,,superstition ,,in ,,all ,,ages  ,by   
,jean ,meslier  #agcb   ,a ,,roman      
,,catholic ,,priest1 ,,who1 ,,after ,a  
,,pastoral ,,service ,,of ,,thirty      
,,years ,,at ,,etrepigny ,,in           
,,champagne1 ,,france1 ,,wholly         
,,abjured ,,religious ,,dogmas1 ,,and   
,,left ,,as ,,his ,,last ,,will ,,and   
,,testament ,,to ,,his ,,parishioners1  
,,and ,,to ,,the ,,world1 ,,to ,,be     
,,published ,,after ,,his ,,death1 ,,the
 ,,following ,,pages1 ,,entitled3       
,,common ,,sense4   ,translated from the
 ,french original by ,miss ,anna ,knoop 
#ahgh     ,,life ,,of ,,jean ,,meslier  
,,by ,,voltaire4  ,jean ,meslier1 born  
#afgh1 in the village of ,mazerny1      
dependency of the duchy of ,rethel1 was 
the son of a serge weaver2 brought up in
 the country1 he nevertheless pursued   
his studies and succeeded to the        
priesthood4 ,at the seminary1 where he  
lived with much regularity1 he devoted  
himself to the system of ,descartes4    
,becoming curate of ,etrepigny in       

,champagne and vicar of a little annexed
 parish named ,bue1 he was remarkable   
for the austerity of his habits4        
,devoted in all his duties1 every year  
he gave what remained of his salary to  
the poor of his parishes2 enthusiastic1 
and of rigid virtue1 he was very        
temperate1 as much in regard to his     
appetite as in relation to women4  ,,mm4
 ,voiri and ,delavaux1 the one curate of
 ,varq1 the other curate of             
,boulzicourt1 were his confessors1 and  
the only ones with whom he associated4  
,the curate ,meslier was a rigid        
partisan of justice1 and sometimes      
carried his zeal a little too far4 ,the 
lord of his village1 ,m4 de ,touilly1   
having ill-treated some peasants1 he    
refused to pray for him in his service4 
,m4 de ,mailly1 ,archbishop of ,rheims1 
before whom the case was brought1       
condemned him4 ,but the ,sunday which   
followed this decision1 the abbot       
,meslier stood in his pulpit and        
complained of the sentence of the       

cardinal4 ,this is1 said he1 the general
 fate of the poor country priest2 the   
archbishops1 who are great lords1 scorn 
them and do not listen to them4         
,therefore1 let us pray for the lord of 
this place4 ,we will pray for ,antoine  
de ,touilly1 that he may be converted   
and granted the grace that he may not   
wrong the poor and despoil the orphans4 
,his lordship1 who was present at this  
mortifying supplication1 brought new    
complaints before the same archbishop1  
who ordered the curate ,meslier to come 
to ,donchery1 where he ill-treated him  
with abusive language4  ,there have been
 scarcely any other events in his life1 
nor other benefice1 than that of        
,etrepigny4 ,he died in the odor of     
sanctity in the year #agcc1 fifty-five  
years old4 ,it is believed that1        
disgusted with life1 he expressly       
refused necessary food1 because during  
his sickness he was not willing to take 
anything1 not even a glass of wine4  ,at
 his death he gave all he possessed1    

which was inconsiderable1 to his        
parishioners1 and desired to be buried  
in his garden4  ,they were greatly      
surprised to find in his house three    
manuscripts1 each containing three      
hundred and sixty-six pages1 all written
 by his hand1 signed and entitled by    
him1 ,my ,testament4 ,this work1 which  
the author addressed to his parishioners
 and to ,m4 ,leroux1 advocate and       
procurator for the parliament of        
,meziers1 is a simple refutation of all 
the religious dogmas1 without excepting 
one4 ,the grand vicar of ,rheims        
retained one of the three copies2       
another was sent to ,monsieur           
,chauvelin1 guardian of the ,state's    
seal2 the third remained at the clerk's 
office of the justiciary of ,st4        
,minehould4 ,the ,count de ,caylus had  
one of those three copies in his        
possession for some time1 and soon      
afterward more than one hundred were at 
,paris1 sold at ten ,louis-d'or apiece4 
,a dying priest accusing himself of     

having professed and taught the         
,christian religion1 made a deeper      
impression upon the mind than the       
,thoughts of ,pascal4  ,the curate      
,meslier had written upon a gray paper  
which enveloped the copy destined for   
his parishioners these remarkable words3
 ,i have seen and recognized the errors1
 the abuses1 the follies1 and the       
wickedness of men4 ,i have hated and    
despised them4 ,i did not dare say it   
during my life1 but ,i will say it at   
least in dying1 and after my death2 and 
it is that it may be known1 that ,i     
write this present memorial in order    
that it may serve as a witness of truth 
to all those who may see and read it if 
they choose4  ,at the beginning of this 
work is found this document 7a kind of  
honorable amend1 which in his letter to 
the ,count of d',argental of ,may #ca1  
#agfb1 ,voltaire qualifies as a         
preface71 addressed to his parishioners4
  ,you know1 said he1 my brethren1 my   
disinterestedness2 ,i do not sacrifice  

my belief to any vile interest4 ,if ,i  
embraced a profession so directly       
opposed to my sentiments1 it was not    
through cupidity4 ,i obeyed my parents4 
,i would have preferred to enlighten you
 sooner if ,i could have done it safely4
 ,you are witnesses to what ,i assert4  
,i have not disgraced my ministry by    
exacting the requitals1 which are a part
 of it4  ,i call heaven to witness that 
,i also thoroughly despised those who   
laughed at the simplicity of the blind  
people1 those who furnished piously     
considerable sums of money to buy       
prayers4 ,how horrible this monopoly6 ,i
 do not blame the disdain which those   
who grow rich by your sweat and your    
pains1 show for their mysteries and     
their superstitions2 but ,i detest their
 insatiable cupidity and the signal     
pleasure such fellows take in railing at
 the ignorance of those whom they       
carefully keep in this state of         
blindness4 ,let them content themselves 
with laughing at their own ease1 but at 

least let them not multiply their errors
 by abusing the blind piety of those    
who1 by their simplicity1 procured them 
such an easy life4 ,you render unto me1 
my brethren1 the justice that is due me4
 ,the sympathy which ,i manifested for  
your troubles saves me from the least   
suspicion4 ,how often have ,i performed 
gratuitously the functions of my        
ministry4 ,how often also has my heart  
been grieved at not being able to assist
 you as often and as abundantly as ,i   
could have wished6 ,have ,i not always  
proved to you that ,i took more pleasure
 in giving than in receiving8 ,i        
carefully avoided exhorting you to      
bigotry1 and ,i spoke to you as rarely  
as possible of our unfortunate dogmas4  
,it was necessary that ,i should acquit 
myself as a priest of my ministry1 but  
how often have ,i not suffered within   
myself when ,i was forced to preach to  
you those pious lies which ,i despised  
in my heart4 ,what a disdain ,i had for 
my ministry1 and particularly for that  

superstitious ,mass1 and those          
ridiculous administrations of           
sacraments1 especially if ,i was        
compelled to perform them with the      
solemnity which awakened all your piety 
and all your good faith4 ,what remorse  
,i had for exciting your credulity6 ,a  
thousand times upon the point of        
bursting forth publicly1 ,i was going to
 open your eyes1 but a fear superior to 
my strength restrained me and forced me 
to silence until my death4  ,the abbot  
,meslier had written two letters to the 
curates of his neighborhood to inform   
them of his ,testament2 he told them    
that he had consigned to the chancery of
 ,st4 ,minnehould a copy of his         
manuscript in #cff leaves in octavo2 but
 he feared it would be suppressed1      
according to the bad custom established 
to prevent the poor from being          
instructed and knowing the truth4  ,the 
curate ,meslier1 the most singular      
phenomenon ever seen among all the      
meteors fatal to the ,christian         

religion1 worked his whole life secretly
 in order to attack the opinions he     
believed false4 ,to compose his         
manuscript against ,god1 against all    
religion1 against the ,bible and the    
,church1 he had no other assistance than
 the ,bible itself1 ,moreri ,montaigne1 
and a few fathers4  ,while the abbot    
,meslier naively acknowledged that he   
did not wish to be burned till after his
 death1 ,thomas ,woolston1 a doctor of  
,cambridge1 published and sold publicly 
at ,london1 in his own house1 sixty     
thousand copies of his ,discourses      
against the miracles of ,jesus ,christ4 
,it was a very astonishing thing that   
two priests should at the same time     
write against the ,christian religion4  
,the curate ,meslier has gone further   
yet than ,woolston2 he dares to treat   
the transport of our ,saviour by the    
devil upon the mountain1 the wedding of 
,cana1 the bread and the fishes1 as     
absurd fables1 injurious to divinity1   
which were ignored during three hundred 

years by the whole ,roman ,empire1 and  
finally passed from the lower class to  
the palace of the emperors1 when policy 
obliged them to adopt the follies of the
 people in order the more easily to     
subjugate them4 ,the denunciations of   
the ,english priest do not approach     
those of the ,champagne priest4         
,woolston is sometimes indulgent1       
,meslier never4 ,he was a man profoundly
 embittered by the crimes he witnessed1 
for which he holds the ,christian       
religion responsible4 ,there is no      
miracle which to him is not an object of
 contempt and horror2 no prophecy that  
he does not compare to those of         
,nostredamus4 ,he wrote thus against    
,jesus ,christ when in the arms of      
death1 at a time when the most          
dissimulating dare not lie1 and when the
 most intrepid tremble4 ,struck with the
 difficulties which he found in         
,scripture1 he inveighed against it more
 bitterly than the ,acosta and all the  
,jews1 more than the famous ,porphyre1  

,celse1 ,iamblique1 ,julian1 ,libanius1 
and all the partisans of human reason4  
,there were found among the books of the
 curate ,meslier a printed manuscript of
 the ,treatise of ,fenelon1 ,archbishop 
of ,cambray1 upon the existence of ,god 
and ,his attributes1 and the reflections
 of the ,jesuit ,tournemine upon        
,atheism1 to which treatise he added    
marginal notes signed by his hand4      
,,decree  of the ,,national ,,convention
 upon the proposition to erect a statue 
to the curate ,jean ,meslier1 the #bg   
,brumaire1 in the year ,,ii4 7,november 
#ag1 #agic74 ,the ,national ,convention 
sends to the ,committee of ,public      
,instruction the proposition made by one
 of its members to erect a statue to    
,jean ,meslier1 curate at ,etrepigny1 in
 ,champagne1 the first priest who had   
the courage and the honesty to abjure   
religious errors4  ,,president ,,and    
,,secretaries4  ,,signed--,p4 ,a4       
,laloy1 ,president2 ,bazire1 ,charles   
,duval1 ,philippeaux1 ,frecine1 and     

,merlin 7de ,thionville71 ,secretaries4 
,certified according to the original4   
,,members ,,of ,,the ,,committee ,,of   
,,decrees ,,and ,,process-,,verbal4     
,,signed--,batellier1 ,echasseriaux1    
,monnel1 ,becker1 ,vernetey1 ,prard1    
,vinet1 ,bouillerot1 ,auger1 ,cordier1  
,delecloy1 and ,cosnard4     ,,preface  
,,of ,,the ,,author4  ,when we wish to  
examine in a cool1 calm way the opinions
 of men1 we are very much surprised to  
find that in those which we consider the
 most essential1 nothing is more rare   
than to find them using common sense2   
that is to say1 the portion of judgment 
sufficient to know the most simple      
truths1 to reject the most striking     
absurdities1 and to be shocked by       
palpable contradictions4 ,we have an    
example of this in ,theology1 a science 
revered in all times1 in all countries1 
by the greatest number of mortals2 an   
object considered the most important1   
the most useful1 and the most           
indispensable to the happiness of       

society4 ,if they would but take the    
trouble to sound the principles upon    
which this pretended science rests      
itself1 they would be compelled to admit
 that the principles which were         
considered incontestable1 are but       
hazardous suppositions1 conceived in    
ignorance1 propagated by enthusiasm or  
bad intention1 adopted by timid         
credulity1 preserved by habit1 which    
never reasons1 and revered solely       
because it is not comprehended4 ,some1  
says ,montaigne1 make the world believe 
that which they do not themselves       
believe2 a greater number of others make
 themselves believe1 not comprehending  
what it is to believe4 ,in a word1      
whoever will consult common sense upon  
religious opinions1 and will carry into 
this examination the attention given to 
objects of ordinary interest1 will      
easily perceive that these opinions have
 no solid foundation2 that all religion 
is but a castle in the air2 that        
,theology is but ignorance of natural   

causes reduced to a system2 that it is  
but a long tissue of chimeras and       
contradictions2 that it presents to all 
the different nations of the earth only 
romances devoid of probability1 of which
 the hero himself is made up of         
qualities impossible to reconcile1 his  
name having the power to excite in all  
hearts respect and fear1 is found to be 
but a vague word1 which men continually 
utter1 being able to attach to it only  
such ideas or qualities as are belied by
 the facts1 or which evidently          
contradict each other4 ,the notion of   
this imaginary being1 or rather the word
 by which we designate him1 would be of 
no consequence did it not cause ravages 
without number upon the earth4 ,born    
into the opinion that this phantom is   
for them a very interesting reality1    
men1 instead of wisely concluding from  
its incomprehensibility that they are   
exempt from thinking of it1 on the      
contrary1 conclude that they can not    
occupy themselves enough about it1 that 

they must meditate upon it without      
ceasing1 reason without end1 and never  
lose sight of it4 ,the invincible       
ignorance in which they are kept in this
 respect1 far from discouraging them1   
does but excite their curiosity2 instead
 of putting them on guard against their 
imagination1 this ignorance makes them  
positive1 dogmatic1 imperious1 and      
causes them to quarrel with all those   
who oppose doubts to the reveries which 
their brains have brought forth4 ,what  
perplexity1 when we attempt to solve an 
unsolvable problem6 ,anxious meditations
 upon an object impossible to grasp1 and
 which1 however1 is supposed to be very 
important to him1 can but put a man into
 bad humor1 and produce in his brain    
dangerous transports4 ,when interest1   
vanity1 and ambition are joined to such 
a morose disposition1 society           
necessarily becomes troubled4 ,this is  
why so many nations have often become   
the theaters of extravagances caused by 
nonsensical visionists1 who1 publishing 

their shallow speculations for the      
eternal truth1 have kindled the         
enthusiasm of princes and of people1 and
 have prepared them for opinions which  
they represented as essential to the    
glory of divinity and to the happiness  
of empires4 ,we have seen1 a thousand   
times1 in all parts of our globe1       
infuriated fanatics slaughtering each   
other1 lighting the funeral piles1      
committing without scruple1 as a matter 
of duty1 the greatest crimes4 ,why8 ,to 
maintain or to propagate the impertinent
 conjectures of enthusiasts1 or to      
sanction the knaveries of impostors on  
account of a being who exists only in   
their imagination1 and who is known only
 by the ravages1 the disputes1 and the  
follies which he has caused upon the    
earth4  ,originally1 savage nations1    
ferocious1 perpetually at war1 adored1  
under various names1 some ,god conformed
 to their ideas2 that is to say1 cruel1 
carnivorous1 selfish1 greedy of blood4  
,we find in all the religions of the    

earth a ,god of armies1 a jealous ,god1 
an avenging ,god1 an exterminating ,god1
 a ,god who enjoys carnage and whose    
worshipers make it a duty to serve him  
to his taste4 ,lambs1 bulls1 children1  
men1 heretics1 infidels1 kings1 whole   
nations1 are sacrificed to him4 ,the    
zealous servants of this barbarous ,god 
go so far as to believe that they are   
obliged to offer themselves as a        
sacrifice to him4 ,everywhere we see    
zealots who1 after having sadly         
meditated upon their terrible ,god1     
imagine that1 in order to please him1   
they must do themselves all the harm    
possible1 and inflict upon themselves1  
in his honor1 all imaginable torments4  
,in a word1 everywhere the baneful ideas
 of ,divinity1 far from consoling men   
for misfortunes incident to their       
existence1 have filled the heart with   
trouble1 and given birth to follies     
destructive to them4 ,how could the     
human mind1 filled with frightful       
phantoms and guided by men interested in

 perpetuating its ignorance and its     
fear1 make progress8 ,man was compelled 
to vegetate in his primitive stupidity2 
he was preserved only by invisible      
powers1 upon whom his fate was supposed 
to depend4 ,solely occupied with his    
alarms and his unintelligible reveries1 
he was always at the mercy of his       
priests1 who reserved for themselves the
 right of thinking for him and of       
regulating his conduct4  ,thus man was1 
and always remained1 a child without    
experience1 a slave without courage1 a  
loggerhead who feared to reason1 and who
 could never escape from the labyrinth  
into which his ancestors had misled him2
 he felt compelled to groan under the   
yoke of his ,gods1 of whom he knew      
nothing except the fabulous accounts of 
their ministers4 ,these1 after having   
fettered him by the ties of opinion1    
have remained his masters or delivered  
him up defenseless to the absolute power
 of tyrants1 no less terrible than the  
,gods1 of whom they were the            

representatives upon the earth4         
,oppressed by the double yoke of        
spiritual and temporal power1 it was    
impossible for the people to instruct   
themselves and to work for their own    
welfare4 ,thus1 religion1 politics1 and 
morals became sanctuaries1 into which   
the profane were not permitted to enter4
 ,men had no other morality than that   
which their legislators and their       
priests claimed as descended from       
unknown empyrean regions4 ,the human    
mind1 perplexed by these theological    
opinions1 misunderstood itself1 doubted 
its own powers1 mistrusted experience1  
feared truth1 disdained its reason1 and 
left it to blindly follow authority4    
,man was a pure machine in the hands of 
his tyrants and his priests1 who alone  
had the right to regulate his movements4
 ,always treated as a slave1 he had at  
all times and in all places the vices   
and dispositions of a slave4  ,these are
 the true sources of the corruption of  
habits1 to which religion never opposes 

anything but ideal and ineffectual      
obstacles2 ignorance and servitude have 
a tendency to make men wicked and       
unhappy4 ,science1 reason1 liberty1     
alone can reform them and render them   
more happy2 but everything conspires to 
blind them and to confirm them in their 
blindness4 ,the priests deceive them1   
tyrants corrupt them in order to        
subjugate them more easily4 ,tyranny has
 been1 and will always be1 the chief    
source of the depraved morals and       
habitual calamities of the people4      
,these1 almost always fascinated by     
their religious notions or by           
metaphysical fictions1 instead of       
looking upon the natural and visible    
causes of their miseries1 attribute     
their vices to the imperfections of     
their nature1 and their misfortunes to  
the anger of their ,gods2 they offer to 
,heaven vows1 sacrifices1 and presents1 
in order to put an end to their         
misfortunes1 which are really due only  
to the negligence1 the ignorance1 and to

 the perversity of their guides1 to the 
folly of their institutions1 to their   
foolish customs1 to their false         
opinions1 to their unreasonable laws1   
and especially to their want of         
enlightenment4 ,let the mind be filled  
early with true ideas2 let man's reason 
be cultivated2 let justice govern him2  
and there will be no need of opposing to
 his passions the powerless barrier of  
the fear of ,gods4 ,men will be good    
when they are well taught1 well         
governed1 chastised or censured for the 
evil1 and justly rewarded for the good  
which they have done to their           
fellow-citizens4 ,it is idle to pretend 
to cure mortals of their vices if we do 
not begin by curing them of their       
prejudices4 ,it is only by showing them 
the truth that they can know their best 
interests and the real motives which    
will lead them to happiness4 ,long      
enough have the instructors of the      
people fixed their eyes on heaven2 let  
them at last bring them back to the     

