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Journal of Unification Studies Volume VII (2006) wis library [JUL 2 6 2006 JOURNAL OF UNIFICATION STUDIES VOLUME VII 2006 Nietzsche, Apostle of Faith? A Unificationist Reading Keisuke Noda Beyond Religious Discord: The Divine Principle in Inter-Religious Perspective Clinton Bennett Gender in Western Philosophy and Unification Thought Claude Perrottet Shopping in Cheon II Guk: Economics in the Unificationist Ideal World Tyler Hendricks Quantum Evolution from Atoms to Adam Richard Llewellyn Lewis A Case for a Professional Ministry in the Unification Church Mike Yakawich A Response to Postmodernism: A Critical Review of The Future ofReligion by Richard Rorty and Gianni Vattimo Frank Kaufmann A Unificationist Gospel Robert M. Price Editor: Andrew Wilson Editorial Board: Tyler O. Hendricks Michael L. Mickler Andrew Wilson Production: Andrew Wilson The Journal of Unification Studies, a journal of the Unification Theological Seminary, is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, addressing concerns of the theological community and the professional ministry. To clarify foundational issues in Unification theology, the Journal of Unification Studies welcomes commentary and critical studies of texts and doctrines, as well as historical studies of the Unification Church and the life of its founder. To promote dialogue and understanding, it invites papers from diverse viewpoints which engage Unificationist themes, as well as papers which build bridges to other communities of faith. To foster living spirituality, it welcomes essays discussing the relationship between theology and practice. To address contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues from a Unificationist perspective, the journal solicits social commentaries and reviews of current books, films, and media. The Journal of Unification Studies is published annually or semi-annually by the Unification Theological Seminary, 30 Seminary Drive, Barrytown, New York, 12507 Subscription rates are $17.50 per issue in the United States, $22.50 for institutions and overseas; discounts are available for multiple issues. Make checks payable to the Unification Theological Seminary. To order call 845-752-3000 x226. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to the editor by mail at the above address, by fax to 845- 752-3014, or by e-mail at [email protected]. ISSN: 1097-1769 2006 Unification Theological Seminary Journal of Unification Studies Vol. VII 2006 Articles Nietzsche, Apostle of Faith? A Unificationist Reading Keisuke Noda Beyond Religious Discord: The Divine Principle in Inter-Religious Perspective Clinton Bennett Gender in Western Philosophy and Unification Thought Claude Perrottet 23 Shopping in Cheon II Guk: Economics in the Unificationist Ideal World Tyler Hendricks 5 1 Quantum Evolution from Atoms to Adam Richard Llewellyn Lewis 69 A Case for a Professional Ministry in the Unification Church Mike Yakawich 1 1 1 A Response to Postmodernism: A Critical Review of The Future ofReligion by Richard Rorty and Gianni Vattimo Frank Kaufmann 1 1 9 Narrative A Unificationist Gospel Robert M. Price 129 NIETZSCHE, APOSTLE OF FAITH? A Unificationist Reading Keisuke Noda Nietzsche is known for being a major atheist and for his statement that dead." "God is He is also known as the most religious atheist. In this contradictory tension lies the enigmatic thinker, Nietzsche. He was extremely critical of Christianity (see Antichrist) and developed a power- Morality," centered value perspective called "Master in contrast to "Slave Morality" which primarily designates the Christian value perspective. On the surface, Nietzsche's philosophy seems to have nothing to do with a theistic thought such as Unification Thought. It even appears to be hostile to it. If, however, we take a close look at his thought from the perspective of Unification Thought, we will find important insights that could easily be overlooked without the UT perspective. This essay applies Unificationism as a framework of interpretation to Nietzsche's texts, and brings Nietzsche's questions on the Cross into the Jesus' foreground. Nietzsche posed such questions as: Was crucifixion not a Jesus' mistake? Didn't crucifixion end the possibility of realizing the world of happiness on earth? Was the doctrine of salvation by Jesus through the cross an invention of Paul? Did Paul not invent this doctrine in order to justify his own mistake of sending Jesus to the cross? These questions concerning the meaning of the cross have often been overlooked due to the preconceived interpretation of the Cross in mainstream Christianity. Unificationism brings those overlooked questions of Nietzsche, buried in his texts, into the foreground. By doing so, this essay demonstrates the possibilities of Unificationism as a hermeneutical tool. Dr. Keisuke Noda is an assistant professor of philosophy at the Unification Theologi cal Seminary and Philosophy area editor for the Encyclopedia Project of the Universal Peace Federation. His publications include Shosetsu testsugakushi [A History ofPhilosophy as Narrative] (Niigata: Taiyo Shobo Publications, 2004). This essay is based upon