What a Godless Philosopher Accidentally Taught Us About Finding God
- Dr. Jon Thompson
- 5 days ago
- 12 min read
Ever had one of those days where everything feels pointless and you regretted getting out of bed? You keep asking yourself, “What’s the point of all this?”. If that sounds familiar, don’t worry; you’re not alone. Some of the greatest minds the world has ever seen have wrestled with the same question.
One of those minds belonged to a 19th-century philosopher named Friedrich Nietzsche.
He asked this question, and offered a shocking answer in his essay, “Parable of the Madman.”[1] This is one of the most powerful criticisms of the modern world’s rejection of God. It also demonstrates how losing our sense of meaning might be the very thing that helps us find it again. Surprising, given the fact that Nietzsche was an avowed atheist.[2]
Before I go on, read the essay so you know what I’m talking about:
Have you not heard of that madman who lit a lantern in the bright morning
hours, ran to the market place, and cried incessantly: “I seek God! I seek God!”
As many of those who did not believe in God were standing around just then,
he provoked much laughter.
“Has he got lost?” asked one. “Did he lose his way like a child?” asked another.
“Or is he hiding? Is he afraid of us? Has he gone on a voyage? Emigrated?”
Thus they yelled and laughed.
The madman jumped into their midst and pierced them with his eyes.
“Whither is God?” he cried; “I will tell you. We have killed him – you and I.
All of us are his murderers.
But how did we do this? How could we drink up the sea?
Who gave us the sponge to wipe away the entire horizon?
What were we doing when we unchained this earth from its sun?
Whither is it moving now? Whither are we moving?
Away from all suns? Are we not plunging continually?
Backward, sideward, forward, in all directions?
Is there still any up or down?
Are we not straying, as through an infinite nothing?
Do we not feel the breath of empty space?
Has it not become colder? Is not night continually closing in on us?
Do we not need to light lanterns in the morning?
Do we hear nothing as yet of the noise of the gravediggers
who are burying God?
Do we smell nothing as yet of the divine decomposition? Gods, too, decompose.
God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”
“How shall we comfort ourselves, the murderers of all murderers?
What was holiest and mightiest of all that the world has yet owned has bled
to death under our knives: who will wipe this blood off us?
What water is there for us to clean ourselves?
What festivals of atonement, what sacred games shall we have to invent?
Is not the greatness of this deed too great for us?
Must we ourselves not become gods simply to appear worthy of it?
There has never been a greater deed; and whoever is born after us –
For the sake of this deed he will belong to a higher history than all history hitherto.”
Here the madman fell silent and looked again at his listeners;
and they, too, were silent and stared at him in astonishment.
At last he threw his lantern on the ground, and it broke into pieces and went out.
“I have come too early,” he said then; “my time is not yet.
This tremendous event is still on its way, still wandering; it has not yet reached the ears of men.
Lightning and thunder require time; the light of the stars requires time;
deeds, though done, still require time to be seen and heard.
This deed is still more distant from them than most distant stars –
and yet they have done it themselves.
It has been related further that on the same day the madman forced his way into several churches and there struck up his requiem aeternam deo. [Latin: eternal rest to God]
Led out and called to account, he is said always to have replied nothing but:“What after all are these churches now if they are not the tombs and sepulchers of God?”
Alright. Let’s break it down.
The Crazy Guy with the Lantern
Nietzsche starts with a wild image: a madman runs into the marketplace in broad daylight with a lit lantern, yelling, “I seek God! I seek God!”
Everyone laughs. It’s daytime. You don’t need a lantern, bud. They’re making fun of him because they’re skeptics. They see themselves as enlightened; having shed the fairy-tale need of belief in God. What they fail to understand is that the madman isn’t looking for actual light. He’s looking for meaning. And then he drops a bomb on them that we feel the effects of today:
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.”
Of course, Nietzsche isn’t talking about actual murder. He’s describing a spiritual event and its cultural consequences.
Nietzsche wasn’t declaring, “Sweet, God is gone!”, he was drawing a conclusion: “Now that we have cast God aside, we’ve lost our sense of why anything matters.” People had stopped believing in God, but hadn’t figured out what to put in His place.
Sound familiar? Yeah. Feels a lot like scrolling Instagram at 1am wondering why everyone’s life looks so awesome compared to yours. Nietzsche asked many questions. Let me ask one of my own:
Do we not live in a time of bright screens and dim purpose? We can see everything, but don’t know why we’re looking.
Cheat Code 1: The madman with the lantern is you. It’s me. It’s all of us, searching for meaning and purpose in the chaotic world around us. We’ve got daylight everywhere, but no direction. How else would you explain living in the most connected time in history while simultaneously feeling the most alone?
The Meaning Aftermath
Nietzsche said that when we “killed God” we basically unplugged ourselves from the ultimate source of meaning and now we’re dealing with the spiritual consequences. That’s what he meant when he wrote, “Do we not feel the breath of empty space? Has it not become colder?”.