earth4 ,tired of an incomprehensible    
theology1 of ridiculous fables1 of      
impenetrable mysteries1 of puerile      
ceremonies1 let the human mind occupy   
itself with natural things1 intelligible
 objects1 sensible truths1 and useful   
knowledge4 ,let the vain chimeras which 
beset the people be dissipated1 and very
 soon rational opinions will fill the   
minds of those who were believed fated  
to be always in error4 ,to annihilate   
religious prejudices1 it would be       
sufficient to show that what is         
inconceivable to man can not be of any  
use to him4 ,does it need1 then1        
anything but simple common sense to     
perceive that a being most clearly      
irreconcilable with the notions of      
mankind1 that a cause continually       
opposed to the effects attributed to    
him2 that a being of whom not a word can
 be said without falling into           
contradictions2 that a being who1 far   
from explaining the mysteries of the    
universe1 only renders them more        

inexplicable2 that a being to whom for  
so many centuries men addressed         
themselves so vainly to obtain their    
happiness and deliverance from their    
sufferings2 does it need1 ,i say1 more  
than simple common sense to understand  
that the idea of such a being is an idea
 without model1 and that he is himself  
evidently not a reasonable being8 ,does 
it require more than common sense to    
feel that there is at least delirium and
 frenzy in hating and tormenting each   
other for unintelligible opinions of a  
being of this kind8 ,finally1 does it   
not all prove that morality and virtue  
are totally incompatible with the idea  
of a ,god1 whose ministers and          
interpreters have painted him in all    
countries as the most fantastic1 the    
most unjust1 and the most cruel of      
tyrants1 whose pretended wishes are to  
serve as rules and laws for the         
inhabitants of the earth8 ,to discover  
the true principles of morality1 men    
have no need of theology1 of revelation1

 or of ,gods2 they need but common      
sense2 they have only to look within    
themselves1 to reflect upon their own   
nature1 to consult their obvious        
interests1 to consider the object of    
society and of each of the members who  
compose it1 and they will easily        
understand that virtue is an advantage1 
and that vice is an injury to beings of 
their species4 ,let us teach men to be  
just1 benevolent1 moderate1 and         
sociable1 not because their ,gods exact 
it1 but to please men2 let us tell them 
to abstain from vice and from crime1 not
 because they will be punished in       
another world1 but because they will    
suffer in the present world4 ,there are1
 says ,montesquieu1 means to prevent    
crime1 they are sufferings2 to change   
the manners1 these are good examples4   
,truth is simple1 error is complicated1 
uncertain in its gait1 full of by-ways2 
the voice of nature is intelligible1    
that of falsehood is ambiguous1         
enigmatical1 and mysterious2 the road of

 truth is straight1 that of imposture is
 oblique and dark2 this truth1 always   
necessary to man1 is felt by all just   
minds2 the lessons of reason are        
followed by all honest souls2 men are   
unhappy only because they are ignorant2 
they are ignorant only because          
everything conspires to prevent them    
from being enlightened1 and they are    
wicked only because their reason is not 
sufficiently developed4     ,,common    
,,sense4  ,detexit quo dolose           
,vaticinandi furore sacerdotes mysteria1
 illis spe ignota1 audactur             
publicant4--,,petron4 ,,satyr4          
,i4--,,apologue4  ,there is a vast      
empire governed by a monarch1 whose     
conduct does but confound the minds of  
his subjects4 ,he desires to be known1  
loved1 respected1 and obeyed1 but he    
never shows himself2 everything tends to
 make uncertain the notions which we are
 able to form about him4 ,the people    
subjected to his power have only such   
ideas of the character and the laws of  

their invisible sovereign as his        
ministers give them2 these suit1        
however1 because they themselves have no
 idea of their master1 for his ways are 
impenetrable1 and his views and his     
qualities are totally incomprehensible2 
moreover1 his ministers disagree among  
themselves in regard to the orders which
 they pretend emanated from the         
sovereign whose organs they claim to be2
 they announce them diversely in each   
province of the empire2 they discredit  
and treat each other as impostors and   
liars2 the decrees and ordinances which 
they promulgate are obscure2 they are   
enigmas1 made not to be understood or   
divined by the subjects for whose       
instruction they were intended4 ,the    
laws of the invisible monarch need      
interpreters1 but those who explain them
 are always quarreling among themselves 
about the true way of understanding     
them2 more than this1 they do not agree 
among themselves2 all which they relate 
of their hidden prince is but a tissue  

of contradictions1 scarcely a single    
word that is not contradicted at once4  
,he is called supremely good1           
nevertheless not a person but complains 
of his decrees4 ,he is supposed to be   
infinitely wise1 and in his             
administration everything seems contrary
 to reason and good sense4 ,they boast  
of his justice1 and the best of his     
subjects are generally the least        
favored4 ,we are assured that he sees   
everything1 yet his presence remedies   
nothing4 ,it is said that he is the     
friend of order1 and everything in his  
universe is in a state of confusion and 
disorder2 all is created by him1 yet    
events rarely happen according to his   
projects4 ,he foresees everything1 but  
his foresight prevents nothing4 ,he is  
impatient if any offend him2 at the same
 time he puts every one in the way of   
offending him4 ,his knowledge is admired
 in the perfection of his works1 but his
 works are full of imperfections1 and of
 little permanence4 ,he is continually  

occupied in creating and destroying1    
then repairing what he has done1 never  
appearing to be satisfied with his work4
 ,in all his enterprises he seeks but   
his own glory1 but he does not succeed  
in being glorified4 ,he works but for   
the good of his subjects1 and most of   
them lack the necessities of life4      
,those whom he seems to favor1 are      
generally those who are the least       
satisfied with their fate2 we see them  
all continually revolting against a     
master whose greatness they admire1     
whose wisdom they extol1 whose goodness 
they worship1 and whose justice they    
fear1 revering orders which they never  
follow4 ,this empire is the world2 its  
monarch is ,god2 ,his ministers are the 
priests2 their subjects are men4        
,,ii4--,,what ,,is ,,theology8  ,there  
is a science which has for its object   
only incomprehensible things4 ,unlike   
all others1 it occupies itself but with 
things unseen4 ,hobbes calls it the     
kingdom of darkness4 ,in this land all  

obey laws opposed to those which men    
acknowledge in the world they inhabit4  
,in this marvelous region light is but  
darkness1 evidence becomes doubtful or  
false1 the impossible becomes credible1 
reason is an unfaithful guide1 and      
common sense changed into delirium4     
,this science is named ,theology1 and   
this ,theology is a continual insult to 
human reason4     ,,iii4  ,by frequent  
repetition of if1 but1 and perhaps1 we  
succeed in forming an imperfect and     
broken system which perplexes men's     
minds to the extent of making them      
forget the clearest notions1 and to     
render uncertain the most palpable      
truths4 ,by the aid of this systematic  
nonsense1 all nature has become an      
inexplicable enigma for man2 the visible
 world has disappeared to give place to 
invisible regions2 reason is obliged to 
give place to imagination1 which can    
lead us only to the land of chimeras    
which she herself has invented4         
,,iv4--,,man ,,born ,,neither           

,,religious ,,nor ,,deistical4  ,all    
religious principles are founded upon   
the idea of a ,god1 but it is impossible
 for men to have true ideas of a being  
who does not act upon any one of their  
senses4 ,all our ideas are but pictures 
of objects which strike us4 ,what can   
the idea of ,god represent to us when it
 is evidently an idea without an object8
 ,is not such an idea as impossible as  
an effect without a cause8 ,an idea     
without a prototype1 is it anything but 
a chimera8 ,some theologians1 however1  
assure us that the idea of ,god is      
innate1 or that men have this idea from 
the time of their birth4 ,every         
principle is a judgment2 all judgment is
 the effect of experience2 experience is
 not acquired but by the exercise of the
 senses3 from which it follows that     
religious principles are drawn from     
nothing1 and are not innate4            
,v4--,,it ,,is ,,not ,,necessary ,,to   
,,believe ,,in ,a ,,god1 ,,and ,,the    
,,most ,,reasonable ,,thing ,,is ,,not  

,,to ,,think ,,of ,,him4  ,no religious 
system can be founded otherwise than    
upon the nature of ,god and of men1 and 
upon the relations they bear to each    
other4 ,but1 in order to judge of the   
reality of these relations1 we must have
 some idea of the ,divine nature4 ,but  
everybody tells us that the essence of  
,god is incomprehensible to man2 at the 
same time they do not hesitate to assign
 attributes to this incomprehensible    
,god1 and assure us that man can not    
dispense with a knowledge of this ,god  
so impossible to conceive of4 ,the most 
important thing for men is that which is
 the most impossible for them to        
comprehend4 ,if ,god is incomprehensible
 to man1 it would seem rational never to
 think of ,him at all2 but religion     
concludes that man is criminal if he    
ceases for a moment to revere ,him4     
,,vi4--,,religion ,,is ,,founded ,,upon 
,,credulity4  ,we are told that ,divine 
qualities are not of a nature to be     
grasped by limited minds4 ,the natural  

consequence of this principle ought to  
be that the ,divine qualities are not   
made to employ limited minds2 but       
religion assures us that limited minds  
should never lose sight of this         
inconceivable being1 whose qualities can
 not be grasped by them3 from which we  
see that religion is the art of         
occupying limited minds with that which 
is impossible for them to comprehend4   
,,vii4--,,every ,,religion ,,is ,,an    
,,absurdity4  ,religion unites man with 
,god or puts them in communication2 but 
do you say that ,god is infinite8 ,if   
,god is infinite1 no finite being can   
have communication or any relation with 
,him4 ,where there are no relations1    
there can be no union1 no               
correspondence1 no duties4 ,if there are
 no duties between man and his ,god1    
there exists no religion for man4 ,thus 
by saying that ,god is infinite1 you    
annihilate1 from that moment1 all       
religion for man1 who is a finite being4
 ,the idea of infinity is for us in idea

 without model1 without prototype1      
without object4     ,,viii4--,,the      
,,notion ,,of ,,god ,,is ,,impossible4  
,if ,god is an infinite being1 there can
 be neither in the actual world or in   
another any proportion between man and  
his ,god2 thus the idea of ,god will    
never enter the human mind4 ,in the     
supposition of a life where men will be 
more enlightened than in this one1 the  
infinity of ,god will always place such 
a distance between his idea and the     
limited mind of man1 that he will not be
 able to conceive of ,god any more in a 
future life than in the present4 ,hence1
 it evidently follows that the idea of  
,god will not be better suited to man in
 the other life than in the present4    
,god is not made for man2 it follows    
also that intelligences superior to     
man--such as angels1 archangels1        
seraphims1 and saints--can have no more 
complete notions of ,god than has man1  
who does not understand anything about  
,him here below4     ,,ix4--,,origin    

,,of ,,superstition4  ,how is it that we
 have succeeded in persuading reasonable
 beings that the thing most impossible  
to understand was the most essential for
 them4 ,it is because they were greatly 
frightened2 it is because when men are  
kept in fear they cease to reason2 it is
 because they have been expressly       
enjoined to distrust their reason4 ,when
 the brain is troubled1 we believe      
everything and examine nothing4         
,x4--,,origin ,,of ,,all ,,religion4    
,ignorance and fear are the two pivots  
of all religion4 ,the uncertainty       
attending man's relation to his ,god is 
precisely the motive which attaches him 
to his religion4 ,man is afraid when in 
darkness--physical or moral4 ,his fear  
is habitual to him and becomes a        
necessity2 he would believe that he     
lacked something if he had nothing to   
fear4     ,,xi4--,,in ,,the ,,name ,,of 
,,religion ,,charlatans ,,take          
,,advantage ,,of ,,the ,,weakness ,,of  
,,men4  ,he who from his childhood has  

had a habit of trembling every time he  
heard certain words1 needs these words1 
and needs to tremble4 ,in this way he is
 more disposed to listen to the one who 
encourages his fears than to the one who
 would dispel his fears4 ,the           
superstitious man wants to be afraid2   
his imagination demands it4 ,it seems   
that he fears nothing more than having  
no object to fear4 ,men are imaginary   
patients1 whom interested charlatans    
take care to encourage in their         
weakness1 in order to have a market for 
their remedies4 ,physicians who order a 
great number of remedies are more       
listened to than those who recommend a  
good regimen1 and who leave nature to   
act4     ,,xii4--,,religion ,,entices   
,,ignorance ,,by ,,the ,,aid ,,of ,,the 
,,marvelous4  ,if religion was clear1 it
 would have fewer attractions for the   
ignorant4 ,they need obscurity1         
mysteries1 fables1 miracles1 incredible 
things1 which keep their brains         
perpetually at work4 ,romances1 idle    

stories1 tales of ghosts and witches1   
have more charms for the vulgar than    
true narrations4                        
,,xiii4--,,continuation4  ,in the matter
 of religion1 men are but overgrown     
children4 ,the more absurd a religion   
is1 and the fuller of marvels1 the more 
power it exerts2 the devotee thinks     
himself obliged to place no limits to   
his credulity2 the more inconceivable   
things are1 the more divine they appear 
to him2 the more incredible they are1   
the more merit he gives himself for     
believing them4     ,,xiv4--,,there     
,,would ,,never ,,have ,,been ,,any     
,,religion ,,if ,,there ,,had ,,never   
,,been ,,any ,,dark ,,and ,,barbarous   
,,ages4  ,the origin of religious       
opinions dates1 as a general thing1 from
 the time when savage nations were yet  
in a state of infancy4 ,it was to       
coarse1 ignorant1 and stupid men that   
the founders of religion addressed      
themselves in all ages1 in order to     
present them with ,gods1 ceremonies1    

histories of fabulous ,divinities1      
marvelous and terrible fables4 ,these   
chimeras1 adopted without examination by
 the fathers1 have been transmitted with
 more or less changes to their polished 
children1 who often do not reason more  
than their fathers4     ,,xv4--,,all    
,,religion ,,was ,,born ,,of ,,the      
,,desire ,,to ,,dominate4  ,the first   
legislators of nations had for their    
object to dominate1 ,the easiest means  
of succeeding was to frighten the people
 and to prevent them from reasoning2    
they led them by tortuous paths in order
 that they should not perceive the      
designs of their guides2 they compelled 
them to look into the air1 for fear they
 should look to their feet2 they amused 
them upon the road by stories2 in a     
word1 they treated them in the way of   
nurses1 who employ songs and menaces to 
put the children to sleep1 or to force  
them to be quiet4     ,,xvi4--,,that    
,,which ,,serves ,,as ,a ,,basis ,,for  
,,all ,,religion ,,is ,,very            

,,uncertain4  ,the existence of a ,god  
is the basis of all religion4 ,few      
people seem to doubt this existence1 but
 this fundamental principle is precisely
 the one which prevents every mind from 
reasoning4 ,the first question of every 
catechism was1 and will always be1 the  
most difficult one to answer4           
,,xvii4--,,it ,,is ,,impossible ,,to    
,,be ,,convinced ,,of ,,the ,,existence 
,,of ,,god4  ,can one honestly say that 
he is convinced of the existence of a   
being whose nature is not known1 who    
remains inaccessible to all our senses1 
and of whose qualities we are constantly
 assured that they are incomprehensible 
to us8 ,in order to persuade me that a  
being exists1 or can exist1 he must     
begin by telling me what this being is2 
in order to make me believe the         
existence or the possibility of such a  
being1 he must tell me things about him 
which are not contradictory1 and which  
do not destroy one another2 finally1 in 
order to convince me fully of the       

existence of this being1 he must tell me
 things about him which ,i can          
comprehend1 and prove to me that it is  
impossible that the being to whom he    
attributes these qualities does not     
exist4     ,,xviii4--,,continuation4  ,a
 thing is impossible when it is composed
 of two ideas so antagonistic1 that we  
can not think of them at the same time4 
,evidence can be relied on only when    
confirmed by the constant testimony of  
our senses1 which alone give birth to   
ideas1 and enable us to judge of their  
conformity or of their incompatibility4 
,that which exists necessarily1 is that 
of which the non-existence would imply  
contradiction4 ,these principles1       
universally recognized1 are at fault    
when the question of the existence of   
,god is considered2 what has been said  
of ,him is either unintelligible or     
perfectly contradictory2 and for this   
reason must appear impossible to every  
man of common sense4     ,,xix4--,,the  
,,existence ,,of ,,god ,,is ,,not       

,,proved4  ,all human intelligences are 
more or less enlightened and cultivated4
 ,by what fatality is it that the       
science of ,god has never been          
explained8 ,the most civilized nations  
and the most profound thinkers are of   
the same opinion in regard to the matter
 as the most barbarous nations and the  
most ignorant and rustic people4 ,as we 
examine the subject more closely1 we    
will find that the science of divinity  
by means of reveries and subtleties has 
but obscured it more and more4 ,thus    
far1 all religion has been founded on   
what is called in logic1 a begging of   
the question2 it supposes freely1 and   
then proves1 finally1 by the            
suppositions it has made4               
,,xx4--,,to ,,say ,,that ,,god ,,is ,a  
,,spirit1 ,,is ,,to ,,speak ,,without   
,,saying ,,anything ,,at ,,all4  ,by    
metaphysics1 ,god is made a pure spirit1
 but has modern theology advanced one   
step further than the theology of the   
barbarians8 ,they recognized a grand    

spirit as master of the world4 ,the     
barbarians1 like all ignorant men1      
attribute to spirits all the effects of 
which their inexperience prevents them  
from discovering the true causes4 ,ask a
 barbarian what causes your watch to    
move1 he will answer1 a spirit6 ,ask our
 philosophers what moves the universe1  
they will tell you it is a spirit4      
,,xxi4--,,spirituality ,,is ,a          
,,chimera4  ,the barbarian1 when he     
speaks of a spirit1 attaches at least   
some sense to this word2 he understands 
by it an agent similar to the wind1 to  
the agitated air1 to the breath1 which  
produces1 invisibly1 effects that we    
perceive4 ,by subtilizing1 the modern   
theologian becomes as little            
intelligible to himself as to others4   
,ask him what he means by a spirit8 ,he 
will answer1 that it is an unknown      
substance1 which is perfectly simple1   
which has nothing tangible1 nothing in  
common with matter4 ,in good faith1 is  
there any mortal who can form the least 

idea of such a substance8 ,a spirit in  
the language of modern theology is then 
but an absence of ideas4 ,the idea of   
spirituality is another idea without a  
model4     ,,xxii4--,,all ,,which       
,,exists ,,springs ,,from ,,the ,,bosom 
,,of ,,matter4  ,is it not more natural 
and more intelligible to deduce all     
which exists1 from the bosom of matter1 
whose existence is demonstrated by all  
our senses1 whose effects we feel at    
every moment1 which we see act1 move1   
communicate1 motion1 and constantly     
bring living beings into existence1 than
 to attribute the formation of things to
 an unknown force1 to a spiritual being1
 who can not draw from his ground that  
which he has not himself1 and who1 by   
the spiritual essence claimed for him1  
is incapable of making anything1 and of 
putting anything in motion8 ,nothing is 
plainer than that they would have us    
believe that an intangible spirit can   
act upon matter4     ,,xxiii4--,,what   
,,is ,,the ,,metaphysical ,,god ,,of    

