Amor Fati (Love of Fate) & The Christian Response

"Amor Fati" is a Latin phrase that means love of fate, wherein loss and suffering are to be accepted and considered as good or necessary facts of life. None of us are immune to pain. The Amor Fati of the Nietzschean consideration advises a love of one's fate even in pain albeit without God.

On the contrary, God does not assure Christians of a painless life. Instead the Bible teaches us to live in Christ to gain the peace that transcends all understanding, which enables us to live successfully through pain.

The objective of this article is not to extensively dissect the Amor Fati of the Nietzschean consideration. Basic concepts of Amor Fati will be emphasized to motivate an adequate Christian response. Furthermore, a basic flaw in the atheistic consideration of Amor Fati will be identified.

Nietzsche's Amor Fati

Amor Fati was glorified by the atheist German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche, who considered "love of fate" as essentially important for life. Nietzsche referred to Amor Fati as:1 "...formula for greatness in human being" (Ecce Homo, 258) "...his inmost nature" (Ecce Homo, 325) "...the highest state a philosopher can attain" (Will to Power, 1041)

In its existential outworking, those subscribing to Amor Fati would believe that everything happens for a purpose. They are to love that which has happened to them. This essentially translates to accepting, interpreting and activating fate as a positive purpose for life. Nietzsche expressed this as, "My formula for greatness in a human being is amor fati. That one wants nothing to be different, not forward, not backwards, not in all eternity. Not merely bear what is necessary, still less conceal it...but love it."

Nietzsche linked Amor Fati to the concept of eternal recurrence, "Basically, this means that you live your life according to the principle that if you were to have to repeat the same actions as in the past, you would do them the same way. In other words, be at one with your fate and give your actions the weight of eternity. Stop wishing for something else to happen, for a different fate. That is to live a false life."2

Christian Response to Amor Fati

How should Christians, subscribing to Historic Christianity, encounter and engage with fate? Our fate is not fatalistic. The Bible does not teach that our life is an outcome of a predetermined course of events. Although God is sovereign, HE has offered us freedom to make choices that control our fate.

For instance, we could choose to either accept or reject God. If we accept God, we go to heaven. If we reject the Lord Jesus Christ, we go to hell. Our eternal destiny is based on the choices we make now.

Our temporal destiny, in large part, is also based on our choices. Cigarette smoking is injurious to health. We either choose not to smoke cigarettes to live a healthy life or choose to smoke so that we are vulnerable to illnesses associated with smoking.

Life is a series of choices. Our choices determine our destiny.

Most significantly, we love God. We cannot disassociate God from our life. We see life's events from the perspective that God is the author and sustainer of our life. This need not necessarily postulate that God has foreordained every aspect of our life.3

Christians look to God always – be it in moments of joy or pain. We are to depend on God always; seek HIM and pray continually. Therefore, we are not called to navigate life without God, rather we are to gain God's peace and HIS sustaining and healing power to navigate through life' darkest moments.