House of Cards: A terrifying insight into a world where God is dead
by Andy Walton, Christian Today:
The best art and literature has always critiqued as well as reflected the age in which it is created. From Jonathan Swift’s biting satire to Charles Dickens’ treatment of London poverty; from Picasso’s depictions of the Spanish Civil War to the late Harper Lee’s stunning denunciation of segregation, the best art tells us something about the time in which it was created as well as timeless truths.
While it may not be quite in the exalted category of those classic works of art, there’s plenty of excitement around the return of House of Cards. The fourth season of the Netflix drama is released today and the hype is as effervescent as ever.
The show is popular because it’s well cast, beautifully shot and allows us a glimpse into a world of White House intrigue. One of the keys to its success though, is that it’s also a work of art which offers a devastating critique of our political system, our ethical standards and our human nature.
[…] House of Cards teaches us about the human propensity to sin – something an increasing number of our most popular TV shows are grappling with – but there’s more to it than that.
The show takes place in a world without God. There’s a telling scene in the third season where Underwood is left alone in a church and spits on a statue of Jesus, before it falls to the floor and smashes. It’s a shocking, disgusting, yet compelling scene.
This world without God was envisaged by the atheist philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche – who gazed into the abyss and gave an honest account of what he saw. Unlike contemporary atheists such as Sam Harris and Richard Dawkins, Nietzsche didn’t labour under the misapprehension that getting rid of God would lead to a peaceful, progressive utopia.
“God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him.” Nietzsche asked, “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?” The parallels with Macbeth’s hallucinating horror are obvious.
Nietzsche doesn’t stop there, though. He argued we must rid ourselves of Christian morality as well as God. He saw that as a good thing. Giles Fraser says, “Nietzsche’s case against Christianity was that it kept people down; that it smothered them with morality and self-loathing. His ideal human is one who is free to express himself (yes, he’s sexist), like a great artist or a Viking warrior. Morality is for the little people. It’s the way the weak manipulate the strong. The people Nietzsche most admired and aspired to be like were those who were able to reinvent themselves through some tremendous act of will.”
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