,,modern ,,theology8  ,the material     
,jupiter of the ancients could move1    
build up1 destroy1 and propagate beings 
similar to himself2 but the ,god of     
modern theology is a sterile being4     
,according to his supposed nature he can
 neither occupy any place1 nor move     
matter1 nor produce a visible world1 nor
 propagate either men or ,gods4 ,the    
metaphysical ,god is a workman without  
hands2 he is able but to produce clouds1
 suspicions1 reveries1 follies1 and     
quarrels4     ,,xxiv4--,,it ,,would ,,be
 ,,more ,,rational ,,to ,,worship ,,the 
,,sun ,,than ,a ,,spiritual ,,god4      
,since it was necessary for men to have 
a ,god1 why did they not have the sun1  
the visible ,god1 adored by so many     
nations8 ,what being had more right to  
the homage of mortals than the star of  
the day1 which gives light and heat2    
which invigorates all beings2 whose     
presence reanimates and rejuvenates     
nature2 whose absence seems to plunge   
her into sadness and languor8 ,if some  

being bestowed upon men power1 activity1
 benevolence1 strength1 it was no doubt 
the sun1 which should be recognized as  
the father of nature1 as the soul of the
 world1 as ,divinity4 ,at least one     
could not without folly dispute his     
existence1 or refuse to recognize his   
influence and his benefits4             
,,xxv4--,a ,,spiritual ,,god ,,is       
,,incapable ,,of ,,willing ,,and ,,of   
,,acting4  ,the theologian tells us that
 ,god does not need hands or arms to    
act1 and that ,he acts by ,his will     
alone4 ,but what is this ,god who has a 
will8 ,and what can be the subject of   
this divine will8 ,is it more ridiculous
 or more difficult to believe in        
fairies1 in sylphs1 in ghosts1 in       
witches1 in were-wolfs1 than to believe 
in the magical or impossible action of  
the spirit upon the body8 ,as soon as we
 admit of such a ,god1 there are no     
longer fables or visions which can not  
be believed4 ,the theologians treat men 
like children1 who never cavil about the

 possibilities of the tales which they  
listen to4     ,,xxvi4--,,what ,,is     
,,god8  ,to unsettle the existence of a 
,god1 it is only necessary to ask a     
theologian to speak of ,him2 as soon as 
he utters one word about ,him1 the least
 reflection makes us discover at once   
that what he says is incompatible with  
the essence which he attributes to his  
,god4 ,therefore1 what is ,god8 ,it is  
an abstract word1 coined to designate   
the hidden forces of nature2 or1 it is a
 mathematical point1 which has neither  
length1 breadth1 nor thickness4 ,a      
philosopher ,david ,hume has very       
ingeniously said in speaking of         
theologians1 that they have found the   
solution to the famous problem of       
,archimedes2 a point in the heavens from
 which they move the world4             
,,xxvii4--,,remarkable ,,contradictions 
,,of ,,theology4  ,religion puts men on 
their knees before a being without      
extension1 and who1 notwithstanding1 is 
infinite1 and fills all space with his  

immensity2 before an almighty being1 who
 never executes that which he desires2  
before a being supremely good1 and who  
causes but displeasure2 before a being1 
the friend of order1 and in whose       
government everything is in disorder4   
,after all this1 let us conjecture what 
this ,god of theology is4               
,,xxviii4--,,to ,,adore ,,god ,,is ,,to 
,,adore ,a ,,fiction4  ,in order to     
avoid all embarrassment1 they tell us   
that it is not necessary to know what   
,god is2 that we must adore without     
knowing2 that it is not permitted us to 
turn an eye of temerity upon ,his       
attributes4 ,but if we must adore a ,god
 without knowing ,him1 should we not be 
assured that ,he exists8 ,moreover1 how 
be assured that ,he exists without      
having examined whether it is possible  
that the diverse qualities claimed for  
,him1 meet in ,him8 ,in truth1 to adore 
,god is to adore nothing but fictions of
 one's own brain1 or rather1 it is to   
adore nothing4     ,,xxix4--,,the       

,,infinity ,,of ,,god ,,and ,,the       
,,impossibility ,,of ,,knowing ,,the    
,,divine ,,essence1 ,,occasions ,,and   
,,justifies ,,atheism4  ,without doubt  
the more to perplex matters1 theologians
 have chosen to say nothing about what  
their ,god is2 they tell us what ,he is 
not4 ,by negations and abstractions they
 imagine themselves composing a real and
 perfect being1 while there can result  
from it but a being of human reason4 ,a 
spirit has no body2 an infinite being is
 a being which is not finite2 a perfect 
being is a being which is not imperfect4
 ,can any one form any real notions of  
such a multitude of deficiencies or     
absence of ideas8 ,that which excludes  
all idea1 can it be anything but        
nothingness8 ,to pretend that the divine
 attributes are beyond the understanding
 of the human mind is to render ,god    
unfit for men4 ,if we are assured that  
,god is infinite1 we admit that there   
can be nothing in common between ,him   
and ,his creatures4 ,to say that ,god is

 infinite1 is to destroy ,him for men1  
or at least render ,him useless to them4
  ,god1 we are told1 created men        
intelligent1 but ,he did not create them
 omniscient3 that is to say1 capable of 
knowing all things4 ,we conclude that   
,he was not able to endow him with      
intelligence sufficient to understand   
the divine essence4 ,in this case it is 
demonstrated that ,god has neither the  
power nor the wish to be known by men4  
,by what right could this ,god become   
angry with beings whose own essence     
makes it impossible to have any idea of 
the divine essence8 ,god would evidently
 be the most unjust and the most        
unaccountable of tyrants if ,he should  
punish an atheist for not knowing that  
which his nature made it impossible for 
him to know4     ,,xxx4--,,it ,,is      
,,neither ,,less ,,nor ,,more ,,criminal
 ,,to ,,believe ,,in ,,god ,,than ,,not 
,,to ,,believe ,,in ,,him4  ,for the    
generality of men nothing renders an    
argument more convincing than fear4 ,in 

consequence of this fact1 theologians   
tell us that the safest side must be    
taken2 that nothing is more criminal    
than incredulity2 that ,god will punish 
without mercy all those who have the    
temerity to doubt ,his existence2 that  
,his severity is just2 since it is only 
madness or perversity which questions   
the existence of an angry monarch who   
revenges himself cruelly upon atheists4 
,if we examine these menaces calmly1 we 
shall find that they assume always the  
thing in question4 ,they must commence  
by proving to our satisfaction the      
existence of a ,god1 before telling us  
that it is safer to believe1 and that it
 is horrible to doubt or to deny it4    
,then they must prove that it is        
possible for a just ,god to punish men  
cruelly for having been in a state of   
madness1 which prevented them from      
believing in the existence of a being   
whom their enlightened reason could not 
comprehend4 ,in a word1 they must prove 
that a ,god that is said to be full of  

equity1 could punish beyond measure the 
invincible and necessary ignorance of   
man1 caused by his relation to the      
divine essence4 ,is not the theologians'
 manner of reasoning very singular8     
,they create phantoms1 they fill them   
with contradictions1 and finally assure 
us that the safest way is not to doubt  
the existence of those phantoms1 which  
they have themselves invented4 ,by      
following out this method1 there is no  
absurdity which it would not be safer to
 believe than not to believe4  ,all     
children are atheists--they have no idea
 of ,god2 are they1 then1 criminal on   
account of this ignorance8 ,at what age 
do they begin to be obliged to believe  
in ,god8 ,it is1 you say1 at the age of 
reason4 ,at what time does this age     
begin8 ,besides1 if the most profound   
theologians lose themselves in the      
divine essence1 which they boast of not 
comprehending1 what ideas can common    
people have8--women1 mechanics1 and1 in 
short1 those who compose the mass of the

 human race8     ,,xxxi4--,,the ,,belief
 ,,in ,,god ,,is ,,nothing ,,but ,a     
,,mechanical ,,habitude ,,of            
,,childhood4  ,men believe in ,god only 
upon the word of those who have no more 
idea of ,him than they themselves4 ,our 
nurses are our first theologians2 they  
talk to children of ,god as they talk to
 them of were-wolfs2 they teach them    
from the most tender age to join the    
hands mechanically4 ,have the nurses    
clearer notions of ,god than the        
children1 whom they compel to pray to   
,him8     ,,xxxii4--,,it ,,is ,a        
,,prejudice ,,which ,,has ,,been        
,,handed ,,from ,,father ,,to           
,,children4  ,religion is handed down   
from fathers to children as the property
 of a family with the burdens4 ,very few
 people in the world would have a ,god  
if care had not been taken to give them 
one4 ,each one receives from his parents
 and his instructors the ,god which they
 themselves have received from theirs2  
only1 according to his own temperament1 

each one arranges1 modifies1 and paints 
,him agreeably to his taste4            
,,xxxiii4--,,origin ,,of ,,prejudices4  
,the brain of man is1 especially in     
infancy1 like a soft wax1 ready to      
receive all the impressions we wish to  
make on it2 education furnishes nearly  
all his opinions1 at a period when he is
 incapable of judging for himself4 ,we  
believe that the ideas1 true or false1  
which at a tender age were forced into  
our heads1 were received from nature at 
our birth2 and this persuasion is one of
 the greatest sources of our errors4    
,,xxxiv4--,,how ,,they ,,take ,,root    
,,and ,,spread4  ,prejudice tends to    
confirm in us the opinions of those who 
are charged with our instruction4 ,we   
believe them more skillful than we are2 
we suppose them thoroughly convinced    
themselves of the things they teach us4 
,we have the greatest confidence in     
them4 ,after the care they have taken of
 us when we were unable to assist       
ourselves1 we judge them incapable of   

deceiving us4 ,these are the motives    
which make us adopt a thousand errors   
without other foundation than the       
dangerous word of those who have        
educated us2 even the being forbidden to
 reason upon what they tell us1 does not
 diminish our confidence1 but           
contributes often to increase our       
respect for their opinions4             
,,xxxv4--,,men ,,would ,,never ,,have   
,,believed ,,in ,,the ,,principles ,,of 
,,modern ,,theology ,,if ,,they ,,had   
,,not ,,been ,,taught ,,at ,,an ,,age   
,,when ,,they ,,were ,,incapable ,,of   
,,reasoning4  ,the instructors of the   
human race act very prudently in        
teaching men their religious principles 
before they are able to distinguish the 
true from the false1 or the left hand   
from the right4 ,it would be as         
difficult to tame the spirit of a man   
forty years old with the extravagant    
notions which are given us of ,divinity1
 as to banish these notions from the    
head of a man who has imbibed them since

 his tenderest infancy4                 
,,xxxvi4--,,the ,,wonders ,,of ,,nature 
,,do ,,not ,,prove ,,the ,,existence    
,,of ,,god4  ,we are assured that the   
wonders of nature are sufficient to a   
belief in the existence of a ,god1 and  
to convince us fully of this important  
truth4 ,but how many persons are there  
in this world who have the leisure1 the 
capacity1 the necessary taste1 to       
contemplate nature and to meditate upon 
its progress8 ,the majority of men pay  
no attention to it4 ,a peasant is not at
 all moved by the beauty of the sun1    
which he sees every day4 ,the sailor is 
not surprised by the regular movements  
of the ocean2 he will draw from them no 
theological inductions4 ,the phenomena  
of nature do not prove the existence of 
a ,god1 except to a few forewarned men1 
to whom has been shown in advance the   
finger of ,god in all the objects whose 
mechanism could embarrass them4 ,the    
unprejudiced philosopher sees nothing in
 the wonders of nature but permanent and

 invariable law2 nothing but the        
necessary effects of different          
combinations of diversified substance4  
,,xxxvii4--,,the ,,wonders ,,of ,,nature
 ,,explain ,,themselves ,,by ,,natural  
,,causes4  ,is there anything more      
surprising than the logic of so many    
profound doctors1 who1 instead of       
acknowledging the little light they have
 upon natural agencies1 seek outside of 
nature--that is to say1 in imaginary    
regions--an agent less understood than  
this nature1 of which they can at least 
form some idea8 ,to say that ,god is the
 author of the phenomena that we see1 is
 it not attributing them to an occult   
cause8 ,what is ,god8 ,what is a spirit8
 ,they are causes of which we have no   
idea4 ,sages6 study nature and her laws2
 and when you can from them unravel the 
action of natural causes1 do not go in  
search of supernatural causes1 which1   
very far from enlightening your ideas1  
will but entangle them more and more and
 make it impossible for you to          

understand yourselves4                  
,,xxxviii--,,continuation4  ,nature1 you
 say1 is totally inexplicable without a 
,god2 that is to say1 in order to       
explain what you understand so little1  
you need a cause which you do not       
understand at all4 ,you pretend to make 
clear that which is obscure1 by         
magnifying its obscurity4 ,you think you
 have untied a knot by multiplying      
knots4 ,enthusiastic philosophers1 in   
order to prove to us the existence of a 
,god1 you copy complete treatises on    
botany2 you enter into minute details of
 the parts of the human body2 you ascend
 into the air to contemplate the        
revolutions of the stars2 you return    
then to earth to admire the course of   
the waters2 you fly into ecstasies over 
butterflies1 insects1 polyps1 organized 
atoms1 in which you think to find the   
greatness of your ,god2 all these things
 will not prove the existence of this   
,god2 they will only prove that you have
 not the ideas which you should have of 

the immense variety of causes and       
effects that can produce the infinitely 
diversified combinations1 of which the  
universe is the assemblage4 ,this will  
prove that you ignore nature1 that you  
have no idea of her resources when you  
judge her incapable of producing a      
multitude of forms and beings1 of which 
your eyes1 even by the aid of the       
microscope1 see but the least part2     
finally1 this will prove1 that not being
 able to know the sensible and          
comprehensible agents1 you find it      
easier to have recourse to a word1 by   
which you designate an agent1 of whom it
 will always be impossible for you to   
form any true idea4     ,,xxxix4--,,the 
,,world ,,has ,,not ,,been ,,created1   
,,and ,,matter ,,moves ,,by ,,itself4   
,they tell us gravely that there is no  
effect without a cause2 they repeat to  
us very often that the world did not    
create itself4 ,but the universe is a   
cause1 not an effect2 it is not a work1 
has not been made1 because it was       

impossible that it should be made4 ,the 
world has always been1 its existence is 
necessary4 ,it is the cause of itself4  
,nature1 whose essence is visibly acting
 and producing1 in order to fulfill her 
functions1 as we see she does1 needs no 
invisible motor far more unknown than   
herself4 ,matter moves by its own       
energy1 by the necessary result of its  
heterogeneity2 the diversity of its     
movements or of its ways of acting1     
constitute only the diversity of        
substances2 we distinguish one being    
from another but by the diversity of the
 impressions or movements which they    
communicate to our organs4              
,,xl4--,,continuation4  ,you see that   
everything in nature is in a state of   
activity1 and you pretend that nature of
 itself is dead and without energy6 ,you
 believe that all this1 acting of       
itself1 has need of a motor6 ,well6 who 
is this motor8 ,it is a spirit1 that is 
to say1 an absolutely incomprehensible  
and contradictory being4 ,conclude then1

 ,i say to you1 that matter acts of     
itself1 and cease to reason about your  
spiritual motor1 which has nothing that 
is necessary to put it into motion4     
,return from your useless excursions2   
come down from an imaginary into a real 
world2 take hold of second causes2 leave
 to theologians their ,first ,cause1 of 
which nature has no need in order to    
produce all the effects which you see4  
,,xli4--,,other ,,proofs ,,that ,,motion
 ,,is ,,in ,,the ,,essence ,,of         
,,matter1 ,,and ,,that ,,it ,,is ,,not  
,,necessary ,,to ,,suppose ,a           
,,spiritual ,,motor4  ,it is but by the 
diversity of impressions or of effects  
which substances or bodies make upon us1
 that we feel them1 that we have        
perceptions and ideas of them1 that we  
distinguish them one from another1 that 
we assign to them peculiarities4        
,moreover1 in order to perceive or to   
feel an object1 this object must act    
upon our organs2 this object can not act
 upon us without exciting some motion in

 us2 it can not produce any motion in us
 if it is not itself in motion4 ,as soon
 as ,i see an object1 my eyes must be   
struck by it2 ,i can not conceive of    
light and of vision without a motion in 
the luminous1 extended1 and colored body
 which communicates itself to my eye1 or
 which acts upon my retina4 ,as soon as 
,i smell a body1 my olfactory nerve must
 be irritated or put into motion by the 
parts exhaled from an odorous body4 ,as 
soon as ,i hear a sound1 the tympanum of
 my ear must be struck by the air put in
 motion by a sonorous body1 which could 
not act if it was not moved of itself4  
,from which it follows1 evidently1 that 
without motion ,i can neither feel1 see1
 distinguish1 compare1 nor judge the    
body1 nor even occupy my thought with   
any matter whatever4 ,it is said in the 
schools1 that the essence of a being is 
that from which flow all the properties 
of that being4 ,now then1 it is evident 
that all the properties of bodies or of 
substances of which we have ideas1 are  

due to the motion which alone informs us
 of their existence1 and gives us the   
first conceptions of it4 ,i can not be  
informed or assured of my own existence 
but by the motions which ,i experience  
within myself4 ,i am compelled to       
conclude that motion is as essential to 
matter as its extension1 and that it can
 not be conceived of without it4 ,if one
 persists in caviling about the         
evidences which prove to us that motion 
is an essential property of matter1 he  
must at least acknowledge that          
substances which seemed dead or deprived
 of all energy1 take motion of          
themselves as soon as they are brought  
within the proper distance to act upon  
each other4 ,pyrophorus1 when enclosed  
in a bottle or deprived of contact with 
the air1 can not take fire by itself1   
but it burns as soon as exposed to the  
air4 ,flour and water cause fermentation
 as soon as they are mixed4 ,thus dead  
substances engender motion of           
themselves4 ,matter has then the power  

to move itself1 and nature1 in order to 
act1 does not need a motor whose essence
 would hinder its activity4             
,,xlii4--,,the ,,existence ,,of ,,man   
,,does ,,not ,,prove ,,that ,,of ,,god4 
,whence comes man8 ,what is his origin8 
,is he the result of the fortuitous     
meeting of atoms8 ,was the first man    
formed of the dust of the earth8 ,i do  
not know6 ,man appears to me to be a    
production of nature like all others she
 embraces4 ,i should be just as much    
embarrassed to tell you whence came the 
first stones1 the first trees1 the first
 elephants1 the first ants1 the first   
acorns1 as to explain the origin of the 
human species4 ,recognize1 we are told1 
the hand of ,god1 of an infinitely      
intelligent and powerful workman1 in a  
work so wonderful as the human machine4 
,i would admit without question that the
 human machine appears to me surprising2
 but since man exists in nature1 ,i do  
not believe it right to say that his    
formation is beyond the forces of       

nature4 ,i will add1 that ,i could      
conceive far less of the formation of   
the human machine1 when to explain it to
 me they tell me that a pure spirit1 who
 has neither eyes1 nor feet1 nor hands1 
nor head1 nor lungs1 nor mouth1 nor     
breath1 has made man by taking a little 
dust and blowing upon it4 ,the savage   
inhabitants of ,paraguay pretend to be  
descended from the moon1 and appear to  
us as simpletons2 the theologians of    
,europe pretend to be descended from a  
pure spirit4 ,is this pretension more   
sensible8  ,man is intelligent1 hence it
 is concluded that he must be the work  
of an intelligent being1 and not of a   
nature devoid of intelligence4 ,although
 nothing is more rare than to see man   
use this intelligence1 of which he      
appears so proud1 ,i will admit that he 
is intelligent1 that his necessities    
develop in him this faculty1 that the   
society of other men contributes        
especially to cultivate it4 ,but in the 
human machine and in the intelligence   