a paper presented at the 17th International Symposium on Unification Thought, Tokyo, December 2005. Journal of Unification Studies Vol. VII, 2006 / 2 Journal of Unification Studies to It is an inherent problem and difficulty of Nietzschean scholarship accurately interpret his ideas and concepts. Nietzsche often utilizes symbols, images and metaphors in order to convey the feelings, tones, moods, scale, and scope of his ideas and his thought. For Nietzsche, the meaning of ideas explana and concepts cannot be exhaustibly and fully conveyed by rational tions. His unique style of presentation, almost unheard of in philosophy, can convey extra conceptual meanings, but at the same time it obscures concept Nietzsche ual clarity and puts a heavy burden on the interpreter of his texts. meanings implied may have anticipated an ever-expanding affluence of by his expressions and their diverse interpretations. Nevertheless, this essay is based upon my extended interpretation of his texts from Unificationist perspective. Jesus vs. Christianity Nietzsche brings very different attitudes towards Jesus and towards Christianity. While Nietzsche leveled severe criticism against Christianity, he reserved a deep respect for Jesus. Nietzsche's words against Christianity were harsh. In Antichrist 62, for example, he writes: I condemn Christianity; I bring against the Christian church the most terrible of all the accusations that an accuser has ever had in his mouth. It is, to me, the greatest of all imaginable corruptions; it seeks to work the ultimate corruption, the worst possible corruption. The Christian church has left nothing untouched by its depravity; it has turned every value into worthlessness, and every truth into a lie, and every integrity into baseness of soul. On the other hand, Nietzsche had a high esteem for Jesus Christ. He found Jesus to be the only genuine Christian. In Antichrist 39, Nietzsche writes: "I shall go back a bit, and tell you the authentic history of Christianity the "Christianity" very word is a misunderstanding at bottom there was only cross." one Christian, and he died on the Nietzsche saw Jesus as the person who lived what he taught and embodied truth and genuine love. For Nietzsche, what one believes does not make someone great. What one does, practices, and embodies determines who one is. Nietzsche found in Jesus a man who lived and practiced what he taught, having no discrepancy between thinking and being, words and deeds, and truth and its embodiment: The true life, the life eternal has been found it is not merely promised, it is here, it is in you; it is the life that lies in love free from all retreats and exclusions, from all keeping of distances. Every one is the child of Noda: Nietzsche, Apostle of Faith? 3 God Jesus claims nothing for himself alone as the child of God each man.' man is the equal of every other Nietzsche found in Jesus the full realization of love, or the embodiment of truth, or the real practice of love. From Nietzsche's perspective, the "believes" essence of a genuine Christian is not what one but how one acts and lives: "It is not a "belief that marks off the Christian; he is distinguished differently."1 by a different mode of action; he acts "faith" Nietzsche could not accept the Christian doctrine that took as the basis ofjustification and the defining characteristic of Christianity. In the shift from Jesus to Christianity, Nietzsche found a twist in the essential teachings. Nietzsche was extremely critical of the Christianity's subjectivist orientation, other-worldliness, and neglect of the life on earth; these were, in Nietzsche's eyes, tied to the Christian interpretation of the Cross and the original mission of Jesus. Crucifixion ofJesus Nietzsche poses a very important question: what was lost by the crucifixion of Jesus? His answer is that what had been lost was the real possibility to earth." "establish happiness on the One now begins to see just what it was that came to an end with the death on the cross: a new and thoroughly original effort to found a Buddhistic peace movement, and so establish happiness on earth - real, not merely promised. What does Nietzsche mean by "Buddhistic"? Contrary to a popular percep tion of Buddhism, he means the concern for life on the earth. Nietzsche saw nothing," Christianity as that which "promises everything, but fulfills fulfills."4 whereas Buddhism "promises nothing, but actually Among various contrasts he makes between Christianity and Buddhism, one is their attitude to earthly life. Nietzsche thinks that Christianity shifted the center of gravity from life on the earth to another world, or from the bodily to the mental: "When the centre of gravity of life is placed, not in life itself, but in "the beyond" in nothingness then one has taken away its centre of gravity altogether."5 Take suffering for an example. From Nietzsche's perspective, Christianity does not have sufficient understanding of and sensitivity to suffering. It resolves one's suffering through the schema of a set of ideas: sin as the cause of suffering; Jesus as the redeemer; and faith in Jesus as the condition of redemption.
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