We exist in an era rooted in the pursuit of infinite accumulation of capital coinciding with the colonization of indigenous populations- which subsequently gave rise to economic and sociological globalization- that can be referred to as the post-Christian era. Not because there has been a collective abandonment of neoconservative foreign policy doctrine, or a dismantling of this divine monolith that casts a shadow over all who oppose it, but because what it is now is a vaguely recognizable cult. It is crucial to note that this conclusion was arrived at only first through a critical examination, especially one that has plunged into the veins and found its way the heart of the so-called First World, especially the superpowers that are Britain and the United States of America. This archeology is essential in developing a pathology of the Post-Christian Era, specifically that of its client-nations. A multi-dimensional effort must be put forth, which not only encompasses an excavation of the past, but the era's current effects, trends, and finally an attempt at a diagnosis. Even a diagnosis though cannot provide solutions, but perhaps allow Western civilization to construct a collective tourniquet to stop the hemorrhaging of the Third and Forth Worlds, which is to say, put an end to the plunder of the savages and return to Judeo-Christian morality, or discard the current one for something sustainable for all.
Taking for granted that Nietzsche was correct in bearing the terrible news in The Gay Science of the death of God, even if for the sake of argument, we are capable of a critical analysis of the effects that capitalism has had on Christianity up until the nineteenth century, and in Nietzsche's case, what was found in Germany. Although the roots of capitalism ran deep, perhaps its seeds being pushed into the soil during Columbus's dealings with the Native Americans during the late fifteenth century, the proclamation of the death of God brought to attention a perhaps stale, decrepit argument about the validity of faith in before modernity. What place did faith have in a culture that has turned its back upon undesirable and inconvenient holy texts, specifically the scripture in the New Testament, and Christ's repudiation of wealth? Living in what social theorists fashionably call the postmodern (and even what some refer to as post-postmodern) era, however, it is obvious that the unfolding of the death of God has advanced through to another phase- one that distinguishes itself from what is found in Nietzschean thought- of reconciliatory destruction. Not only had we at once eliminated God, but we have also dissolved faith, the means by which to accept the supernatural proposition in the first place. God has become a sort of formality between Christians, a relativism that differentiates between denominations. Before this destruction is examined though, a brief analysis must occur, specifically, the characterization of the symptoms brought on by the recognition (whether consciously or not) of Nietzsche's contentious claim.
If the consequence for accepting fault for the death of God is nihilism, what if an entire social body becomes indifferent to this nihilism, denies it, rejects it or even represses it? One must recognize that in twenty-first century Western societies, mainly those nations that claim to uphold the virtues of capitalism, the spread of information, or what Foucault would label knowledge, has eroded cultural identity, simultaneously binding these nations together through technological means. Whether or not the homogenization of the world's diversity has taken place is of no importance here; a global consciousness has been constructed through globalization and technology. This global construct has been erected because of this rapid exchange of information, giving more knowledge to the world's population. The consequence of the attainment of such knowledge is the utilization of Foucauldian power. Knowledge, or information, has migrated beyond the boundaries of institutions such as the university, the prison, or the clinic. Information is afforded to those at certain levels of the current caste system that contemporary capitalism has created. According to one's income, access to databases and media provide information to the individual, and in turn, power over those in a lower class.
Those who are perpetually and violently prescribed power, namely those who can be referred to as consumerists, are expected to exchange their Christian conscience to attain every last drop of power (and consequently, property) while attempting to cling to the final threads that remain of Christ's dismissal of wealth, causing society as a whole to act out in schizophrenic ways. This great paradox is an irony that is expressed perfectly in no other text than in Mark 10:25:
It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.
Does our contemporary repudiation of Christ only correlate with the schizophrenia of the West? Put simply, no, it is no correlation; it is a causation of the disease. But who is the camel? And more importantly, who is the rich man?
If Nietzsche were to envision the current Western mode of capitalism and its subsequent consumerist culture, would he have gone beyond labeling this as decadence? Would this in fact be beyond nihilism, even something that Nietzsche could not have predicted? Simply put, is popular culture in the West in a phase that Nietzsche has failed to predict between so-called devaluation and revaluation, or can the schizophrenia brought about by capitalism, the New Testament’s materialistic rejection, the dissolution of faith, and the repression of the elimination of God be under the guise of Nietzsche's nihilism?
Perhaps this is where the reconciliatory destruction must become examined from the perspective of someone who accepts Nietzsche's proposition, or better, prophecy. An attempt has been made in liberal theology to reconcile Biblical mythology with current trends in scientific theory. This reconciliation may be a synthesis of what originated with Darwin in the nineteenth century and contemporary liberal theology that opens itself up to Nietzschean perspectivism and interpretation. However, what can be taken for granted are simple events such as the papacy accepting theories of cosmological and evolutionary biology, or, the origins of existence and the process by which humanity has come to its current phase: the post-Christian era. This necessarily renders Christian mythology as both metaphorical and open for human interpretation, in contrast to being the divine and final Word of God, through biblical prophets. No longer do we have Mosaic Law, the culmination of 615 commandments, and in the case Judaism, the promised prosperity of the Israelites, but we have the Ten Commandments, previously destroyed laws, perhaps even obsolete in relation to the second set of laws that descended Mt. Sinai, but inserted back into the forefront of theology out of convenience with its compatibility with contemporary capitalism and its facade of international altruism and democracy. Put simply under an encompassing phrase, we have seen the dissolution of faith. The reconciliation of what was once faith in God and Biblical miracles such as creation, with the strict skepticism and reason of science has ensured this.
If we were however, to recognize the death of God, then transcendence over our current system of capitalism could occur, whether beneficial or detrimental. Nevertheless, the dissolution of faith has coincided with a strengthened belief in a God we have previously eliminated, thus causing the schizophrenia we currently are plagued by. A repression of our hitherto elimination of God has taken place, therefore eliminating the grounds for a crisis of faith by also eliminating faith itself. If Kant had bludgeoned faith into submission, insofar as reason has attempted to impose its tyranny over it, then modern Christian theology has felled the entire thing. Despite this, the repression of God is not without its clever characteristics. Denial of this repression is perhaps the greatest defense it has to offer.
The campaign against traditional morality that Nietzsche had taken up during the late nineteenth century is obsolete. No longer is there any morality, along with pre-morality, or post-morality. Discarded with the dialectic of faith and reason, the end of morality signals the beginning of the reconciliatory destruction.
Just as the Ark of the Covenant had been lost, so too has our faith. Capitalism, the modern day Babylonian army, has destroyed our Jerusalem, our faith in God. Those camels who are burdened by the load of the power craving schizophrenics no longer have any needle to pass through, only the depths of the lowest caste, the foundation upon which capitalism is built. So long as capitalism etches its way deeper into our social consciousness, and distorts our individual reflections of the self, the belief in the belief of God becomes absurd, and we find ourselves sinking deeper into the post-Christian condition, and the absurdity of rationalized faith becomes ever more apparent.
Generalization of terms
Reconciliatory Destruction: A synthesis of religion and science, causing the dissolution of faith.
Pathology: Study of modern Christianity under capitalism and it's effects on society.
Dissolution of Faith: The process by which the rationalization of theology negates faith.
Repression: An active failure to recognize the dissolution of faith/ Nietzschean death of God.
Schizophrenia: A diagnosis of contemporary society, observed in the bombardment of pop culture entertainment, advertising, and the excessive significance placed on consumerism. It is the result of the embracing of capitalism, juxtaposed with New Testament teachings, and the dissolution of faith/rationalization of God.
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