with which it is endowed1 ,i see nothing
 that shows in a precise manner the     
infinite intelligence of the workman who
 has the honor of making it4 ,i see that
 this admirable machine is subject to   
derangement2 that at that time this     
wonderful intelligence is disordered1   
and sometimes totally disappears2 from  
this ,i conclude that human intelligence
 depends upon a certain disposition of  
the material organs of the body1 and    
that1 because man is an intelligent     
being1 it is not well to conclude that  
,god must be an intelligent being1 any  
more than because man is material1 we   
are compelled to conclude that ,god is  
material4 ,the intelligence of man no   
more proves the intelligence of ,god    
than the malice of men proves the malice
 of this ,god1 of whom they pretend that
 man is the work4 ,in whatever way      
theology is taken1 ,god will always be a
 cause contradicted by its effects1 or  
of whom it is impossible to judge by    
,his works4 ,we shall always see evil1  

imperfections1 and follies resulting    
from a cause claimed to be full of      
goodness1 of perfections1 and of wisdom4
     ,,xliii4--,,however1 ,,neither     
,,man ,,nor ,,the ,,universe ,,is ,,the 
,,effect ,,of ,,chance4  ,then you will 
say that intelligent man and even the   
universe and all it encloses1 are the   
effects of chance4 ,no1 ,i answer1 the  
universe is not an effect2 it is the    
cause of all effects2 all the beings it 
embraces are the necessary effects of   
this cause which sometimes shows to us  
its manner of acting1 out which often   
hides from us its way4 ,men may use the 
word chance to cover their ignorance of 
the true causes2 nevertheless1 although 
they may ignore them1 these causes act1 
but by certain laws4 ,there is no effect
 without a cause4  ,nature is a word    
which we make use of to designate the   
immense assemblage of beings1 diverse   
substances1 infinite combinations1 and  
all the various motions which we see4   
,all bodies1 whether organized or not   

organized1 are the necessary results of 
certain causes1 made to produce         
necessarily the effects which we see4   
,nothing in nature can be made by       
chance2 all follow fixed laws2 these    
laws are but the necessary union of     
certain effects with their causes4 ,an  
atom of matter does not meet another    
atom by accident or by hazard2 this     
rencounter is due to permanent laws1    
which cause each being to act by        
necessity as it does1 and can not act   
otherwise under the same circumstances4 
,to speak about the accidental coming   
together of atoms1 or to attribute any  
effects to chance1 is to say nothing1 if
 not to ignore the laws by which bodies 
act1 meet1 combine1 or separate4        
,everything is made by chance for those 
who do not understand nature1 the       
properties of beings1 and the effects   
which must necessarily result from the  
concurrence of certain causes4 ,it is   
not chance that has placed the sun in   
the center of our planetary system2 it  

is by its very essence1 the substance of
 which it is composed1 that it occupies 
this place1 and from thence diffuses    
itself to invigorate the beings who live
 in these planets4                      
,,xliv4--,,neither ,,does ,,the ,,order 
,,of ,,the ,,universe ,,prove ,,the     
,,existence ,,of ,a ,,god4  ,the        
worshipers of a ,god find1 especially in
 the order of the universe1 an          
invincible proof of the existence of an 
intelligent and wise being who rules it4
 ,but this order is only a result of    
motions necessarily brought on by causes
 or by circumstances which are sometimes
 favorable and sometimes injurious to   
ourselves2 we approve the former and    
find fault with the latter4  ,nature    
follows constantly the same progress2   
that is to say1 the same causes produce 
the same effects1 as long as their      
action is not interrupted by other      
causes which occasion the first ones to 
produce different effects4 ,when the    
causes1 whose effects we feel1 are      

interrupted in their action by causes   
which1 although unknown to us1 are no   
less natural and necessary1 we are      
stupefied1 we cry out miracles3 and we  
attribute them to a cause far less known
 than all those we see operating before 
us4 ,the universe is always in order2   
there can be no disorder for it4 ,our   
organization alone is suffering if we   
complain about disorder4 ,bodies1       
causes1 beings1 which this world        
embraces1 act necessarily in the manner 
in which we see them act1 whether we    
approve or disapprove their action4     
,earthquakes1 volcanoes1 inundations1   
contagions1 and famines are effects as  
necessary in the order of nature as the 
fall of heavy bodies1 as the course of  
rivers1 as the periodical movements of  
the seas1 the blowing of the winds1 the 
abundant rains1 and the favorable       
effects for which we praise and thank   
,providence for its blessings4  ,to be  
astonished that a certain order reigns  
in the world1 is to be surprised to see 

the same causes constantly producing the
 same effects4 ,to be shocked at seeing 
disorder1 is to forget that the causes  
being changed or disturbed in their     
action1 the effects can no longer be the
 same4 ,to be astonished to see order in
 nature1 is to be astonished that       
anything can exist2 it is to be         
surprised at one's own existence4 ,what 
is order for one being1 is disorder for 
another4 ,all wicked beings find that   
everything is in order when they can    
with impunity put everything into       
disorder2 they find1 on the contrary1   
that everything is in disorder when they
 are prevented from exercising their    
wickedness4     ,,xlv4--,,continuation4 
,supposing ,god to be the author and the
 motor of nature1 there could be no     
disorder relating to ,him2 all causes   
which ,he would have made would         
necessarily act according to their      
properties the essences and the         
impulsions that ,he had endowed them    
with4 ,if ,god should change the        

ordinary course of things1 ,he would not
 be immutable4 ,if the order of the     
universe--in which we believe we see the
 most convincing proof of ,his          
existence1 of ,his intelligence1 ,his   
power1 and ,his goodness--should be     
inconsistent1 ,his existence might be   
doubted2 or ,he might be accused at     
least of inconstancy1 of inability1 of  
want of foresight1 and of wisdom in the 
first arrangement of things2 we would   
have a right to accuse ,him of          
blundering in ,his choice of agents and 
instruments4 ,finally1 if the order of  
nature proves the power and the         
intelligence1 disorder ought to prove   
the weakness1 inconstancy1 and          
irrationality of ,divinity4 ,you say    
that ,god is everywhere2 that ,he fills 
all space2 that nothing was made without
 ,him2 that matter could not act without
 ,him as its motor4 ,but in this case   
you admit that your ,god is the author  
of disorder2 that it is ,he who deranges
 nature2 that ,he is the ,father of     

confusion2 that ,he is in man2 and that 
,he moves man at the moment when he     
sins4 ,if ,god is everywhere1 ,he is in 
me2 ,he acts with me2 ,he is deceived   
when ,i am deceived2 ,he questions with 
me the existence of ,god2 ,he offends   
,god with me4 ,oh1 theologians6 you     
never understand yourselves when you    
speak of ,god4     ,,xlvi4--,a ,,pure   
,,spirit ,,can ,,not ,,be ,,intelligent1
 ,,and ,,to ,,adore ,a ,,divine         
,,intelligence ,,is ,a ,,chimera4  ,to  
be what we call intelligent1 we must    
have ideas1 thoughts1 will2 to have     
ideas1 thoughts1 and will1 we must have 
organs2 to have organs1 we must have a  
body2 to act upon bodies1 we must have a
 body2 to experience trouble1 we must be
 capable of suffering2 from which it    
evidently follows that a pure spirit can
 not be intelligent1 and can not be     
affected by that which takes place in   
the universe4  ,divine intelligence1    
divine ideas1 divine views1 you say1    
have nothing in common with those of    

men4 ,so much the better6 ,but in this  
case1 how can men judge of these        
views--whether good or evil--reason     
about these ideas1 or admire this       
intelligence8 ,it would be to judge1 to 
admire1 to adore that of which we can   
form no idea4 ,to adore the profound    
views of divine wisdom1 is it not to    
worship that of which it is impossible  
for us to judge8 ,to admire these same  
views1 is it not admiring without       
knowing wry8 ,admiration is always the  
daughter of ignorance4 ,men admire and  
worship only what they do not           
understand4     ,,xlvii4--,,all ,,the   
,,qualities ,,which ,,theology ,,gives  
,,to ,,its ,,god ,,are ,,contrary ,,to  
,,the ,,very ,,essence ,,which ,,it     
,,supposes ,,him ,,to ,,have4  ,all     
these qualities which are given to ,god 
are not suited to a being who1 by ,his  
own essence1 is devoid of all similarity
 to human beings4 ,it is true1 they     
think to find this similarity by        
exaggerating the human qualities with   

which they have clothed ,divinity2 they 
thrust them upon the infinite1 and from 
that moment cease to understand         
themselves4 ,what is the result of this 
combination of man with ,god1 or of this
 theanthropy8 ,its only result is a     
chimera1 of which nothing can be        
affirmed without causing the phantom to 
vanish which they had taken so much     
trouble to conjure up4  ,dante1 in his  
poem of ,paradise1 relates that the     
,divinity appeared to him under the     
figure of three circles1 which formed an
 iris1 whose bright colors arose from   
each other2 but having wished to retain 
its brilliant light1 the poet saw only  
his own face4 ,in worshiping ,god1 man  
adores himself4                         
,,xlviii4--,,continuation4  ,the        
slightest reflection suffices to prove  
to us that ,god can not have any of the 
human qualities1 virtues1 or            
perfections4 ,our virtues and our       
perfections are the results of our      
temperament modified4 ,has ,god a       

temperament like ours8 ,our good        
qualities are our habits relative to the
 beings in whose society we live4 ,god1 
according to you1 is a solitary being4  
,god has no one like ,him2 ,he does not 
live in society2 ,he has no need of any 
one2 ,he enjoys a happiness which       
nothing can alter4 ,admit1 then1 upon   
your own principles1 that ,god can not  
possess what we call virtues1 and that  
man can not be virtuous in regard to    
,him4     ,,xlix4--,,it ,,is ,,absurd   
,,to ,,say ,,that ,,the ,,human ,,race  
,,is ,,the ,,object ,,and ,,the ,,end   
,,of ,,creation4  ,man1 charmed with his
 own merits1 imagines that it is but his
 own kind that ,god proposed as the     
object and the end in the formation of  
the universe4 ,upon what is this so     
flattering opinion based8 ,it is1 we are
 told1 upon this3 that man is the only  
being endowed with an intelligence which
 enables him to know the ,divine nature1
 and to render to it homage worthy of   
it4 ,we are assured that ,god created   

the world for ,his own glory1 and that  
the human race was included in ,his     
plan1 in order that ,he might have      
somebody to admire and glorify ,him in  
,his works4 ,but by these intentions has
 not ,god visibly missed ,his end8  #a4 
,according to you1 it would always be   
impossible for man to know his ,god1 and
 he would be kept in the most invincible
 ignorance of the ,divine essence4  #b4 
,a being who has no equals1 can not be  
susceptible of glory4 ,glory can result 
but from the comparison of his own      
excellence with that of others4  #c4 ,if
 ,god by ,himself is infinitely happy   
and is sufficient unto ,himself1 why    
does ,he need the homage of ,his feeble 
creatures8  #d4 ,in spite of all ,his   
works1 ,god is not glorified2 on the    
contrary1 all the religions of the world
 show ,him to us as perpetually         
offended2 their great object is to      
reconcile sinful1 ungrateful1 and       
rebellious man with his wrathful ,god4  
,l4--,,god ,,is ,,not ,,made ,,for      

,,man1 ,,nor ,,man ,,for ,,god4  ,if    
,god is infinite1 ,he is created still  
less for man1 than man is for the ants4 
,would the ants of a garden reason      
pertinently with reference to the       
gardener1 if they should attempt to     
occupy themselves with his intentions1  
his desires1 and his projects8 ,would   
they reason correctly if they pretended 
that the park of ,versailles was made   
but for them1 and that a fastidious     
monarch had had as his only object to   
lodge them superbly8 ,but according to  
theology1 man in his relation to ,god is
 far beneath what the lowest insect is  
to man4 ,thus by the acknowledgment of  
theology itself1 theology1 which does   
but occupy itself with the attributes   
and views of ,divinity1 is the most     
complete of follies4     ,,li4--,,it    
,,is ,,not ,,true ,,that ,,the ,,object 
,,of ,,the ,,formation ,,of ,,the       
,,universe ,,was ,,to ,,render ,,men    
,,happy4  ,it is pretended1 that in     
forming the universe1 ,god had no object

 but to render man happy4 ,but1 in a    
world created expressly for him and     
governed by an all-mighty ,god1 is man  
after all very happy8 ,are his          
enjoyments durable8 ,are not his        
pleasures mingled with sufferings8 ,are 
there many people who are contented with
 their fate8 ,is not mankind the        
continual victim of physical and moral  
evils8 ,this human machine1 which is    
shown to us as the masterpiece of the   
,creator's industry1 has it not a       
thousand ways of deranging itself8      
,would we admire the skill of a         
mechanic1 who should show us a          
complicated machine1 liable to be out of
 order at any moment1 and which would   
after a while destroy itself8           
,,lii4--,,what ,,is ,,called            
,,providence ,,is ,,but ,a ,,word ,,void
 ,,of ,,sense4  ,we call ,providence the
 generous care which ,divinity shows in 
providing for our needs1 and in watching
 over the happiness of its beloved      
creatures4 ,but1 as soon as we look     

around1 we find that ,god provides for  
nothing4 ,providence neglects the       
greatest part of the inhabitants of this
 world4 ,against a very small number of 
men1 who are supposed to be happy1 what 
a multitude of miserable ones are       
groaning beneath oppression1 and        
languishing in misery6 ,whole nations   
are compelled to starve in order to     
indulge the extravagances of a few      
morose tyrants1 who are no happier than 
the slaves whom they oppress6 ,at the   
same time that our philosophers         
energetically parade the bounties of    
,providence1 and exhort us to place     
confidence in it1 do we not see them cry
 out at unforeseen catastrophes1 by     
which ,providence plays with the vain   
projects of men2 do we not see that it  
overthrows their designs1 laughs at     
their efforts1 and that its profound    
wisdom pleases itself in misleading     
mortals8 ,but how can we place          
confidence in a malicious ,providence   
which laughs at and sports with mankind8

 ,how can ,i admire the unknown course  
of a hidden wisdom whose manner of      
acting is inexplicable to me8 ,judge it 
by its effects6 you will say2 it is by  
these ,i do judge it1 and ,i find that  
these effects are sometimes useful and  
sometimes injurious to me4  ,we think to
 justify ,providence by saying1 that in 
this world there are more blessings than
 evil for each individual man4 ,let us  
suppose that the blessings which this   
,providence makes us enjoy are as one   
hundred1 and that the evils are as ten  
per cent42 would it not always result   
that against these hundred degrees of   
goodness1 ,providence possesses a tenth 
degree of malignity8--which is          
incompatible with the perfection we     
suppose it to have4  ,all the books are 
filled with the most flattering praises 
of ,providence1 whose attentive care is 
extolled2 it would seem to us1 as if in 
order to live happy here below1 man     
would have no need of exerting himself4 
,however1 without labor1 man could      

scarcely live a day4 ,in order to live1 
,i see him obliged to sweat1 work1 hunt1
 fish1 toil without relaxation2 without 
these secondary causes1 the ,first      
,cause 7at least in the majority of     
countries7 could provide for none of his
 needs4 ,if ,i examine all parts of this
 globe1 ,i see the uncivilized as well  
as the civilized man in a perpetual     
struggle with ,providence2 he is        
compelled to ward off the blows which it
 sends in the form of hurricanes1       
tempests1 frost1 hail1 inundations1     
sterility1 and the divers accidents     
which so often render all their labors  
useless4 ,in a word1 ,i see the human   
race continually occupied in protecting 
itself from the wicked tricks of this   
,providence1 which is said to be busy   
with the care of their happiness4 ,a    
devotee admired ,divine ,providence for 
having wisely made rivers to flow       
through all the places where men had    
built large cities4 ,is not this man's  
way of reasoning as sensible as that of 

many learned men who do not cease from  
telling us of ,final ,causes1 or who    
pretend to perceive clearly the         
benevolent views of ,god in the         
formation of things8     ,,liii4--,,this
 ,,pretended ,,providence ,,is ,,less   
,,occupied ,,in ,,conserving ,,than ,,in
 ,,disturbing ,,the ,,world--,,more ,,an
 ,,enemy ,,than ,a ,,friend ,,of ,,man4 
,do we see1 then1 that ,divine          
,providence manifests itself in a       
sensible manner in the conservation of  
its admirable works1 for which we honor 
it8 ,if it is ,divine ,providence which 
governs the world1 we find it as much   
occupied in destroying as in creating2  
in exterminating as in producing4 ,does 
it not at every instant cause thousands 
of those same men to perish1 to whose   
preservation and well-being it is       
supposed to give its continual          
attention8 ,every moment it loses sight 
of its beloved creatures2 sometimes it  
tears down their dwellings2 sometimes it
 destroys their harvests1 inundates     

their fields1 devastates by a drought1  
arms all nature against man1 sets man   
against man1 and finishes by causing him
 to expire in pain4 ,is this what you   
call preserving a universe8 ,if we      
attempted to consider without prejudice 
the equivocal conduct of ,providence    
relative to mankind and to all sentient 
beings1 we should find that very far    
from resembling a tender and careful    
mother1 it rather resembles those       
unnatural mothers who1 forgetting the   
unfortunate fruits of their illicit     
amours1 abandon their children as soon  
as they are born2 and who1 pleased to   
have conceived them1 expose them without
 mercy to the caprices of fate4  ,the   
,hottentots--wiser in this particular   
than other nations1 who treat them as   
barbarians--refuse1 it is said1 to adore
 ,god1 because if ,he sometimes does    
good1 ,he as often does harm4 ,is not   
this reasoning more just and more       
conformed to experience than that of so 
many men who persist in seeing in their 

,god but kindness1 wisdom1 and          
foresight2 and who refuse to see that   
the countless evils1 of which the world 
is the theater1 must come from the same 
,hand which they kiss with transport8   
,,liv4--,,no6 ,,the ,,world ,,is ,,not  
,,governed ,,by ,,an ,,intelligent      
,,being4  ,the logic of common sense    
teaches us that we should judge a cause 
but by its effects4 ,a cause can not be 
reputed as constantly good1 except when 
it constantly produces good1 useful1 and
 agreeable effects4 ,a cause which      
produces good at one time1 and evil at  
another1 is a cause which is sometimes  
good and sometimes bad4 ,but the logic  
of ,theology destroys all this4         
,according to it1 the phenomena of      
nature1 or the effects which we see in  
this world1 prove to us the existence of
 an infinitely good ,cause1 and this    
,cause is ,god4 ,although this world is 
full of evils1 although disorder reigns 
here very often1 although men groan     
every moment under the fate which       

oppresses them1 we ought to be convinced
 that these effects are due to a        
benevolent and immutable ,cause2 and    
many people believe it1 or pretend to   
believe it6  ,everything which takes    
place in the world proves to us in the  
clearest way that it is not governed by 
an intelligent being4 ,we can judge of  
the intelligence of a being but by the  
means which he employs to accomplish his
 proposed design4 ,the aim of ,god1 it  
is said1 is the happiness of our race2  
however1 the same necessity regulates   
the fate of all sentient beings--which  
are born to suffer much1 to enjoy       
little1 and to die4 ,man's cup is full  
of joy and of bitterness2 everywhere    
good is side by side with evil2 order is
 replaced by disorder2 generation is    
followed by destruction4 ,if you tell me
 that the designs of ,god are mysteries1
 and that ,his views are impossible to  
understand1 ,i will answer1 that in this
 case it is impossible for me to judge  
whether ,god is intelligent4            

,,lv4--,,god ,,can ,,not ,,be ,,called  
,,immutable4  ,you pretend that ,god is 
immutable6 ,but what is it that         
occasions the continual instability in  
this world1 which you claim as ,his     
empire8 ,is any state subject to more   
frequent and cruel revolutions than that
 of this unknown monarch8 ,how can we   
attribute to an immutable ,god1 powerful
 enough to give solidity to ,his works1 
the government of a world where         
everything is in a continual            
vicissitude8 ,if ,i think to see a ,god 
unchanging in all the effects           
advantageous to my kind1 what ,god can  
,i discover in the continual misfortunes
 by which my kind is oppressed8 ,you    
tell me that it is our sins that force  
,him to punish us4 ,i will answer that  
,god1 according to yourselves1 is not   
immutable1 because the sins of men      
compel ,him to change ,his conduct in   
regard to them4 ,can a being who is     
sometimes irritated1 and sometimes      
appeased1 be constantly the same8       

