PHIL304: Existentialism

Watch this video which discusses a passage from Nietzsche's book The Gay Science. How does Nietzsche use the phrase "God is dead", and what does this statement refer to specifically? Can you explain why Nietzsche's remark about the death of God is not a theological statement – or not about religion? In what way is Nietzsche's proclamation that "we have killed [God]" a condemnation of religion, particularly a critique of those Western values passed down from Christianity? In other words, is God really dead, or are the values and commitments we derived from God's existence dead?