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Nietzsche, Grammar & God
December 1, 2002
By Timothy T.C. McGhee

Friedrich Nietzsche once said, “I am afraid we are not rid of God because we still have faith in grammar.” Assuming for a minute there is no triangulation occurring, whatever one's opponent declares to be his opponent, that is something other than oneself, is cause for pause.

I had never considered grammar to be such a great friend until I read this quote. Some have already grappled with understanding exactly what Nietzsche meant by this. Of course, Nietzsche never had much patience for order, so some have attributed his comment to referring to the order and rules of grammar demonstrating similarities to God and his nature.

Indeed, God is a God of order and his creation does demonstrate a particular adherence to physical laws. However, I believe Nietzsche's comment goes much deeper than this.

Grammar is what allows us to find meaning. Pencil strokes and sounds are by themselves nothing. My awareness of this was made ever so keen back in the 6th grade. A math coach of ours at one point was trying to drive a point home, but with us 12-year-olds being new to the whole abstract concept thing, he had to get a little more concrete.

He wrote on the board “Nathina,” the name of one of the girls in the room, and then asked us, “What is that?” I responded, “Nathina.” He then pointed at what he wrote and said, “That's not Nathina.” Then, pointing at Nathina, said, “That's Nathina!”

Grammar is what allows us in our minds to take those strokes of chalk and turn them into letters and letters into words. Further, grammar allows us to find meaning in words and turn them into names and names into people, or words into action, sin or righteousness. Meaning allows us to see and think about something that isn't physically there.

Meaning in life is having faith in that which cannot be seen. God's Word is the grammar, the rules, by which we can understand the meaning of this world enough to live in it by faith.

Hebrews 11:1,3—Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. … By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Tim McGhee was a member of Bryan College's class of 1999.