Death why god

Are we as individuals up to the task of creating our own values? Creating meaning in life by ourselves without aid from God, dogma, or popular choice? Perhaps some of us are, and if we understand the implications of the death of God we stand a better chance of doing so.

Atlantic Media Company, 10 Oct. Future, Highest in 2 Years. Cable News Network, n. New York: Vintage, Press, Connie Cass Associated.

Americans More Pessimistic about Future. Russell, Bertrand. Bolshevism: Practice and Theory. New York: Arno, Skip to content. Scotty Hendricks. In this article. Spirituality can be an uncomfortable word for atheists. But does it deserve the antagonism that it gets? Hard Science. Adam Frank, a card-carrying atheist and physics professor, wonders if there might be more to life than pure science.

Rightly considered, they are all praiseworthy, and all the changes that occur in them, even when one passes into another, are governed by a hidden plan that rules the beauty of the world and regulates each according to its kind. But even if some death is a natural part of creation we can be certain God never intended human death, right? Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.

For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. This is the very heart of the Gospel: sin brings death, and Christ brings life. Take this away, and there is not much of a point in being a Christian. But can this central tenet of the Gospel be true, while the biological observation that life depends on death also be true?

I think it can by a simple distinction: death without sin , physical death, was intended by God, but death with sin— physical death caused by or touched by spiritual death—was not. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died , and the very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me.

For sin, seizing an opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me. It is an odd thing for a dead man to write a letter. Similarly in 1 Corinthians he talks about dying daily, and how the body must be sowed in the ground like seed so that it can be raised again.

Paul does write about physical death, but he writes as often about a death that cannot be reduced to the one-time physical event: spiritual death. This is the death that entered with sin. Second, the heart of the Gospel itself actually shows that mere physical death is not the result of sin. After all, we believe that Jesus deals with our sin problem: completely, totally, once-and-for-all.

But Christians still die physically. Even Jesus allows that there is a death that can be experienced that nevertheless will leave the person alive. The Gospel is about a living death being replaced by a death-proof life. Third, physical death would be experienced differently if there were no spiritual death. In the lives of some saints we perhaps get a taste of the original intention of death: a willing and joyful surrender into the waiting arms of God. Painful still, yes, agonizing even, but that is a normal thing for a birth.

The goodness of God can be present even in death. When we consider death, one of the complexities is that there are many different kinds of death. There is the visible but necessary death that we cause when we eat. There is the physical death due to all mortal beings.

And there are also many types of death deeply impacted by sin. Each type of death requires its own theological evaluation, and when we look at Scripture we see some of these various types discussed in very different ways.

From antiquity to today most people turn to God when awful tragedies happen — for example, when loved ones are gunned down by active shooters, trapped in cities bombarded by hurricanes, or diagnosed with cancer. For many, belief in God provides strength to endure such misery. Belief in God also provides hope that when our loved ones pass away we can live with them again for eternity.

Belief in God ensures that no loss is inconsolable, no injustice unrequited, and that we can finally have everlasting peace, no matter the misery gone through to get there. For Nietzsche, then, there is a natural explanation for belief in God. God is a psychological fabrication created to soothe distress, ease trauma, and provide companionship in the face of suffering. Rather than try to escape suffering by embracing some otherworldly entity, Nietzsche thinks we should utilize suffering to better ourselves.

A truly meaningful life turns on achieving personal excellence, and such excellence requires overcoming struggle. Nothing truly exceptional in this world comes from peace and satisfaction. BGE Walking with God, for Nietzsche, is walking with a crutch. If we face suffering on our own , we are stronger, and have greater potential for excellence. Atheists often fail to understand the true extent of atheism.

How could this be? The answer is this: atheists continue to embrace traditional moral principles — e. Nietzsche claims that belief in God is the only way to ensure moral equality. But what makes us equal if God is dead? For Nietzsche: nothing. Why think a freedom fighter in Syria, for example, is morally equal to a Ku Klux Klan member in Wisconsin?

Our capacities and abilities to respect others, to feel pain, to empathize, and so on, are vastly different. Thus, we lack universally shared characteristics necessary for moral equality. Atheists continue to believe in God as long as they believe that we are equal. Nietzsche also thinks belief in God binds excellence. Equality benefits the social order, invites mediocrity, and stamps out genuine individuality.

The Judeo-Christian tradition values selflessness, humility, and weakness, and demands that everyone on Earth should embrace such values or suffer eternal consequences. But certainly not all individuals flourish while embracing Judeo-Christian values.