Law Against Christianity
Original German
Gegeben am Tage des Heils, am ersten Tage des Jahres Eins (— am 30. September 1888 der falschen Zeitrechnung)
Todkrieg gegen das Laster: das Laster ist das Christenthum.
1 Erster Satz.—Lasterhaft ist jede Art Widernatur. Die lasterhafteste Art Mensch ist der Priester: er lehrt die Widernatur. Gegen den Priester hat man nicht Gründe, man hat das Zuchthaus.
2 Zweiter Satz.—Jede Theilnahme an einem Gottesdienste ist ein Attentat auf die öffentliche Sittlichkeit. Man soll härter gegen Protestanten als gegen Katholiken, härter gegen liberale Protestanten als gegen strenggläubige sein. Das Verbrecherische im Christsein nimmt in dem Maaße zu, als man sich der Wissenschaft nähert. Der Verbrecher der Verbrecher ist folglich der Philolog.
3 Dritter Satz.—Die fluchwürdigen Stätten, auf denen das Christenthum seine Basilisken-Eier gebrütet hat, sollen dem Erdboden gleich gemacht und als verruchte Stätten der Erde der Schrecken aller Nachwelt sein. Man soll giftige Schlangen auf ihnen züchten.
4 Vierter Satz.—Die Predigt der Keuschheit ist eine öffentliche Aufreizung zur Widernatur. Jede Verachtung des geschlechtlichen Lebens, jede Verunreinigung desselben durch den Begriff „unrein“ ist die eigentliche Sünde wider den heiligen Geist des Lebens.
5 Fünfter Satz.—Mit einem Priester an Einem Tische essen stößt aus: man excommunicirt sich damit aus der rechtschaffnen Gesellschaft. Der Priester ist unser Tschandala,—man soll ihn verfehmen, aushungern, in jede Art Wüste treiben.
6 Sechster Satz.—Man soll die „heilige“ Geschichte mit dem Namen nennen, den sie verdient, als verfluchte Geschichte; man soll die Worte „Gott“, „Heiland“, „Erlöser“, „Heiliger“ zu Schimpfworten machen, zu Verbrecher-Abzeichen gebrauchen.
7 Siebenter Satz.—Der Rest folgt daraus.
Der Antichrist
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the German of the preface, all sixty-two sections and the seven-article Law Against Christianity, for fidelity, the author’s force and cadence, and modern clarity. Nietzsche’s own emphasis is kept.
Given on the day of salvation, on the first day of the year One (—September 30, 1888, by the false reckoning of time)
War to the death against vice: the vice is Christianity.
1 First proposition.—Every kind of opposition to nature is vicious. The most vicious kind of human being is the priest: he teaches opposition to nature. Against the priest one has no arguments; one has the penitentiary.
2 Second proposition.—Every participation in a religious service is an assault on public morality. One must be harsher with Protestants than with Catholics, harsher with liberal Protestants than with the orthodox. The criminality of being a Christian increases as one approaches science. The criminal of criminals is therefore the philologist.
3 Third proposition.—The accursed places where Christianity has hatched its basilisk eggs must be razed to the ground and, as abominable places on earth, be the terror of all posterity. One must breed venomous snakes on them.
4 Fourth proposition.—The preaching of chastity is a public incitement to opposition to nature. All contempt for sexual life, every defilement of it through the concept of "impure," is the real sin against the holy spirit of life.
5 Fifth proposition.—To eat at the same table with a priest makes one an outcast: one thereby excommunicates oneself from decent society. The priest is our Chandala—one must outlaw him, starve him, drive him into every kind of desert.
6 Sixth proposition.—One must call "sacred" history by the name it deserves: accursed history; one must turn the words "God," "Savior," "Redeemer," "Saint" into terms of abuse, use them as badges of criminals.
7 Seventh proposition.—The rest follows from this.
The Antichrist
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same German text of the preface, all sixty-two sections and the Law Against Christianity. Nietzsche’s own emphasis is kept.
Issued on the day of salvation, on the first day of Year One (—on September 30, 1888, by the false reckoning of time)
War to the death against vice: vice is Christianity.
1 First proposition.—Every kind of violation of nature is vicious. The most vicious kind of human being is the priest: he teaches the violation of nature. Against the priest we have no arguments; we have prison.
2 Second proposition.—Any participation in a religious service is an attack on public morality. We should be harder on Protestants than on Catholics, harder on liberal Protestants than on strict believers. The criminality of being a Christian increases the closer one comes to science. The criminal of criminals is therefore the philologist.
3 Third proposition.—The places fit to be cursed where Christianity has hatched its basilisk eggs should be leveled to the ground and, as accursed places on earth, terrify all future generations. Poisonous snakes should be bred there.
4 Fourth proposition.—Preaching chastity is a public incitement to violate nature. Every expression of contempt for sexual life, every defilement of it through the concept “impure,” is the true sin against the holy spirit of life.
5 Fifth proposition.—Eating at the same table as a priest excludes you: by doing so you excommunicate yourself from honest society. The priest is our Chandala—we should ostracize him, starve him out, drive him into every kind of wilderness.
6 Sixth proposition.—We should call “holy” history by the name it deserves: accursed history. We should turn the words “God,” “Savior,” “Redeemer,” “Saint” into insults and use them as badges identifying criminals.
7 Seventh proposition.—The rest follows from this.
The Antichrist
About this section
Law Against Christianity is part of The Antichrist by Friedrich Nietzsche. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 8 of 8 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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