,,lvi4--,,evil ,,and ,,good ,,are ,,the 
,,necessary ,,effects ,,of ,,natural    
,,causes4 ,,what ,,is ,a ,,god ,,who    
,,can ,,change ,,nothing8  ,the universe
 is but what it can be2 all sentient    
beings enjoy and suffer here3 that is to
 say1 they are moved sometimes in an    
agreeable1 and at other times in a      
disagreeable way4 ,these effects are    
necessary2 they result from causes that 
act according to their inherent         
tendencies41 ,these effects necessarily 
please or displease me1 according to my 
own nature4 ,this same nature compels me
 to avoid1 to remove1 and to combat the 
one1 and to seek1 to desire1 and to     
procure the other4 ,in a world where    
everything is from necessity1 a ,god who
 remedies nothing1 and allows things to 
follow their own course1 is ,he anything
 else but destiny or necessity          
personified8 ,it is a deaf ,god who can 
effect no change on the general laws to 
which ,he is subjected ,himself4 ,what  
do ,i care for the infinite power of a  

being who can do but a very few things  
to please me8 ,where is the infinite    
kindness of a being who is indifferent  
to my happiness8 ,what good to me is the
 favor of a being who1 able to bestow   
upon me infinite good1 does not even    
give me a finite one8     ,,lvii4--,,the
 ,,vanity ,,of ,,theological            
,,consolations ,,in ,,the ,,troubles    
,,of ,,this ,,life4 ,,the ,,hope ,,of ,a
 ,,heaven1 ,,of ,a ,,future ,,life1 ,,is
 ,,but ,,imaginary4  ,when we ask why1  
under a good ,god1 so many are wretched1
 we are reminded that the present world 
is but a pass-way1 designed to conduct  
man to a happier sphere2 we are assured 
that our sojourn on the earth1 where we 
live1 is for trial2 they silence us by  
saying that ,god would not impart to    
,his creatures either the indifference  
to the sufferings of others1 or the     
infinite happiness which ,he reserved   
for ,himself alone4 ,how can we be      
satisfied with these answers8  #a4 ,the 
existence of another life has no other  

guaranty than the imagination of men1   
who1 in supposing it1 have but          
manifested their desire to live again1  
in order to enter upon a purer and more 
durable state of happiness than that    
which they enjoy at present4  #b4 ,how  
can we conceive of a ,god who1 knowing  
all things1 must know to their depths   
the nature of ,his creatures1 and yet   
must have so many proofs in order to    
assure ,himself of their proclivities8  
#c4 ,according to the calculations of   
our chronologists1 the earth which we   
inhabit has existed for six or seven    
thousand years2 during this time the    
nations have1 under different forms1    
experienced many vicissitudes and       
calamities2 history shows us that the   
human race in all ages has been         
tormented and devastated by tyrants1    
conquerors1 heroes2 by wars1            
inundations1 famines1 epidemics1 etc4   
,is this long catalogue of proofs of    
such a nature as to inspire us with     
great confidence in the hidden views of 

the ,divinity8 ,do such constant evils  
give us an exalted idea of the future   
fate which ,his kindness is preparing   
for us8  #d4 ,if ,god is as             
well-disposed as they assure us ,he is1 
could ,he not at least1 without         
bestowing an infinite happiness upon    
men1 communicate to them that degree of 
happiness of which finite beings are    
susceptible8 ,in order to be happy1 do  
we need an ,infinite or ,divine         
happiness8  #e4 ,if ,god has not been   
able to render men happier than they are
 here below1 what will become of the    
hope of a ,paradise1 where it is        
pretended that the elect or chosen few  
will rejoice forever in ineffable       
happiness8 ,if ,god could not or would  
not remove evil from the earth 7the only
 sojourning place we know of71 what     
reason could we have to presume that ,he
 can or will remove it from another     
world1 of which we know nothing8 ,more  
than two thousand years ago1 according  
to ,lactance1 the wise epicure said3    

,either ,god wants to prevent evil1 and 
can not1 or ,he can and will not2 or ,he
 neither can nor will1 or ,he will and  
can4 ,if ,he wants to1 without the      
power1 ,he is impotent2 if ,he can1 and 
will not1 ,he is guilty of malice which 
we can not attribute to ,him2 if ,he    
neither can nor will1 ,he is both       
impotent and wicked1 and consequently   
can not be ,god2 if ,he wishes to and   
can1 whence then comes evil1 or why does
 ,he not prevent it8 ,for more than two 
thousand years honest minds have waited 
for a rational solution of these        
difficulties2 and our theologians teach 
us that they will not be revealed to us 
until the future life4                  
,,lviii4--,,another ,,idle ,,fancy4  ,we
 are told of a pretended scale for human
 beings2 it is supposed that ,god has   
divided ,his creatures into different   
classes1 each one enjoying the degree of
 happiness of which he is susceptible4  
,according to this romantic arrangement1
 all beings1 from the oyster to the     

angel1 enjoy the happiness which belongs
 to them4 ,experience contradicts this  
sublime revery4 ,in the world where we  
are1 we see all sentient beings living  
and suffering in the midst of dangers4  
,man can not step without wounding1     
tormenting1 crushing a multitude of     
sentient beings which he finds in his   
path1 while he himself1 at every step1  
is exposed to a throng of evils seen or 
unseen1 which may lead to his           
destruction4 ,is not the very thought of
 death sufficient to mar his greatest   
enjoyment8 ,during the whole course of  
his life he is subject to sufferings2   
there is not a moment when he feels sure
 of preserving his existence1 to which  
he is so strongly attached1 and which he
 regards as the greatest gift of        
,divinity4     ,,lix4--,,in ,,vain      
,,does ,,theology ,,exert ,,itself ,,to 
,,acquit ,,god ,,of ,,man',s ,,defects4 
,,either ,,this ,,god ,,is ,,not ,,free1
 ,,or ,,he ,,is ,,more ,,wicked ,,than  
,,good4  ,the world1 it will be said1   

has all the perfection of which it was  
susceptible2 by the very reason that the
 world was not the ,god who made it1 it 
was necessary that it should have great 
qualities and great defects4 ,but we    
will answer1 that the world necessarily 
having great defects1 it would have been
 better suited to the nature of a good  
,god not to create a world which ,he    
could not render completely happy4 ,if  
,god1 who was1 according to you1        
supremely happy before the world was    
created1 had continued to be supremely  
happy in the created world1 why did ,he 
not remain in peace8 ,why must man      
suffer8 ,why must man exist ,what is his
 existence to ,god8 ,nothing or         
something4 ,if his existence is not     
useful or necessary to ,god1 why did ,he
 not leave him in nothingness8 ,if man's
 existence is necessary to ,his glory1  
,he then needed man1 ,he lacked         
something before this man existed6  ,we 
can forgive an unskillful workman for   
doing imperfect work1 because he must   

work1 well or ill1 or starve2 this      
workman is excusable2 but your ,god is  
not4 ,according to you1 ,he is          
self-sufficient2 in this case1 why does 
,he create men8 ,he has1 according to   
you1 all that is necessary to render man
 happy2 why1 then1 does ,he not do it8  
,you must conclude that your ,god has   
more malice than goodness1 or you must  
admit that ,god was compelled to do what
 ,he has done1 without being able to do 
otherwise4 ,however1 you assure us that 
your ,god is free2 you say also that ,he
 is immutable1 although beginning in    
time and ceasing in time to exercise    
,his power1 like all the inconstant     
beings of this world4 ,oh1 theologians6 
you have made vain efforts to acquit    
your ,god of all the defects of man2    
there is always visible in this ,god so 
perfect1 a tip of the human ear4        
,,lx4--,,we ,,can ,,not ,,believe ,,in  
,a ,,divine ,,providence1 ,,in ,,an     
,,infinitely ,,good ,,and ,,powerful    
,,god4  ,is not ,god the master of ,his 

favors8 ,has ,he not the right to       
dispense ,his benefits8 ,can ,he not    
take them back again8 ,his creature has 
no right to ask the reason of ,his      
conduct2 ,he can dispose at will of the 
works of ,his hands4 ,absolute sovereign
 of mortals1 ,he distributes happiness  
or unhappiness1 according to ,his       
pleasure4 ,these are the solutions which
 theologians give in order to console us
 for the evils which ,god inflicts upon 
us4 ,we would tell them that a ,god who 
was infinitely good1 would not be the   
master of ,his favors1 but would be by  
,his own nature obliged to distribute   
them among ,his creatures2 we would tell
 them that a truly benevolent being     
would not believe he had the right to   
abstain from doing good2 we would tell  
them that a truly generous being does   
not take back what he has given1 and any
 man who does it1 forfeits gratitude1   
and has no right to complain of         
ingratitude4 ,how can the arbitrary and 
whimsical conduct which theologians     

ascribe to ,god1 be reconciled with the 
religion which supposes a compact or    
mutual agreement between this ,god and  
men8 ,if ,god owes nothing to ,his      
creatures1 they1 on their part1 can not 
owe anything to their ,god4 ,all        
religion is founded upon the happiness  
which men believe they have a right to  
expect from the ,divinity1 who is       
supposed to tell them3 ,love1 adore1    
obey me1 and ,i will render you happy6  
,men on their side say to ,him3 ,make us
 happy1 be faithful to your promises1   
and we will love you1 we will adore you1
 we will obey your laws6 ,in neglecting 
the happiness of ,his creatures1 in     
distributing ,his favors and ,his graces
 according to ,his caprice1 and taking  
back ,his gifts1 does not ,god violate  
the contract which serves as a base for 
all religion8  ,cicero has said with    
reason that if ,god does not make       
,himself agreeable to man1 ,he can not  
be his ,god4 ,nisi ,deus homini         
placuerit1 ,deus non erit4 ,goodness    

constitutes ,divinity2 this ,goodness   
can manifest itself to man only by the  
advantages he derives from it4 ,as soon 
as he is unfortunate1 this ,goodness    
disappears and ceases to be ,divinity4  
,an infinite ,goodness can be neither   
partial nor exclusive4 ,if ,god is      
infinitely good1 ,he owes happiness to  
all ,his creatures2 one unfortunate     
being alone would be sufficient to      
annihilate an unlimited goodness4 ,under
 an infinitely good and powerful ,god1  
is it possible to conceive that a single
 man could suffer8 ,an animal1 a mite1  
which suffers1 furnishes invincible     
arguments against ,divine ,providence   
and its infinite benefactions4          
,,lxi4--,,continuation4  ,according to  
theologians1 the afflictions and evils  
of this life are chastisements which    
culpable men receive from ,divinity4    
,but why are men culpable8 ,if ,god is  
,almighty1 does it cost ,him any more to
 say1 ,let everything remain in         
order6--let all my subjects be good1    

innocent1 fortunate6--than to say1 ,let 
everything exist8 ,was it more difficult
 for this ,god to do ,his work well than
 to do it so badly8 ,was it any farther 
from the nonexistence of beings to their
 wise and happy existence1 than from    
their non-existence to their insensate  
and miserable existence8 ,religion      
speaks to us of a hell--that is1 of a   
fearful place where1 notwithstanding    
,his goodness1 ,god reserves eternal    
torments for the majority of men4 ,thus1
 after having rendered mortals very     
miserable in this world1 religion       
teaches them that ,god can make them    
much more wretched in another4 ,they    
meet our objections by saying1 that     
otherwise the goodness of ,god would    
take the place of ,his justice4 ,but    
goodness which takes the place of the   
most terrible cruelty1 is not infinite  
kindness4 ,besides1 a ,god who1 after   
having been infinitely good1 becomes    
infinitely wicked1 can ,he be regarded  
as an immutable being8 ,a ,god filled   

with implacable fury1 is ,he a ,god in  
whom we can find a shadow of charity or 
goodness8     ,,lxii4--,,theology       
,,makes ,,of ,,its ,,god ,a ,,monster   
,,of ,,nonsense1 ,,of ,,injustice1 ,,of 
,,malice1 ,,and ,,atrocity--,a ,,being  
,,absolutely ,,hateful4  ,divine        
justice1 such as our theologians paint  
it1 is1 without doubt1 a quality        
intended to make us love ,divinity4     
,according to the notions of modern     
theology1 it appears evident that ,god  
has created the majority of men with the
 view only of punishing them eternally4 
,would it not have been more in         
conformity with kindness1 with reason1  
with equity1 to create but stones or    
plants1 and not sentient beings1 than to
 create men whose conduct in this world 
would cause them eternal chastisements  
in another8 ,a ,god so perfidious and   
wicked as to create a single man and    
leave him exposed to the perils of      
damnation1 can not be regarded as a     
perfect being1 but as a monster of      

nonsense1 injustice1 malice1 and        
atrocity4 ,far from forming a perfect   
,god1 the theologians have made the most
 imperfect of beings4 ,according to     
theological ideas1 ,god resembles a     
tyrant who1 having deprived the majority
 of his slaves of their eyesight1 would 
confine them in a cell where1 in order  
to amuse himself he could observe       
incognito their conduct through a       
trap-door1 in order to have occasion to 
cruelly punish all those who in walking 
should hurt each other2 but who would   
reward splendidly the small number of   
those to whom the sight was spared1 for 
having the skill to avoid an encounter  
with their comrades4 ,such are the ideas
 which the dogma of gratuitous          
predestination gives of ,divinity6      
,although men repeat to us that their   
,god is infinitely good1 it is evident  
that in the bottom of their hearts they 
can believe nothing of it4 ,how can we  
love anything we do not know8 ,how can  
we love a being1 the idea of whom is but

 liable to keep us in anxiety and       
trouble8 ,how can we love a being of    
whom all that is told conspires to      
render him supremely hateful8           
,,lxiii4--,,all ,,religion ,,inspires   
,,but ,a ,,cowardly ,,and ,,inordinate  
,,fear ,,of ,,the ,,divinity4  ,many    
people make a subtle distinction between
 true religion and superstition2 they   
tell us that the latter is but a        
cowardly and inordinate fear of         
,divinity1 that the truly religious man 
has confidence in his ,god1 and loves   
,him sincerely2 while the superstitious 
man sees in ,him but an enemy1 has no   
confidence in ,him1 and represents ,him 
as a suspicious and cruel tyrant1       
avaricious of ,his benefactions and     
prodigal of ,his chastisements4 ,but    
does not all religion in reality give us
 these same ideas of ,god8 ,while we are
 told that ,god is infinitely good1 is  
it not constantly repeated to us that   
,he is very easily offended1 that ,he   
bestows ,his favors but upon a few1 that

 ,he chastises with fury those to whom  
,he has not been pleased to grant them8 
,,lxiv4--,,there ,,is ,,in ,,reality    
,,no ,,difference ,,between ,,religion  
,,and ,,the ,,most ,,sombre ,,and       
,,servile ,,superstition4  ,if we take  
our ideas of ,god from the nature of the
 things where we find a mixture of good 
and evil1 this ,god1 according to the   
good and evil which we experience1 does 
naturally appear to us capricious1      
inconstant1 sometimes good1 sometimes   
wicked1 and in this way1 instead of     
exciting our love1 ,he must produce     
suspicion1 fear1 and uncertainty in our 
hearts4 ,there is no real difference    
between natural religion and the most   
sombre and servile superstition4 ,if the
 ,theist sees ,god but on the beautiful 
side1 the superstitious man looks upon  
,him from the most hideous side4 ,the   
folly of the one is gay of the other is 
lugubrious2 but both are equally        
delirious4     ,,lxv4--,,according ,,to 
,,the ,,ideas ,,which ,,theology ,,gives

 ,,of ,,divinity1 ,,to ,,love ,,god ,,is
 ,,impossible4  ,if ,i take my ideas of 
,god from theology1 ,god shows ,himself 
to me in such a light as to repel love4 
,the devotees who tell us that they love
 their ,god sincerely1 are either liars 
or fools who see their ,god but in      
profile2 it is impossible to love a     
being1 the thought of whom tends to     
excite terror1 and whose judgments make 
us tremble4 ,how can we face without    
fear1 a ,god whom we suppose            
sufficiently barbarous to wish to damn  
us forever8 ,let them not speak to us of
 a filial or respectful fear mingled    
with love1 which men should have for    
their ,god4 ,a son can not love his     
father when he knows he is cruel enough 
to inflict exquisite torments upon him2 
in short1 to punish him for the least   
faults4 ,no man upon earth can have the 
least spark of love for a ,god who holds
 in reserve eternal1 hard1 and violent  
chastisements for ninety-nine hundredths
 of ,his children4     ,,lxvi4--,,by    

