Ressentiment in Nietzsche's Critique of Christianity

• Author / Creator

  Ude, Donald C

• Nietzsche is famous for his critique of Christianity and the declaration that “God is dead.” His aversion for the Christian religion has generated scholarly debates as to what might be the key issue Nietzsche has with Christianity. In this work, I argue that the key problem Nietzsche finds with Christianity is that he takes it to be a religion of ressentiment. I therefore maintain that ressentiment provides the key to unlocking Nietzsche’s celebrated critique of Christianity, for every issue Nietzsche has with Christianity may rightly be subsumed under the term, ressentiment. To support this claim, I establish ressentiment as the originating-force of Christianity and its strongest expression of the Will-to-power, from Nietzsche’s “genealogical” standpoint. All through the work, I sustain a discussion aimed at explaining, on Nietzsche’s view, the various dimensions of Christian theory and practice in terms of ressentiment – morality, doctrine, and the practical aspects of Christian life.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Critique
  • Christianity
  • Nietzsche
  • Ressentiment
  • Genealogy

• Graduation date

  Fall 2016

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R34B2X95X

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.