That’s Nietzsche’s poetic way of saying: “Doesn’t life feel kind of dark and empty now?”. And if you’ve ever thought, “What’s the point of going on?”, then you’re feeling exactly how he was. Why else do you think suicide rates continue to be at an all-time high year after year? People come to a place in life where they’re forced to ask themselves this question, but without God there is no answer. Death becomes preferable when faced with its alternative: living a meaningless life.
Ideologies have replaced faith, but we forgot that those things – science, reason, progress, etc. – rest on belief in God. The “moral sun” that had guided people for centuries had gone out, and he worried that without a new foundation people would drift into nihilism (the belief that nothing really matters).
Cheat Code 2: People persist in living a lie because they fear what will happen to them if they stop. “Exactly how much of me is fake?” is the question they fear. Let’s say 90% of you is fake. Even if that’s true, isn’t the 10% of you that’s real worth finding?
Losing God (and Finding Him Again)
Nietzsche’s madman wasn’t wrong – he just stopped halfway through the story.[3] He saw the darkness of a reality without God, but not what would come next. And maybe that’s where a lot of us are. Life happens – divorce, loss, betrayal, disappointment, burnout – and suddenly the God we grew up with feels… gone.
Cheat Code 3: Questioning your faith isn’t the end of it. In my experience, it can be the renovation before something stronger gets built. As C.S. Lewis put it:
“When we are lost in the woods, the sight of a signpost is a great matter.”[4]
Sometimes, your “signpost” is a conversation, or a prayer, or one honest moment where you admit you’re tired of pretending. That’s how change starts.
Why the Parable of the Madman Matters
At Peace Partnership, we see people every week carrying their own lanterns. They’re quietly hoping there’s still light somewhere in their dark world. They’re not philosophers or theologians. They’re teachers, nurses, mechanics, parents, and students. They’re you and me.
And slowly, with patience and guidance, they find the light they’re looking for. A source of meaning that isn’t built on the ever-receding horizon of perfection, or the superficial frills of victimhood, but on being known and loved by an infinite God – even when they don’t feel like it.
Your support – through donations and prayers – helps that happen. You’re a decisive part of the reason people rediscover their meaning. You’re helping turn Nietzsche’s gloomy parable into a hopeful one.
Nietzsche ended his parable in despair. But the Christian story doesn’t stop there.
Nietzsche said, “God is dead.”
Jesus replied, “Lol, not for long.”
That’s the final cheat code: what feels like the end of something is oftentimes a type of resurrection and the beginning of something better.[5]
If you’re reading this and wondering where God went, maybe He’s not gone at all. Maybe He’s waiting for you to stop running around like a madman. Maybe He’s been sitting on a park bench overlooking the marketplace of your life this whole time, patiently waiting for you to slow down long enough to notice Him.
[1] Friedrich Nietzsche, (1882). The Gay Science. Translator, Walter Kaufmann. This is where the famous quote, “God is dead,” comes from.
[2] Many religious people are immediately repulsed when I quote atheists. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard, “They’re atheists. We shouldn’t listen to them.” My response is always the same: “All truth is God’s truth so I’ve nothing to fear from an atheist speaking it. Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.” Nietzsche arguably did more to shape Western culture than any other figure in the past 250 years. Like him or not, you ought to know what he had to say on the subject.
[3] I can’t help but see the parallel between the madman and Pilate. At the trial of Jesus, Pilate asked Jesus, “What is truth?” But he wasn’t perceptive enough to see that the answer to his question was literally standing right in front of him. Both stopped halfway through the story.
[4] C.S. Lewis, (1955). Surprised by Joy: The Shape of My Early Life..
[5] I’m fond of telling my clients, “You cannot change the past – it’s carved in stone. But you can change the meaning you’ve assigned to it. This doesn’t have to destroy you anymore.”
Help Us Make Room for Hope
Did you know we have a waitlist of over 100 people? Over 100 children, teens, and adults have already taken the hardest step and asked for help. They have picked up the phone, shared their stories, and said, “I am ready to begin healing.”
This is why we have launched our Building Expansion Campaign, we simply do not have enough room for everyone who is asking for help. You may have seen more about this in our recent fall appeal letter.
Right now, every counselor’s calendar is full and every office is in use, so we are having to tell many of them that their healing will have to wait until a counselor and a room become available.
Even in the middle of this need, your generosity is still making a tremendous difference. So far this year, 351 lives have been impacted through your support. Children found confidence again. Parents rebuilt trust. Couples rediscovered connection and faith. Each of these stories exists because people like you chose to care.
To respond to this growing need, we launched our Building Expansion Campaign. This project will:
Add new counseling offices
Expand our family of counselors and spaces
Bring on additional counselors so no one has to wait for help
This is not just about square footage. It is about creating a place where lives are restored, families find peace, and faith is renewed.
Your gift this December can make an immediate impact:
$250 helps furnish new counseling rooms with therapeutic tools and resources
$500 supports construction materials to expand counseling spaces
$1,000 helps move a family from the waitlist into care
$2,500+ builds lasting capacity so every family who calls can receive help
Joyful Giving, Joyful Winning
As we expand our space to serve more families through our Building Expansion Campaign, our 6th Annual Christmas Raffle gives you a simple way to invest in that growth while enjoying the chance to win something special.