,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,the ,,dogma    
,,of ,,the ,,eternal ,,torments ,,of    
,,hell1 ,,theologians ,,have ,,made ,,of
 ,,their ,,god ,a ,,detestable ,,being1 
,,more ,,wicked ,,than ,,the ,,most     
,,wicked ,,of ,,men1 ,a ,,perverse ,,and
 ,,cruel ,,tyrant ,,without ,,aim4  ,the
 inventors of the dogma of eternal      
torments in hell1 have made of the ,god 
whom they call so good1 the most        
detestable of beings4 ,cruelty in man is
 the last term of corruption4 ,there is 
no sensitive soul but is moved and      
revolts at the recital alone of the     
torments which the greatest criminal    
endures2 but cruelty merits the greater 
indignation when we consider it         
gratuitous or without motive4 ,the most 
sanguinary tyrants1 ,caligula1 ,nero1   
,domitian1 had at least some motive in  
tormenting their victims and insulting  
their sufferings2 these motives were1   
either their own safety1 the fury of    
revenge1 the design to frighten by      
terrible examples1 or perhaps the vanity

 to make parade of their power1 and the 
desire to satisfy a barbarous curiosity4
 ,can a ,god have any of these motives8 
,in tormenting the victims of ,his      
wrath1 ,he would punish beings who could
 not really endanger ,his immovable     
power1 nor trouble ,his felicity1 which 
nothing can change4 ,on the other hand1 
the sufferings of the other life would  
be useless to the living1 who can not   
witness them2 these torments would be   
useless to the damned1 because in hell  
is no more conversion1 and the hour of  
mercy is passed2 from which it follows1 
that ,god1 in the exercise of ,his      
eternal vengeance1 would have no other  
aim than to amuse ,himself and insult   
the weakness of ,his creatures4 ,i      
appeal to the whole human race6 ,is     
there in nature a man so cruel as to    
wish in cold blood to torment1 ,i do not
 say his fellow-beings1 but any sentient
 being whatever1 without fee1 without   
profit1 without curiosity1 without      
having anything to fear8 ,conclude1     

then1 ,o theologians6 that according to 
your own principles1 your ,god is       
infinitely more wicked than the most    
wicked of men4 ,you will tell me1       
perhaps1 that infinite offenses deserve 
infinite chastisements1 and ,i will tell
 you that we can not offend a ,god whose
 happiness is infinite4 ,i will tell you
 further1 that offenses of finite beings
 can not be infinite2 that a ,god who   
does not want to be offended1 can not   
consent to make ,his creatures' offenses
 last for eternity2 ,i will tell you    
that a ,god infinitely good1 can not be 
infinitely cruel1 nor grant ,his        
creatures infinite existence solely for 
the pleasure of tormenting them forever4
  ,it could have been but the most cruel
 barbarity1 the most notorious          
imposition1 but the blindest ambition   
which could have created the dogma of   
eternal damnation4 ,if there exists a   
,god who could be offended or           
blasphemed1 there would not be upon     
earth any greater blasphemers than those

 who dare to say that this ,god is      
perverse enough to take pleasure in     
dooming ,his feeble creatures to useless
 torments for all eternity4             
,,lxvii4--,,theology ,,is ,,but ,a      
,,series ,,of ,,palpable                
,,contradictions4  ,to pretend that ,god
 can be offended with the actions of    
men1 is to annihilate all the ideas that
 are given to us of this being4 ,to say 
that man can disturb the order of the   
universe1 that he can grasp the         
lightning from ,god's hand1 that he can 
upset ,his projects1 is to claim that   
man is stronger than his ,god1 that he  
is the arbiter of ,his will1 that it    
depends on him to change ,his goodness  
into cruelty4 ,theology does nothing but
 destroy with one hand that which it    
builds with the other4 ,if all religion 
is founded upon a ,god who becomes      
angry1 and who is appeased1 all religion
 is founded upon a palpable             
contradiction4  ,all religions agree in 
exalting the wisdom and the infinite    

power of the ,divinity2 but as soon as  
they expose ,his conduct1 we discover   
but imprudence1 want of foresight1      
weakness1 and folly4 ,god1 it is said1  
created the world for ,himself2 and so  
far ,he has not succeeded in making     
,himself properly respected6 ,god has   
created men in order to have in ,his    
dominion subjects who would render ,him 
homage2 and we continually see men      
revolt against ,him6                    
,,lxviii4--,,the ,,pretended ,,works    
,,of ,,god ,,do ,,not ,,prove ,,at ,,all
 ,,what ,,we ,,call ,,divine            
,,perfection4  ,we are continually told 
of the ,divine perfections2 and as soon 
as we ask the proofs of them1 we are    
shown the works in which we are assured 
that these perfections are written in   
ineffaceable characters4 ,all these     
works1 however1 are imperfect and       
perishable2 man1 who is regarded as the 
masterpiece1 as the most marvelous work 
of ,divinity1 is full of imperfections  
which render him disagreeable in the    

eyes of the ,almighty workman who has   
formed him2 this surprising work becomes
 often so revolting and so odious to its
 ,author1 that ,he feels ,himself       
compelled to cast him into the fire4    
,but if the choicest work of ,divinity  
is imperfect1 by what are we to judge of
 the ,divine perfections8 ,can a work   
with which the author himself is so     
little satisfied1 cause us to admire his
 skill8 ,physical man is subject to a   
thousand infirmities1 to countless      
evils1 to death2 the moral man is full  
of defects2 and yet they exhaust        
themselves by telling us that he is the 
most beautiful work of the most perfect 
of beings4     ,,lxix4--,,the           
,,perfection ,,of ,,god ,,does ,,not    
,,show ,,to ,,any ,,more ,,advantage    
,,in ,,the ,,pretended ,,creation ,,of  
,,angels ,,and ,,pure ,,spirits4  ,it   
appears that ,god1 in creating more     
perfect beings than men1 did not succeed
 any better1 or give stronger proofs of 
,his perfection4 ,do we not see in many 

religions that angels and pure spirits  
revolted against their ,master1 and even
 attempted to expel ,him from ,his      
throne8 ,god intended the happiness of  
angels and of men1 and ,he has never    
succeeded in rendering happy either     
angels or men2 pride1 malice1 sins1 the 
imperfections of ,his creatures1 have   
always been opposed to the wishes of the
 perfect ,creator4                      
,,lxx4--,,theology ,,preaches ,,the     
,,omnipotence ,,of ,,its ,,god1 ,,and   
,,continually ,,shows ,,him ,,impotent4 
,all religion is visibly founded upon   
the principle that ,god proposes and man
 disposes4 ,all the theologies of the   
world show us an unequal combat between 
,divinity on the one side1 and ,his     
creatures on the other4 ,god never      
relies on ,his honor2 in spite of ,his  
almighty power1 ,he could not succeed in
 making the works of ,his hands as ,he  
would like them to be4 ,to complete the 
absurdity1 there is a religion which    
pretends that ,god ,himself died to     

redeem the human race2 and1 in spite of 
,his death1 men are not in the least as 
this ,god would desire them to be6      
,,lxxi4--,,according ,,to ,,all ,,the   
,,religious ,,systems ,,of ,,the        
,,earth1 ,,god ,,would ,,be ,,the ,,most
 ,,capricious ,,and ,,the ,,most        
,,insensate ,,of ,,beings4  ,nothing    
could be more extravagant than the role 
which in every country theology makes   
,divinity play4 ,if the thing was real1 
we would be obliged to see in it the    
most capricious and the most insane of  
beings2 one would be obliged to believe 
that ,god made the world to be the      
theater of dishonoring wars with ,his   
creatures2 that ,he created angels1 men1
 demons1 wicked spirits1 but as         
adversaries1 against whom ,he could     
exercise ,his power4 ,he gives them     
liberty to offend ,him1 makes them      
wicked enough to upset ,his projects1   
obstinate enough to never give up3 all  
for the pleasure of getting angry1 and  
being appeased1 of reconciling ,himself1

 and of repairing the confusion they    
have made4 ,had ,divinity formed at once
 ,his creatures such as they ought to be
 in order to please ,him1 what trouble  
,he might have spared ,himself6 or1 at  
least1 how much embarrassment ,he might 
have saved to ,his theologians6         
,according to all the religious systems 
of the earth1 ,god seems to be occupied 
but in doing ,himself injury2 ,he does  
it as those charlatans do who wound     
themselves1 in order to have occasion to
 show the public the value of their     
ointments4 ,we do not see1 however1 that
 so far ,divinity has been able to      
radically cure itself of the evil which 
is caused by men4     ,,lxxii4--,,it    
,,is ,,absurd ,,to ,,say ,,that ,,evil  
,,does ,,not ,,come ,,from ,,god4  ,god 
is the author of all2 still we are      
assured that evil does not come from    
,god4 ,whence1 then1 does it come8 ,from
 men8 ,but who has made men8 ,it is     
,god3 then that evil comes from ,god4   
,if ,he had not made men as they are1   

moral evil or sin would not exist in the
 world4 ,we must blame ,god1 then1 that 
man is so perverse4 ,if man has the     
power to do wrong or to offend ,god1 we 
must conclude that ,god wishes to be    
offended2 that ,god1 who has created    
man1 resolved that evil should be done  
by him3 without this1 man would be an   
effect contrary to the cause from which 
he derives his being4                   
,,lxxiii4--,,the ,,foresight            
,,attributed ,,to ,,god1 ,,would ,,give 
,,to ,,guilty ,,men ,,whom ,,he         
,,punishes1 ,,the ,,right ,,to          
,,complain ,,of ,,his ,,cruelty4  ,the  
faculty of foresight1 or the ability to 
know in advance all which is to happen  
in the world1 is attributed to ,god4    
,but this foresight can scarcely belong 
to ,his glory1 nor spare ,him the       
reproaches which men could legitimately 
heap upon ,him4 ,if ,god had the        
foresight of the future1 did ,he not    
foresee the fall of ,his creatures whom 
,he had destined to happiness8 ,if ,he  

resolved in ,his decrees to allow this  
fall1 there is no doubt that ,he desired
 it to take place3 otherwise it would   
not have happened4 ,if the ,divine      
foresight of the sin of ,his creatures  
had been necessary or forced1 it might  
be supposed that ,god was compelled by  
,his justice to punish the guilty2 but  
,god1 enjoying the faculty of foresight 
and the power to predestinate           
everything1 would it not depend upon    
,himself not to impose upon men these   
cruel laws8 ,or1 at least1 could ,he not
 have dispensed with creating beings    
whom ,he might be compelled to punish   
and to render unhappy by a subsequent   
decree8 ,what does it matter whether    
,god destined men to happiness or to    
misery by a previous decree1 the effect 
of ,his foresight1 or by a subsequent   
decree1 the effect of ,his justice4     
,does the arrangement of these decrees  
change the fate of the miserable8 ,would
 they not have the right to complain of 
a ,god who1 having the power of leaving 

them in oblivion1 brought them forth1   
although ,he foresaw very well that ,his
 justice would force ,him sooner or     
later to punish them8                   
,,lxxiv4--,,absurdity ,,of ,,the        
,,theological ,,fables ,,upon ,,original
 ,,sin ,,and ,,upon ,,satan4  ,man1 say 
you1 issuing from the hands of ,god1 was
 pure1 innocent1 and good2 but his      
nature became corrupted in consequence  
of sin4 ,if man could sin1 when just    
leaving the hands of ,god1 his nature   
was then not perfect6 ,why did ,god     
permit him to sin1 and his nature to    
become corrupt8 ,why did ,god allow him 
to be seduced1 knowing well that he     
would be too weak to resist the tempter8
 ,why did ,god create a ,satan1 a       
malicious spirit1 a tempter8 ,why did   
not ,god1 who was so desirous of doing  
good to mankind1 why did ,he not        
annihilate1 once for all1 so many evil  
genii whose nature rendered them enemies
 of our happiness8 ,or rather1 why did  
,god create evil spirits1 whose         

victories and terrible influences upon  
the human race ,he must have foreseen8  
,finally1 by what fatality1 in all the  
religions of the world1 has the evil    
principle such a marked advantage over  
the good principle or over ,divinity8   
,,lxxv4--,,the ,,devil1 ,,like          
,,religion1 ,,was ,,invented ,,to       
,,enrich ,,the ,,priests4  ,we are told 
a story of the simple-heartedness of an 
,italian monk1 which does him honor4    
,this good man preaching one day felt   
obliged to announce to his auditory     
that1 thanks to ,heaven1 he had at last 
discovered a sure means of rendering all
 men happy4 ,the devil1 said he1 tempts 
men but to have them as comrades of his 
misery in hell4 ,let us address         
ourselves1 then1 to the ,pope1 who      
possesses the keys of paradise and of   
hell2 let us ask him to beseech ,god1 at
 the head of the whole ,church1 to      
reconcile ,himself with the devil2 to   
take him back into ,his favor2 to       
re-establish him in ,his first rank4    

,this can not fail to put an end to his 
sinister projects against mankind4 ,the 
good monk did not see1 perhaps1 that the
 devil is at least fully as useful as   
,god to the ministers of religion4      
,these reap too many benefits from their
 differences to lend themselves         
willingly to a reconciliation between   
the two enemies ties1 upon whose        
contests their existence and their      
revenues depend4 ,if men would cease to 
be tempted and to sin1 the ministry of  
priests would become useless to them4   
,manicheism is evidently the support of 
all religions2 but unfortunately the    
devil1 being invented to remove all     
suspicion of malice from ,divinity1     
proves to us at every moment the        
powerlessness or the awkwardness of his 
celestial ,adversary4     ,,lxxvi4--,,if
 ,,god ,,could ,,not ,,render ,,human   
,,nature ,,sinless1 ,,he ,,has ,,no     
,,right ,,to ,,punish ,,man4  ,man's    
nature1 it is said1 must necessarily    
become corrupt4 ,god could not endow him

 with sinlessness1 which is an          
inalienable portion of ,divine          
perfection4 ,but if ,god could not      
render him sinless1 why did ,he take the
 trouble of creating man1 whose nature  
was to become corrupt1 and which1       
consequently1 had to offend ,god8 ,on   
the other side1 if ,god ,himself was not
 able to render human nature sinless1   
what right had ,he to punish men for not
 being sinless8 ,it is but by the right 
of might4 ,but the right of the         
strongest is violence2 and violence is  
not suited to the most ,just of ,beings4
 ,god would be supremely unjust if ,he  
punished men for not having a portion of
 the ,divine perfections1 or for not    
being able to be ,gods like ,himself4   
,could not ,god have at least endowed   
men with that sort of perfection of     
which their nature is susceptible8 ,if  
some men are good or render themselves  
agreeable to their ,god1 why did not    
this ,god bestow the same favor or give 
the same dispositions to all beings of  

our kind8 ,why does the number of wicked
 exceed so greatly the number of good   
people8 ,why1 for every friend1 does    
,god find ten thousand enemies in a     
world which depended upon ,him alone to 
people with honest men8 ,if it is true  
that ,god intends to form in heaven a   
court of saints1 of chosen ones1 or of  
men who have lived in this world        
according to ,his views1 would ,he not  
have had a court more numerous1 more    
brilliant1 and more honorable to ,him1  
if it were composed of all the men to   
whom1 in creating them1 ,he could have  
granted the degree of goodness necessary
 to obtain eternal happiness8 ,finally1 
were it not easier not to take man from 
nothingness than to create him full of  
defects1 rebellious to his ,creator1    
perpetually exposed to lose himself by a
 fatal abuse of his liberty8 ,instead of
 creating men1 a perfect ,god ought to  
have created only docile and submissive 
angels4 ,the angels1 it is said1 are    
free2 a few among them have sinned2 but 

all of them have not sinned2 all have   
not abused their liberty by revolting   
against their ,master4 ,could not ,god  
have created only angels of the good    
kind8 ,if ,god could create angels who  
have not sinned1 could ,he not create   
men sinless1 or those who would never   
abuse their liberty by doing evil4 ,if  
the chosen ones are incapable of sinning
 in heaven1 could not ,god have made    
sinless men upon the earth8             
,,lxxvii4--,,it ,,is ,,absurd ,,to ,,say
 ,,that ,,god',s ,,conduct ,,must ,,be  
,a ,,mystery ,,to ,,man1 ,,and ,,that   
,,he ,,has ,,no ,,right ,,to ,,examine  
,,and ,,judge ,,it4  ,we are told that  
the enormous distance which separates   
,god from men1 makes ,god's conduct     
necessarily a mystery for us1 and that  
we have no right to interrogate our     
,master4 ,is this statement             
satisfactory8 ,but according to you1    
when my eternal happiness is involved1  
have ,i not the right to examine ,god's 
own conduct8 ,it is but with the hope of

 happiness that men submit to the empire
 of a ,god4 ,a despot to whom men are   
subjected but through fear1 a master    
whom they can not interrogate1 a totally
 inaccessible sovereign1 can not merit  
the homage of intelligent beings4 ,if   
,god's conduct is a mystery to me1 it is
 not made for me4 ,man can not adore1   
admire1 respect1 or imitate a conduct of
 which everything is impossible to      
conceive1 or of which he can not form   
any but revolting ideas2 unless it is   
pretended that he should worship all the
 things of which he is forced to be     
ignorant1 and then all that he does not 
understand becomes admirable4  ,priests6
 you teach us that the designs of ,god  
are impenetrable2 that ,his ways are not
 our ways2 that ,his thoughts are not   
our thoughts2 that it is folly to       
complain of ,his administration1 whose  
motives and secret ways are entirely    
unknown to us2 that there is temerity in
 accusing ,him of unjust judgments1     
because they are incomprehensible to us4

 ,but do you not see that by speaking in
 this manner1 you destroy with your own 
hands all your profound systems which   
have no design but to explain the ways  
of ,divinity that you call impenetrable8
 ,these judgments1 these ways1 and these
 designs1 have you penetrated them8 ,you
 dare not say so2 and1 although you     
season incessantly1 you do not          
understand them more than we do4 ,if by 
chance you know the plan of ,god1 which 
you tell us to admire1 while there are  
many people who find it so little worthy
 of a just1 good1 intelligent1 and      
rational being2 do not say that this    
plan is impenetrable4 ,if you are as    
ignorant as we1 have some indulgence for
 those who ingenuously confess that they
 comprehend nothing of it1 or that they 
see nothing in it ,divine4 ,cease to    
persecute for opinions which you do not 
understand yourselves2 cease to slander 
each other for dreams and conjectures   
which are altogether contradictory2     
speak to us of intelligible and truly   

useful things2 and no longer tell us of 
the impenetrable ways of a ,god1 about  
which you do nothing but stammer and    
contradict yourselves4  ,in speaking to 
us incessantly of the immense depths of 
,divine wisdom1 in forbidding us to     
fathom these depths by telling us that  
it is insolence to call ,god to the     
tribunal of our humble reason1 in making
 it a crime to judge our ,master1 the   
theologians only confess the            
embarrassment in which they find        
themselves as soon as they have to      
render account of the conduct of a ,god1
 which they tell us is marvelous1 only  
because it is totally impossible for    
them to understand it themselves4       
,,lxxviii4--,,it ,,is ,,absurd ,,to     
,,call ,,him ,a ,,god ,,of ,,justice    
,,and ,,goodness1 ,,who ,,inflicts      
,,evil ,,indiscriminately ,,on ,,the    
,,good ,,and ,,the ,,wicked1 ,,upon     
,,the ,,innocent ,,and ,,the ,,guilty2  
,,it ,,is ,,idle ,,to ,,demand ,,that   
,,the ,,unfortunate ,,should ,,console  

,,themselves ,,for ,,their              
,,misfortunes1 ,,in ,,the ,,very ,,arms 
,,of ,,the ,,one ,,who ,,alone ,,is     
,,the ,,author ,,of ,,them4  ,physical  
evil commonly passes as the punishment  
of sin4 ,calamities1 diseases1 famines1 
wars1 earthquakes1 are the means which  
,god employs to chastise perverse men4  
,therefore1 they have no difficulty in  
attributing these evils to the severity 
of a just and good ,god4 ,however1 do we
 not see these plagues fall             
indiscriminately upon the good and the  
wicked1 upon the impious and the pious1 
upon the innocent and the guilty8 ,how  
can we be made to admire1 in this       
proceeding1 the justice and the goodness
 of a being1 the idea of whom appears so
 consoling to the unfortunate8          
,doubtless the brain of these           
unfortunate ones has been disturbed by  
their misfortunes1 since they forget    
that ,god is the arbiter of things1 the 
sole dispenser of the events of this    
world4 ,in this case ought they not to  

blame ,him for the evils for which they 
would find consolation in ,his arms8    
,unfortunate father6 you console        
yourself in the bosom of ,providence for
 the loss of a cherished child or of a  
wife1 who made your happiness6 ,alas6 do
 you not see that your ,god has killed  
them8 ,your ,god has rendered you       
miserable2 and you want ,him to console 
you for the fearful blows ,he has       
inflicted upon you4  ,the fantastic and 
supernatural notions of theology have   
succeeded so thoroughly in overcoming   
the simplest1 the clearest1 the most    
natural ideas of the human spirit1 that 
the pious1 incapable of accusing ,god of
 malice1 accustom themselves to look    
upon these sad afflictions as           
indubitable proofs of celestial         
goodness4 ,are they in affliction1 they 
are told to believe that ,god loves     
them1 that ,god visits them1 that ,god  
wishes to try them4 ,thus it is that    
religion changes evil into good6 ,some  
one has said profanely1 but with reason3

