The Antichrist was composed with an inflammatory style, with a feel of religious vehemence instead of classic philosophical arguments. In this work, Nietzsche was arguing against the systematic religions that he believed were interfering with the advancement of life, particularly knowledge and culture. The propositions of The Antichrist are seen to extend the arguments of Darwin’s Origin of Species, which promotes the idea that the foundational system upon which life progresses is survival for the fittest. Therefore, the book simply explains and applies the religious and philosophical perspectives of the natural laws of life. The Antichrist seethes with rhetoric, harsh criticism, and insults that can make readers shy away from the work. Indeed, as Nietzsche asserts, it is a book that “…belongs to the very few.”
Like all moral philosophers, Nietzsche starts with definitions of good, evil, corruption, and happiness. The words used in this work are based on the definition of Nietzsche. He then continues to criticize Christianity for disapproving as evil the fundamental instincts of humans, which preserve life and promote strength. In the place of these natural values, Christianity promotes values that are negating life, and the most significant is feeling pity. Nietzsche argues that “Christianity is a religion of pity,” which stands opposed to tonic emotions that heighten people’s vitality. According to him, men are deprived of strength whenever they feel pity. Therefore, Nietzsche argues that pity multiplies suffering because it makes people suffer for whom they pity. Eventually, pity depresses people and saps individuals of their strength to strength and will power.
Further, Nietzsche argues that Christianity protects and promotes the preservation of the individuals that nature has chosen for destruction or failures. In this regard, the preservation of failures causes decadence of life because it is filled with weak and deteriorating persons. Pity has two horrible consequences: it increases suffering and preserves the people who cause this suffering as objects of our pity. Therefore, pity should be negated because it makes life more miserable and decadent.
The Antichrist also submits that the conception of the Christian God is contradictory and decadent. The Christian God is presented as a God of the oppressed, the weak, and the poor, which makes virtues out of misery. It is the God who had degenerated into a “…mere symbol, a staff for the weary, a sheet-anchor for the drowning.” Therefore, such a God can appeal to every individual under suppression. Unlike the gods of pagans, the Christian God remains a God of the sick and weak in spite of the throngs that follow him. This god is appealing to the people living in powerlessness and misery because it allows them to deny the present existence for a better one to come. The Christian God is a denier of this life instead of a yes-saying and life-affirming God as promoted by the laws of nature.
Nietzsche continues to compare Christianity with Buddhism. He affirms that both faiths are nihilistic and decadent, but he highlights that Buddhism is better when it is compared to Christianity. This is because Buddhists aim to minimize suffering, which protects them from falling into the same trap as Christians. Therefore, Buddhists are able to achieve a level of peace while they are on earth, unlike Christians. Finally, Nietzsche finally laments regarding the influence of Christian values in the social practices of his era. He particularly lamented how such values had infiltrated the study of philosophy within Germany. Therefore, he presented that Christianity had putrefied philosophy with its rejection of the natural life in favor of pure spirit.
The Antichrist did not aim to present novel ideas or promote knowledge expansion but is a representation of an effort to undo systematic religion that Nietzsche believed was negating the advancement of knowledge. Evidently, the views presented were the logical deductions that arose when the Christian and scientific world views met.
