
god, and if something is outside our ability to understand
it then we must reject it. This not only stretches reason,
it falls into the pit of absurdity. If man rejected
everything he can not understand then life and living
itself would be rejected! Nihilism also rejects the
belief that there is a final purpose for everything.
This makes freewill the second part of the two-headed
god. Not only must humanity free itself from religious
faith, but must also reject the idea that we and everything
else is here by some reason or purpose.6 This is where
evolution comes into the equation. If God did not create
us and the world, then we are here by freak accident,
and if we are here by freak accident then there certainly
is no purpose for our existence. Conclusion? Live like
you want because there is no God, no accountability
and no heaven and no hell. We are no different than
an ameba in some slime-pit somewhere.
So, what again is nihilism? A belief system where no
one bows to any authority, accepts no doctrine without
human reason’s stamp of approval, refutes faith,
morality, purpose and values, believes nothing is sacred,
believes existing social and political institutions
need to be destroyed and supports the idea of “free”
minds and “free” thought. In their own words:
I fear no man, I fear no God, I seek no heaven,
I fear no hell, I have no heroes, I have no faith, I
bow before no one. I am a nihilist. 7
Yeah, right. God, I think, calls them something else
— fools (Psalm 14:1).
This philosophical cancer is alive and growing in various
corners of our world this very moment. In any number
of government universities and colleges there are faculty
members brain-washing the brightest of America’s
young minds with this philosophy from hell. Most Christian
kids cannot go to Christian schools because of costs
(and even some so-called Christian schools are quite
suspect!), so what can be done? Fist and foremost is
to give children a solid foundation as long as they
are home. Teach them the biblical worldview regarding
faith and purpose, never consider their questions too
spiritually juvenile to take time with and when they
push the boundaries of faith (many do as they become
teens and come under the influence of various music
and literature) do not respond with anger and incredulity,
but with a calm assurance in the Word of God and let
them know you love them unconditionally. Your immutable
faith in God and your categorical love for them will
be that which they will turn to when they later grope
for something of substance to hold on to in the world
they see decaying and falling in around them . Never
underestimate the impact of 18 years of solid biblical
teaching, an uncompromising Christ-like example, genuine
love, fervent prayer and the convicting power of the
Holy Spirit.
Nihilism is a scourge, a pestilence, a virulent philosophical
pathogen whose hellish belief system destroys the faith,
joy and hope of all whom it infects. It is seldom discussed
in Christian schools and mentioned even less from pulpits
and in Bible classes. Yet, it is one of the most mesmerizing
and effective lies in Satan’s arsenal of deceit.
The arrogance of your heart has deceived
you, You who live in the clefts of the rock, In
the loftiness of your dwelling place, Who say in your
heart, 'Who will bring me down to earth?, Obadiah
1:3 (NASB emphasis mine). DLM
End Notes
- “Nihilism”, from Wikipedia.
Cited 20 November 2004. Online : http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nihilism.
- “Death To Ideology”.
[Cited 20 November 2004]. Online: http://www.counterorder.com/deathto.html.
- “Mass Suicide”. [Cited
20 November 2004]. Online: http://www.holology.com/suicide.html.
- Ibid. p. 4
- Freydis, “The Nihilism Manifesto
— Why Nihilism?”. Cited 20 November 2004.
Online: http://www.counterorder.com/manifesto.html.
- Ibid. p. 3
- “Nihilistic People”.
[Cited 20 November 2004]. Online: http://www.counterorder.com/nihilismbios.html.
|