 ,if the good ,god treats thus those    
whom ,he loves1 ,i beseech ,him very    
earnestly not to think of me4 ,men must 
have formed very sinister and very cruel
 ideas of their ,god whom they call so  
good1 in order to persuade themselves   
that the most frightful calamities and  
the most painful afflictions are signs  
of ,his favor6 ,would a wicked ,genii or
 a ,devil be more ingenious in          
tormenting his enemies1 than sometimes  
is this ,god of goodness1 who is so     
often occupied with inflicting ,his     
chastisements upon ,his dearest friends8
     ,,lxxix4--,a ,,god ,,who ,,punishes
 ,,the ,,faults ,,which ,,he ,,could    
,,have ,,prevented1 ,,is ,a ,,fool1     
,,who ,,adds ,,injustice ,,to           
,,foolishness4  ,what would we say or a 
father who1 we are assured1 watches     
without relaxation over the welfare of  
his feeble and unforeseeing children1   
and who1 however1 would leave them at   
liberty to go astray in the midst of    
rocks1 precipices1 and waters2 who would

 prevent them but rarely from following 
their disordered appetites2 who would   
permit them to handle1 without          
precaution1 deadly arms1 at the risk of 
wounding themselves severely8 ,what     
would we think of this same father1 if1 
instead of blaming himself for the harm 
which would have happened to his poor   
children1 he should punish them for     
their faults in the most cruel way8 ,we 
would say1 with reason1 that this father
 is a fool1 who joins injustice to      
foolishness4 ,a ,god who punishes the   
faults which ,he could have prevented1  
is a being who lacks wisdom1 goodness1  
and equity4 ,a ,god of foresight would  
prevent evil1 and in this way would be  
saved the trouble of punishing it4 ,a   
good ,god would not punish weaknesses   
which ,he knows to be inherent in human 
nature4 ,a just ,god1 if ,he has made   
man1 would not punish him for not being 
strong enough to resist his desires4 ,to
 punish weakness1 is the most unjust    
tyranny4 ,is it not calumniating a just 

,god1 to say that ,he punishes men for  
their faults1 even in the present life8 
,how would ,he punish beings whom ,he   
alone could correct1 and who1 as long as
 they had not received grace1 can not   
act otherwise than they do8  ,according 
to the principles of theologians        
themselves1 man1 in his actual state of 
corruption1 can do nothing but evil1 for
 without ,divine grace he has not the   
strength to do good4 ,moreover1 if man's
 nature1 abandoned to itself1 of        
destitute of ,divine help1 inclines him 
necessarily to evil1 or renders him     
incapable of doing good1 what becomes of
 his free will8 ,according to such      
principles1 man can merit neither reward
 nor punishment2 in rewarding man for   
the good he does1 ,god would but        
recompense ,himself2 in punishing man   
for the evil he does1 ,god punishes him 
for not having been given the grace1    
without which it was impossible for him 
to do better4     ,,lxxx4--,,free ,,will
 ,,is ,,an ,,idle ,,fancy4  ,theologians

 tell and repeat to us that man is free1
 while all their teachings conspire to  
destroy his liberty4 ,trying to justify 
,divinity1 they accuse him really of the
 blackest injustice4 ,they suppose that1
 without grace1 man is compelled to do  
evil3 and they maintain that ,god will  
punish him for not having been given the
 grace to do good6 ,with a little       
reflection1 we will be obliged to see   
that man in all things acts by          
compulsion1 and that his free will is a 
chimera1 even according to the          
theological system4 ,does it depend upon
 man whether or not he shall be born of 
such or such parents8 ,does it depend   
upon man to accept or not to accept the 
opinions of his parents and of his      
teachers8 ,if ,i were born of idolatrous
 or ,mohammedan parents1 would it have  
depended upon me to become a ,christian8
 ,however1 grave ,doctors of ,divinity  
assure us that a just ,god will damn    
without mercy all those to whom ,he has 
not given the grace to know the religion

 of the ,christians4  ,man's birth does 
not depend upon his choice2 he was not  
asked if he would or would not come into
 the world2 nature did not consult him  
upon the country and the parents that   
she gave him2 the ideas he acquired1 his
 opinions1 his true or false notions are
 the necessary fruits of the education  
which he has received1 and of which he  
has not been the master2 his passions   
and his desires are the necessary       
results of the temperament which nature 
has given him1 and of the ideas with    
which he has been inspired2 during the  
whole course of his life1 his wishes and
 his actions are determined by his      
surroundings1 his habits1 his           
occupations1 his pleasures1 his         
conversations1 and by the thoughts which
 present themselves involuntarily to    
him2 in short1 by a multitude of events 
and accidents which are beyond his      
control4 ,incapable of foreseeing the   
future1 he knows neither what he will   
wish1 nor what he will do in the time   

which must immediately follow the       
present4 ,man passes his life1 from the 
moment of his birth to that of his      
death1 without having been free one     
instant4 ,man1 you say1 wishes1         
deliberates1 chooses1 determines2 hence 
you conclude that his actions are free4 
,it is true that man intends1 but he is 
not master of his will or of his        
desires4 ,he can desire and wish only   
what he judges advantageous for himself2
 he can not love pain nor detest        
pleasure4 ,man1 it will be said1        
sometimes prefers pain to pleasure2 but 
then1 he prefers a passing pain in the  
hope of procuring a greater and more    
durable pleasure4 ,in this case1 the    
idea of a greater good determines him to
 deprive himself of one less desirable4 
,it is not the lover who gives to his   
mistress the features by which he is    
enchanted2 he is not then the master to 
love or not to love the object of his   
tenderness2 he is not the master of the 
imagination or the temperament which    

dominates him2 from which it follows1   
evidently1 that man is not the master of
 the wishes and desires which rise in   
his soul1 independently of him4 ,but    
man1 say you1 can resist his desires2   
then he is free4 ,man resists his       
desires when the motives which turn him 
from an object are stronger than those  
which draw him toward it2 but then1 his 
resistance is necessary4 ,a man who     
fears dishonor and punishment more than 
he loves money1 resists necessarily the 
desire to take possession of another's  
money4 ,are we not free when we         
deliberate8--but has one the power to   
know or not to know1 to be uncertain or 
to be assured8 ,deliberation is the     
necessary effect of the uncertainty in  
which we find ourselves with reference  
to the results of our actions4 ,as soon 
as we believe ourselves certain of these
 results1 we necessarily decide2 and    
then we act necessarily according as we 
shall have judged right or wrong4 ,our  
judgments1 true or false1 are not free2 

they are necessarily determined by ideas
 which we have received1 or which our   
mind has formed4 ,man is not free in his
 choice2 he is evidently compelled to   
choose what he judges the most useful or
 the most agreeable for himself4 ,when  
he suspends his choice1 he is not more  
free2 he is forced to suspend it till he
 knows or believes he knows the         
qualities of the objects presented to   
him1 or until he has weighed the        
consequence of his actions4 ,man1 you   
will say1 decides every moment on       
actions which he knows will endanger    
him2 man kills himself sometimes1 then  
he is free4 ,i deny it6 ,has man the    
ability to reason correctly or          
incorrectly8 ,do not his reason and his 
wisdom depend either upon opinions that 
he has formed1 or upon his mental       
constitution8 ,as neither the one nor   
the other depends upon his will1 they   
can not in any wise prove his liberty4  
,if ,i make the wager to do or not to do
 a thing1 am ,i not free8 ,does it not  

depend upon me to do or not to do it8   
,no2 ,i will answer you1 the desire to  
win the wager will necessarily determine
 you to do or not to do the thing in    
question4 ,but if ,i consent to lose the
 wager8 ,then the desire to prove to me 
that you are free will have become to   
you a stronger motive than the desire to
 win the wager2 and this motive will    
necessarily have determined you to do or
 not to do what was understood between  
us4 ,but you will say1 ,i feel myself   
free4 ,it is an illusion which may be   
compared to that of the fly in the      
fable1 which1 lighting on the shaft of a
 heavy wagon1 applauded itself as driver
 of the vehicle which carried it4 ,man  
who believes himself free1 is a fly who 
believes himself the master-motor in the
 machine of the universe1 while he      
himself1 without his own volition1 is   
carried on by it4 ,the feeling which    
makes us believe that we are free to do 
or not to do a thing1 is but a pure     
illusion4 ,when we come to the veritable

 principle of our actions1 we will find 
that they are nothing but the necessary 
results of our wills and of our desires1
 which are never within our power4 ,you 
believe yourselves free because you do  
as you choose2 but are you really free  
to will or not to will1 to desire or not
 to desire8 ,your wills and your        
desires1 are they not necessarily       
excited by objects or by qualities which
 do not depend upon you at all8         
,,lxxxi4--,,we ,,should ,,not ,,conclude
 ,,from ,,this ,,that ,,society ,,has   
,,not ,,the ,,right ,,to ,,chastise     
,,the ,,wicked4  ,if the actions of men 
are necessary1 if men are not free1 what
 right has society to punish the wicked 
who infest it8 ,is it not very unjust to
 chastise beings who could not act      
otherwise than they did8 ,if the wicked 
act from the impulse of their corrupt   
nature1 society in punishing them acts  
necessarily on its side from the desire 
to preserve itself4 ,certain objects    
produce in us the feeling of pain2      

therefore our nature compels us to hate 
them1 and incites us to remove them4 ,a 
tiger pressed by hunger1 attacks the man
 whom he wishes to devour2 but the man  
is not the master of his fear of the    
tiger1 and seeks necessarily the means  
of exterminating it4                    
,,lxxxii4--,,refutation ,,of ,,the      
,,arguments ,,in ,,favor ,,of ,,free    
,,will4  ,if everything is necessary1 if
 errors1 opinions1 and ideas of men are 
fated1 how or why can we pretend to     
reform them8 ,the errors of men are the 
necessary results of their ignorance2   
their ignorance1 their obstinacy1 their 
credulity1 are the necessary results of 
their inexperience1 of their            
indifference1 of their lack of          
reflection2 the same as congestion of   
the brain or lethargy are the natural   
effects of some diseases4 ,truth1       
experience1 reflection1 reason1 are the 
proper remedies to cure ignorance1      
fanaticism1 and follies2 the same as    
bleeding is good to soothe congestion of

 the brain4 ,but you will say1 why does 
not truth produce this effect upon many 
of the sick heads8 ,there are some      
diseases which resist all remedies2 it  
is impossible to cure obstinate patients
 who refuse to take the remedies which  
are given them2 the interest of some men
 and the folly of others naturally      
oppose them to the admission of truth4  
,a cause produces its effect only when  
it is not interrupted in its action by  
other causes which are stronger1 or     
which weaken the action of the first    
cause or render it useless4 ,it is      
entirely impossible to have the best    
arguments accepted by men who are       
strongly interested in error2 who are   
prejudiced in its favor2 who refuse to  
reflect2 but it must necessarily be that
 truth undeceives the honest souls who  
seek it in good faith4 ,truth is a      
cause2 it produces necessarily its      
effect when its impulse is not          
interrupted by causes which suspend its 
effects4     ,,lxxxiii4--,,continuation4

  ,to take away from man his free will1 
is1 we are told1 to make of him a pure  
machine1 an automaton without liberty2  
there would exist in him neither merit  
nor virtue ,what is merit in man8  ,it  
is a certain manner of acting which     
renders him estimable in the eyes of his
 fellow beings4 ,what is virtue8 ,it is 
the disposition that causes us to do    
good to others4 ,what can there be      
contemptible in automatic machines      
capable of producing such desirable     
effects8 ,marcus ,aurelius was a very   
useful spring to the vast machine of the
 ,roman ,empire4 ,by what right will a  
machine despise another machine1 whose  
springs would facilitate its own play8  
,good people are springs which assist   
society in its tendency to happiness2   
wicked men are badly-formed springs1    
which disturb the order1 the progress1  
and harmony of society4 ,if for its own 
interests society loves and rewards the 
good1 she hates1 despises1 and removes  
the wicked1 as useless or dangerous     

motors4     ,,lxxxiv4--,,god ,,himself1 
,,if ,,there ,,was ,a ,,god1 ,,would    
,,not ,,be ,,free2 ,,hence ,,the        
,,uselessness ,,of ,,all ,,religion4    
,the world is a necessary agent2 all the
 beings which compose it are united to  
each other1 and can not do otherwise    
than they do1 so long as they are moved 
by the same causes and possessed of the 
same qualities4 ,if they lose these     
qualities1 they will act necessarily in 
a different way4 ,god ,himself          
7admitting ,his existence a moment7 can 
not be regarded as a free agent2 if     
there existed a ,god1 ,his manner of    
acting would necessarily be determined  
by the qualities inherent in ,his       
nature2 nothing would be able to alter  
or to oppose ,his wishes4 ,this         
considered1 neither our actions nor our 
prayers nor our sacrifices could suspend
 or change ,his invariable progress and 
,his immutable designs1 from which we   
are compelled to conclude that all      
religion would be entirely useless4     

,,lxxxv4--,,even ,,according ,,to       
,,theological ,,principles1 ,,man ,,is  
,,not ,,free ,,one ,,instant4  ,if      
theologians were not constantly         
contradicting each other1 they would    
know1 from their own hypotheses1 that   
man can not be called free for an       
instant4 ,is not man supposed to be in a
 continual dependence upon ,god8 ,is one
 free1 when one could not have existed  
or can not live without ,god1 and when  
one ceases to exist at the pleasure of  
,his supreme will8 ,if ,god created man 
of nothing1 if the preservation of man  
is a continual creation1 if ,god can not
 lose sight of ,his creature for an     
instant1 if all that happens to him is a
 result of the ,divine will1 if man is  
nothing of himself1 if all the events   
which he experiences are the effects of 
,divine decrees1 if he can not do any   
good without assistance from above1 how 
can it be pretended that man enjoys     
liberty during one moment of his life8  
,if ,god did not save him in the moment 

when he sins1 how could man sin8 ,if    
,god preserves him1 ,god1 therefore1    
forces him to live in order to sin4     
,,lxxxvi4--,,all ,,evil1 ,,all          
,,disorder1 ,,all ,,sin1 ,,can ,,be     
,,attributed ,,but ,,to ,,god2 ,,and    
,,consequently1 ,,he ,,has ,,no ,,right 
,,to ,,punish ,,or ,,reward4  ,divinity 
is continually compared to a king1 the  
majority of whose subjects revolt       
against ,him and it is pretended that   
,he has the right to reward ,his        
faithful subjects1 and to punish those  
who revolt against ,him4 ,this          
comparison is not just in any of its    
parts4 ,god presides over a machine1 of 
which ,he has made all the springs2     
these springs act according to the way  
in which ,god has formed them2 it is the
 fault of ,his inaptitude if these      
springs do not contribute to the harmony
 of the machine in which the workman    
desired to place them4 ,god is a        
creating ,king1 who created all kinds of
 subjects for ,himself2 who formed them 

according to ,his pleasure1 and whose   
wishes can never find any resistance4   
,if ,god in ,his empire has rebellious  
subjects1 it is ,god who resolved to    
have rebellious subjects4 ,if the sins  
of men disturb the order of the world1  
it is ,god who desired this order to be 
disturbed4 ,nobody dares to doubt       
,divine justice2 however1 under the     
empire of a just ,god1 we find nothing  
but injustice and violence4 ,power      
decides the fate of nations4 ,equity    
seems to be banished from the earth2 a  
small number of men enjoy with impunity 
the repose1 the fortunes1 the liberty1  
and the life of all the others4         
,everything is in disorder in a world   
governed by a ,god of whom it is said   
that disorder displeases ,him           
exceedingly4     ,,lxxxvii4--,,men',s   
,,prayers ,,to ,,god ,,prove            
,,sufficiently ,,that ,,they ,,are ,,not
 ,,satisfied ,,with ,,the ,,divine      
,,economy4  ,although men incessantly   
admire the wisdom the goodness1 the     

justice1 the beautiful order of         
,providence1 they are1 in fact1 never   
contented with it4 ,the prayers which   
they continually offer to ,heaven1 prove
 to us that they are not at all         
satisfied with ,god's administration4   
,praying to ,god1 asking a favor of     
,him1 is to mistrust ,his vigilant care2
 to pray ,god to avert or to suppress an
 evil1 is to endeavor to put obstacles  
in the way of ,his justice2 to implore  
the assistance of ,god in our           
calamities1 means to appeal to the very 
author of these calamities in order to  
represent to ,him our welfare2 that ,he 
ought to rectify in our favor ,his plan1
 which is not beneficial to our         
interests4 ,the optimist1 or the one who
 thinks that everything is good in the  
world1 and who repeats to us incessantly
 that we live in the best world         
possible1 if he were consistent1 ought  
never to pray2 still less should he     
expect another world where men will be  
happier4 ,can there be a better world   

than the best possible of all worlds8   
,some of the theologians have treated   
the optimists as impious for having     
claimed that ,god could not have made a 
better world than the one in which we   
live2 according to these doctors it is  
limiting the ,divine power and insulting
 it4 ,but do not theologians see that it
 is less offensive for ,god1 to pretend 
that ,he did ,his best in creating the  
world1 than to say that ,he1 having the 
power to produce a better one1 had the  
malice to make a very bad one8 ,if the  
optimist1 by his system1 does wrong to  
the ,divine power1 the theologian1 who  
treats him as impious1 is himself a     
reprobate1 who wounds the ,divine       
goodness under pretext of taking        
interest in ,god4     ,,lxxxviii4--,,the
 ,,reparation ,,of ,,the ,,iniquities   
,,and ,,the ,,miseries ,,of ,,this      
,,world ,,in ,,another ,,world1 ,,is    
,,an ,,idle ,,conjecture ,,and ,,an     
,,absurd ,,supposition4  ,when we       
complain of the evils of which this     

world is the theater1 we are referred to
 another world2 we are told that there  
,god will repair all the iniquities and 
the miseries which ,he permits for a    
time here below4 ,however1 if leaving   
,his eternal justice to sleep for a     
time1 ,god could consent to evil during 
the period of the existence of our      
globe1 what assurance have we that      
during the existence of another globe1  
,divine justice will not likewise sleep 
during the misfortunes of its           
inhabitants8 ,they console us in our    
troubles by saying1 that ,god is        
patient1 and that ,his justice1 although
 often very slow1 is not the less       
certain4 ,but do you not see1 that      
patience can not be suited to a being   
just1 immutable1 and omnipotent8 ,can   
,god tolerate injustice for an instant8 
,to temporize with an evil that one     
knows of1 evinces either uncertainty1   
weakness1 or collusion2 to tolerate evil
 which one has the power to prevent1 is 
to consent that evil should be          

committed4     ,,lxxxix4--,,theology    
,,justifies ,,the ,,evil ,,and          
,,injustice ,,permitted ,,by ,,its      
,,god1 ,,only ,,by ,,conceding ,,to     
,,this ,,god ,,the ,,right ,,of ,,the   
,,strongest1 ,,that ,,is ,,to ,,say1    
,,the ,,violation ,,of ,,all ,,rights1  
,,or ,,in ,,commanding ,,from ,,men ,a  
,,stupid ,,devotion4  ,i hear a         
multitude of theologians tell me on all 
sides1 that ,god is infinitely just1 but
 that ,his justice is not that of men6  
,of what kind1 or of what nature is this
 ,divine justice then8 ,what idea can ,i
 form of a justice which so often       
resembles human injustice8 ,is it not   
confounding all our ideas of justice and
 of injustice1 to tell us that what is  
equitable in ,god is iniquitous in ,his 
creatures8 ,how can we take as a model a
 being whose ,divine perfections are    
precisely contrary to human perfections8
 ,god1 you say1 is the sovereign arbiter
 of our destinies2 ,his supreme power1  
that nothing can limit1 authorizes ,him 

to do as ,he pleases with ,his works2 a 
worm1 such as man1 has not the right to 
murmur against ,him4 ,this arrogant tone
 is literally borrowed from the language
 which the ministers of tyrants hold1   
when they silence those who suffer by   
their violences2 it can not1 then1 be   
the language of the ministers of a ,god 
of whose equity they boast4 ,it can not 
impose upon a being who reasons4        
,ministers of a just ,god6 ,i tell you  
then1 that the greatest power is not    
able to confer even upon your ,god      
,himself the right to be unjust to the  
vilest of ,his creatures4 ,a despot is  
not a ,god4 ,a ,god who arrogates to    
,himself the right to do evil1 is a     
tyrant2 a tyrant is not a model for men4
 ,he ought to be an execrable object in 
their eyes4 ,is it not strange that1 in 
order to justify ,divinity1 they made of
 ,him the most unjust of beings8 ,as    
soon as we complain of ,his conduct1    
they think to silence us by claiming    
that ,god is the ,master2 which         

signifies that ,god1 being the          
strongest1 ,he is not subjected to      
ordinary rules4 ,but the right of the   
strongest is the violation of all       
rights2 it can pass as a right but in   
the eyes of a savage conqueror1 who1 in 
the intoxication of his fury1 imagines  
he has the right to do as he pleases    
with the unfortunate ones whom he has   
conquered2 this barbarous right can     
appear legitimate only to slaves1 who   
are blind enough to think that          
everything is allowed to tyrants1 who   
are too strong for them to resist4  ,by 
a foolish simplicity1 or rather by a    
plain contradiction of terms1 do we not 
see devotees exclaim1 amidst the        
greatest calamities1 that the good ,lord
 is the ,master8 ,well1 illogical       
reasoners1 you believe in good faith    
that the good ,lord sends you the       
pestilence2 that your good ,lord gives  
war2 that the good ,lord is the cause of
 famine2 in a word1 that the good ,lord1
 without ceasing to be good1 has the    

will and the right to do you the        
greatest evils you can endure6 ,cease to
 call your ,lord good when ,he does you 
harm2 do not say that ,he is just2 say  
that ,he is the strongest1 and that it  
is impossible for you to avert the blows
 which ,his caprice inflicts upon you4  
,god1 you say1 punishes us for our      
highest good2 but what real benefit can 
result to a nation in being exterminated
 by contagion1 murdered by wars1        
corrupted by the examples of perverse   
masters1 continually pressed by the iron
 scepter of merciless tyrants1 subjected
 to the scourge of a bad government1    
which often for centuries causes nations
 to suffer its destructive effects8 ,the
 eyes of faith must be strange eyes1 if 
we see by their means any advantage in  
the most dreadful miseries and in the   
most durable evils1 in the vices and    
follies by which our kind is so cruelly 
afflicted6     ,,xc4--,,redemption1     
,,and ,,the ,,continual ,,exterminations
 ,,attributed ,,to ,,jehovah ,,in ,,the 