It is an easy, meaningful way to make an impact in our community while also having the opportunity to win valuable, unique items.
Last month we shared the details of the raffle, and many of you have already joined in — thank you. If you have been planning to purchase a ticket, this is a great time to do so.
Each $100 ticket helps children, teens, and families access affordable counseling and supports our capacity to serve more people in the future. Your ticket also enters you into drawings for 15 incredible prizes valued at more than $17,000 (see the prize image in this newsletter for highlights).
🎟 Tickets: $100 each
📅 Live Drawing: Tuesday, December 16th (you do not have to be present to win)
🌐 Purchase tickets and view the full prize list:
Your participation helps turn generosity into hope for families who are ready to begin healing.
A Special Thank You
We are especially grateful for the sponsors who make what we do possible through their continued support and generosity.
This season, we are honored to recognize J.E. Hefner Company as our Presenting Sponsor for the Christmas Raffle. Their sponsorship helps cover key costs and increases the impact of every raffle ticket sold, so more of the money raised can go directly toward counseling for kids, teens, and families in our community.
Because of partners like J.E. Hefner Company, our Christmas Raffle doesn’t just give away incredible prizes, it helps make counseling more accessible and affordable for students in schools and families who need support.
J.E. Hefner Company has stood by Peace Partnership year after year, investing in stronger families and a stronger community.
Please join us in thanking and supporting J.E. Hefner Company. If you or someone you know is looking for a trusted construction partner, we hope you’ll keep them in mind.
👉 Learn more about them here: jehefnerco.com
The Spirit of This Season
As Christmas draws near, our thoughts turn to you and the families, friends, and loved ones who gather around your tables. This season has a way of slowing us down and reminding us of what matters most: faith, connection, and the people we hold close.
We are deeply grateful for your generous spirit; not just in the ways you give, but in who you are. Friends who care about others, who notice needs, and who choose kindness in a world that often feels hurried and heavy. With that same generous spirit, you have chosen to support Peace Partnership, and we do not take that lightly.
Our hope for you this Christmas is simple: that your days hold space for rest, laughter, meaningful conversations, and quiet moments of joy with the people you love.
From all of us at Peace Partnership, thank you for the way you live out the heart of this season and for choosing to stand with us. We wish you and your family a Christmas filled with peace, joy, and hope.
To Our Monthly Donors
As the season of gratitude settles in, we want to take a moment to recognize those whose steady, ongoing support keeps the heart of Peace Partnership beating strong. Month after month, you choose to show up for families who need hope and healing, and that kind of faithfulness is priceless.
Your generosity not only sustains our mission but continues to make lasting change possible for children, teens, and parents throughout our community. We are deeply grateful for your dedication, trust, and partnership.
Aaron Linn, Andre & Rose Fantasma, Church at Coffee Creek, Clayton & Pam Wooldridge, Dan & Gigi Rippee, Dave & Rosie Bourland, Greg & Jennifer Spears, Jason & Val Schram, Jenny Wrobleski, Jondy & Heather Britton, Jon & Naomi Thompson, John Otradovec, Linda Hartman, Mark McDonald, Matt & Kristy Newton, Mark & Cathy McGaughey, Metcalf Auto Plaza, Mike & Jan McGraw, Mike & Tracy Pruitt, Lance & Mandi Pollard, Phil & Jo Rydman, Rick & Kathy Daulton, Roger & Jennifer Madsen, Lydia Hurley, Shelly Schuman, Stone Amp SEO, Tamara Stroud, Willie & Adia Valdes, Zane & Melissa Morerod, Children’s Services Fund of Jackson County, Joel & Ruthie Morris, Mike & Carol Jackson, Rudy & Stacy Blahnik, Genesis Counseling, Denise Israel, John & Vicki Hefner, Demi Raveill, Doug & Linda Davenport, Blue Springs Christian Church, Greg & Teri Roy, Rex & Mary Luchtel, Stuart & Janis Thompson, Charles & Arletta McCrary, Shawn & Ashley Luchtel
From every corner of this ministry, thank you. Your generosity is the reason we can keep showing up for kids, for families, and for healing that lasts.
We'd Love to Connect
Would you like to tour our office or grab a coffee together to hear more about our work in the community?
For more information, contact Ashley Kirn, Director of Development, at 816.716.1847 or ashley@peacecounseling.org. We would love to personally thank you for supporting our mission.
Have you or someone you know been helped by Peace Partnership or Genesis Counseling? If so, would you consider paying it forward to help another person find healing along their journey?
We are asking anyone who is not currently partnering with us financially to consider donating $100 per year for the next three years to help make a difference in someone else’s life.
Collectively, we can help so many people. Please consider setting up your recurring donation online or call our office for help getting your gift started.
We are so grateful for your help changing lives one family at a time.
