At his core though, Nietzsche was not truly an enemy of Christianity. He once wrote something like "There has only ever been one true Christian, and he died on the cross". Nietzsche had a great deal of respect for the figure Jesus Christ; Nietzsche's father was a Lutheran pastor (but died when Friedrich was only 5)..

He once wrote a letter to his sister: "Hence the ways of men part: if you wish to strive for peace of soul and pleasure, then believe [in religion]; if you wish to be a devotee of truth, then inquire..."