,,bible1 ,,are ,,so ,,many ,,absurd     
,,and ,,ridiculous ,,inventions ,,which 
,,presuppose ,,an ,,unjust ,,and        
,,barbarous ,,god4  ,what strange ideas 
of the ,divine justice must the         
,christians have who believe that their 
,god1 with the view of reconciling      
,himself with mankind1 guilty without   
knowledge of the fault of their parents1
 sacrificed ,his own innocent and       
sinless ,son6 ,what would we say of a   
king1 whose subjects having revolted    
against him1 in order to appease himself
 could find no other expedient than to  
put to death the heir to his crown1 who 
had taken no part in the general        
rebellion8 ,it is1 the ,christian will  
say1 through kindness for ,his subjects1
 incapable of satisfying themselves of  
,his ,divine justice1 that ,god         
consented to the cruel death of ,his    
,son4 ,but the kindness of a father to  
strangers does not give him the right to
 be unjust and cruel to his son4 ,all   
the qualities that theology gives to its

 ,god annul each other4 ,the exercise of
 one of ,his perfections is always at   
the expense of another4  ,has the ,jew  
any more rational ideas than the        
,christian of ,divine justice8 ,a king1 
by his pride1 kindles the wrath of      
,heaven4 ,jehovah sends pestilence upon 
,his innocent people2 seventy thousand  
subjects are exterminated to expiate the
 fault of  a monarch that the kindness  
of ,god resolved to spare4              
,,xci4--,,how ,,can ,,we ,,discover ,a  
,,tender1 ,,generous1 ,,and ,,equitable 
,,father ,,in ,a ,,being ,,who ,,has    
,,created ,,his ,,children ,,but ,,to   
,,make ,,them ,,unhappy8  ,in spite of  
the injustice with which all religions  
are pleased to blacken the ,divinity1   
men can not consent to accuse ,him of   
iniquity2 they fear that ,he1 like the  
tyrants of this world1 will be offended 
by the truth1 and redouble the weight of
 ,his malice and tyranny upon them4     
,they listen1 then1 to their priests1   
who tell them that their ,god is a      

tender ,father2 that this ,god is an    
equitable ,monarch1 whose object in this
 world is to assure ,himself of the     
love1 obedience1 and respect of ,his    
subjects2 who gives them the liberty to 
act1 in order to give them occasion to  
deserve ,his favors and to acquire      
eternal happiness1 which ,he does not   
owe them in any way4 ,in what way can we
 recognize the tenderness of a ,father  
who created the majority of ,his        
children but for the purpose of dragging
 out a life of pain1 anxiety1 and       
bitterness upon this earth8 ,is there   
any more fatal boon than this pretended 
liberty which1 it is said1 men can      
abuse1 and thereby expose themselves to 
the risk of eternal misery8             
,,xcii4--,,the ,,life ,,of ,,mortals1   
,,all ,,which ,,takes ,,place ,,here    
,,below1 ,,testifies ,,against ,,man',s 
,,liberty ,,and ,,against ,,the         
,,justice ,,and ,,goodness ,,of ,a      
,,pretended ,,god4  ,in calling mortals 
into life1 what a cruel and dangerous   

game does the ,divinity force them to   
play6 ,thrust into the world without    
their wish1 provided with a temperament 
of which they are not the masters1      
animated by passions and desires        
inherent in their nature1 exposed to    
snares which they have not the skill to 
avoid1 led away by events which they    
could neither foresee nor prevent1 the  
unfortunate beings are obliged to follow
 a career which conducts them to        
horrible tortures4  ,travelers assert   
that in some part of ,asia reigns a     
sultan full of phantasies1 and very     
absolute in his will4 ,by a strange     
mania this prince spends his time       
sitting before a table1 on which are    
placed six dice and a dice-box4 ,one end
 of the table is covered with a pile of 
gold1 for the purpose of exciting the   
cupidity of the courtiers and of the    
people by whom the sultan is surrounded4
 ,he1 knowing the weak point of his     
subjects1 speaks to them in this way3   
,slaves6 ,i wish you well2 my aim is to 

enrich you and render you all happy4 ,do
 you see these treasures8 ,well1 they   
are for you6 try to win them2 let each  
one in turn take this box and these     
dice2 whoever shall have the good luck  
to raffle six1 will be master of this   
treasure2 but ,i warn you that he who   
has not the luck to throw the required  
number1 will be precipitated forever    
into an obscure cell1 where my justice  
exacts that he shall be burned by a slow
 fire4 ,upon this threat of the monarch1
 they regarded each other in            
consternation2 no one willing to take a 
risk so dangerous4 ,what6 said the angry
 sultan1 no one wants to play8 ,oh1 this
 does not suit me6 ,my glory demands    
that you play4 ,you will raffle then2 ,i
 wish it2 obey without replying6 ,it is 
well to observe that the despot's dice  
are prepared in such a way1 that upon a 
hundred thousand throws there is but one
 that wins2 thus the generous monarch   
has the pleasure to see his prison well 
filled1 and his treasures seldom carried

 away4 ,mortals6 this ,sultan is your   
,god2 ,his treasures are heaven2 ,his   
cell is hell2 and you hold the dice6    
,,xciii4--,,it ,,is ,,not ,,true ,,that 
,,we ,,owe ,,any ,,gratitude ,,to ,,what
 ,,we ,,call ,,providence4  ,we are     
constantly told that we owe an infinite 
gratitude to ,providence for the        
countless blessings ,it is pleased to   
lavish upon us4 ,they boast above all   
that our existence is a blessing4 ,but1 
alas6 how many mortals are really       
satisfied with their mode of existence8 
,if life has its sweets1 how much of    
bitterness is mingled with it8 ,is not  
one bitter trouble sufficient to blight 
all of a sudden the most peaceful and   
happy life8 ,is there a great number of 
men who1 if it depended upon them1 would
 wish to begin1 at the same sacrifice1  
the painful career into which1 without  
their consent1 destiny has thrown them8 
,you say that existence itself is a     
great blessing4 ,but is not this        
existence continually troubled by       

griefs1 fears1 and often cruel and      
undeserved maladies4 ,this existence1   
menaced on so many sides1 can we not be 
deprived of it at any moment8 ,who is   
there1 after having lived for some time1
 who has not been deprived of a beloved 
wife1 a beloved child1 a consoling      
friend1 whose loss fills his mind       
constantly8 ,there are very few mortals 
who have not been compelled to drink    
from the cup of bitterness2 there are   
but few who have not often wished to    
die4 ,finally1 it did not depend upon us
 to exist or not to exist4 ,would the   
bird be under such great obligations to 
the bird-catcher for having caught it in
 his net and for having put it into his 
cage1 in order to eat it after being    
amused with it8     ,,xciv4--,,to       
,,pretend ,,that ,,man ,,is ,,the       
,,beloved ,,child ,,of ,,providence1    
,,god',s ,,favorite1 ,,the ,,only       
,,object ,,of ,,his ,,labors1 ,,the     
,,king ,,of ,,nature1 ,,is ,,folly4  ,in
 spite of the infirmities1 the troubles1

 the miseries to which man is compelled 
to submit in this world2 in spite of the
 danger which his alarmed imagination   
creates in regard to another1 he is     
still foolish enough to believe himself 
to be ,god's favorite1 the only aim of  
all ,his works4 ,he imagines that the   
entire universe was made for him2 he    
calls himself arrogantly the king of    
nature1 and ranks himself far above     
other animals4 ,poor mortal6 upon what  
can you establish your high pretensions8
 ,it is1 you say1 upon your soul1 upon  
your reason1 upon your sublime          
faculties1 which place you in a         
condition to exercise an absolute       
authority over the beings which surround
 you4 ,but weak sovereign of this world1
 art thou sure one instant of the       
duration of thy reign8 ,the least atoms 
of matter which you despise1 are they   
not sufficient to deprive you of your   
throne and life8 ,finally1 does not the 
king of animals terminate always by     
becoming food for the worms8  ,you speak

 of your soul4 ,but do you know what    
your soul is8 ,do you not see that this 
soul is but the assemblage of your      
organs1 from which life results8 ,would 
you refuse a soul to other animals who  
live1 who think1 who judge1 who compare1
 who seek pleasure1 and avoid pain even 
as you do1 and who often possess organs 
which are better than your own8 ,you    
boast of your intellectual faculties1   
but these faculties which render you so 
proud1 do they make you any happier than
 other creatures8 ,do you often make use
 of this reason which you glory in1 and 
which religion commands you not to      
listen to8 ,those animals which you     
disdain because they are weaker or less 
cunning than yourself1 are they subject 
to troubles1 to mental anxieties1 to a  
thousand frivolous passions1 to a       
thousand imaginary needs1 of which your 
heart is continually the prey8 ,are     
they1 like you1 tormented by the past1  
alarmed for the future8  ,limited solely
 to the present1 what you call their    

instinct1 and what ,i call their        
intelligence1 is it not sufficient to   
preserve and to defend them and to      
provide for their needs8 ,this instinct1
 of which you speak with disdain1 does  
it not often serve them much better than
 your wonderful faculties8 ,their       
peaceable ignorance1 is it not more     
advantageous than these extravagant     
meditations and these futile            
investigations which render you         
miserable1 and for which you are driven 
to murdering beings of your own noble   
kind8 ,finally1 these animals1 have     
they1 like mortals1 a troubled          
imagination which makes them fear not   
only death1 but even eternal torments8  
,augustus1 having heard that ,herod1    
king of ,judea1 had murdered his sons1  
cried out3 ,it would be better to be    
,herod's pig than his son6 ,we can say  
as much of men2 this beloved child of   
,providence runs much greater risks than
 all other animals4 ,after having       
suffered a great deal in this world1 do 

we not believe ourselves in danger of   
suffering for eternity in another8      
,,xcv4--,,comparison ,,between ,,man    
,,and ,,animals4  ,what is the exact    
line of demarcation between man and the 
other animals which he calls brutes8 ,in
 what way does he essentially differ    
from the beasts8 ,it is1 we are told1 by
 his intelligence1 by the faculties of  
his mind1 by his reason1 that man is    
superior to all the other animals1 which
 in all they do1 act but by physical    
impulsions1 reason taking no part4 ,but 
the beasts1 having more limited needs   
than men1 do very well without these    
intellectual faculties1 which would be  
perfectly useless in their way of       
living4 ,their instinct is sufficient   
for them1 while all the faculties of man
 are hardly sufficient to render his    
existence endurable1 and to satisfy the 
needs which his imagination1 his        
prejudices1 and his institutions        
multiply to his torment4  ,the brute is 
not affected by the same objects as man2

 it has neither the same needs1 nor the 
same desires1 nor the same whims2 it    
early reaches maturity1 while nothing is
 more rare than to see the human being  
enjoying all of his faculties1          
exercising them freely1 and making a    
proper use of them for his own          
happiness4     ,,xcvi4--,,there ,,are   
,,no ,,more ,,detestable ,,animals ,,in 
,,this ,,world ,,than ,,tyrants4  ,we   
are assured that the human soul is a    
simple substance2 but if the soul is    
such a simple substance1 it ought to be 
the same in all the individuals of the  
human race1 who all ought to have the   
same intellectual faculties2 however1   
this is not the case2 men differ as much
 in qualities of mind as in the features
 of the face4 ,there are in the human   
race1 beings as different from one      
another as man is from a horse or a dog4
 ,what conformity or resemblance do we  
find between some men8 ,what an infinite
 distance between the genius of a       
,locke1 of a ,newton1 and that of a     

peasant1 of a ,hottentot1 or of a       
,laplander6  ,man differs from other    
animals but by the difference of his    
organization1 which causes him to       
produce effects of which they are not   
capable4 ,the variety which we notice in
 the organs of individuals of the human 
race1 suffices to explain to us the     
difference which is often found between 
them in regard to the intellectual      
faculties4 ,more or less of delicacy in 
these organs1 of heat in the blood1 of  
promptitude in the fluids1 more or less 
of suppleness or of rigidity in the     
fibers and the nerves1 must necessarily 
produce the infinite diversities which  
are noticeable in the minds of men4 ,it 
is by exercise1 by habitude1 by         
education1 that the human mind is       
developed and succeeds in rising above  
the beings which surround it2 man1      
without culture and without experience1 
is a being as devoid of reason and of   
industry as the brute4 ,a stupid        
individual is a man whose organs are    

acted upon with difficulty1 whose brain 
is hard to move1 whose blood circulates 
slowly2 a man of mind is he whose organs
 are supple1 who feels very quickly1    
whose brain moves promptly2 a learned   
man is one whose organs and whose brain 
have been exercised a long while upon   
objects which occupy him4  ,the man     
without culture1 experience1 or reason1 
is he not more despicable and more      
abominable than the vilest insects1 or  
the most ferocious beasts8 ,is there a  
more detestable being in nature than a  
,tiberius1 a ,nero1 a ,caligula8 ,these 
destroyers of the human race1 known by  
the name of conquerors1 have they better
 souls than those of bears1 lions1 and  
panthers8 ,are there more detestable    
animals in this world than tyrants8     
,,xcvii4--,,refutation ,,of ,,man',s    
,,excellence4  ,human extravagances soon
 dispel1 in the eyes of reason1 the     
superiority which man arrogantly claims 
over other animals4 ,do we not see many 
animals show more gentleness1 more      

reflection and reason than the animal   
which calls itself reasonable par       
excellence8 ,are there amongst men1 who 
are so often enslaved and oppressed1    
societies as well organized as those of 
ants1 bees1 or beavers8 ,do we ever see 
ferocious beasts of the same kind meet  
upon the plains to devour each other    
without profit8 ,do we see among them   
religious wars8 ,the cruelty of beasts  
against other species is caused by      
hunger1 the need of nourishment2 the    
cruelty of man against man has no other 
motive than the vanity of his masters   
and the folly of his impertinent        
prejudices4 ,theorists who try to make  
us believe that everything in the       
universe was made for man1 are very much
 embarrassed when we ask them in what   
way can so many mischievous animals     
which continually infest our life here1 
contribute to the welfare of men4 ,what 
known advantage results for ,god's      
friend to be bitten by a viper1 stung by
 a gnat1 devoured by vermin1 torn into  

pieces by a tiger8 ,would not all these 
animals reason as wisely as our         
theologians1 if they should pretend that
 man was made for them8                 
,,xcviii4--,,an ,,oriental ,,legend4    
,at a short distance from ,bagdad a     
dervis1 celebrated for his holiness1    
passed his days tranquilly in agreeable 
solitude4 ,the surrounding inhabitants1 
in order to have an interest in his     
prayers1 eagerly brought to him every   
day provisions and presents4 ,the holy  
man thanked ,god incessantly for the    
blessings ,providence heaped upon him4  
,o ,allah1 said he1 how ineffable is    
,thy tenderness toward ,thy servants4   
,what have ,i done to deserve the       
benefactions which ,thy liberality loads
 me with6 ,oh1 ,monarch of the skies6   
oh1 ,father of nature6 what praises     
could be worthy to celebrate ,thy       
munificence and ,thy paternal cares6 ,o 
,allah1 how great are ,thy gifts to the 
children of men6 ,filled with gratitude1
 our hermit made a vow to undertake for 

the seventh time the pilgrimage to      
,mecca4 ,the war1 which then existed    
between the ,persians and the ,turks1   
could not make him defer the execution  
of his pious enterprise4 ,full of       
confidence in ,god1 he began his        
journey2 under the inviolable safeguard 
of a respected garb1 he passed through  
without obstacle the enemies'           
detachments2 far from being molested1 he
 receives at every step marks of        
veneration from the soldiers of both    
sides4 ,at last1 overcome by fatigue1 he
 finds himself obliged to seek a shelter
 from the rays of the burning sun2 he   
finds it beneath a fresh group of       
palm-trees1 whose roots were watered by 
a limpid rivulet4 ,in this solitary     
place1 where the silence was broken only
 by the murmuring of the waters and the 
singing of the birds1 the man of ,god   
found not only an enchanting retreat1   
but also a delicious repast2 he had but 
to extend the hand to gather dates and  
other agreeable fruits2 the rivulet can 

appease his thirst2 very soon a green   
plot invites him to take sweet repose4  
,as he awakens he performs the holy     
cleansing2 and in a transport of        
ecstasy1 he exclaimed3 ,o ,allah6 ,,how 
,,great ,,is ,,thy ,,goodness ,,to ,,the
 ,,children ,,of ,,men6 ,well rested1   
refreshed1 full of life and gayety1 our 
holy man continues on his road2 it      
conducts him for some time through a    
delightful country1 which offers to his 
sight but blooming shores and trees     
filled with fruit4 ,softened by this    
spectacle1 he worships incessantly the  
rich and liberal hand of ,providence1   
which is everywhere seen occupied with  
the welfare of the human race4 ,going a 
little farther1 he comes across a few   
mountains1 which were quite hard to     
ascend2 but having arrived at their     
summit1 a hideous sight suddenly meets  
his eyes2 his soul is all consternation4
 ,he discovers a vast plain entirely    
devastated by the sword and fire2 he    
looks at it and finds it covered with   

more than a hundred thousand corpses1   
deplorable remains of a bloody battle   
which had taken place a few days        
previous4 ,eagles1 vultures1 ravens1 and
 wolves were devouring the dead bodies  
with which the earth was covered4 ,this 
sight plunges our pilgrim into a sad    
reverie4 ,heaven1 by a special favor1   
had made him understand the language of 
beasts4 ,he heard a wolf1 gorged with   
human flesh1 exclaim in his excessive   
joy3 ,o ,allah6 how great is ,thy       
kindness for the children of wolves6    
,thy foreseeing wisdom takes care to    
send infatuation upon these detestable  
men who are so dangerous to us4 ,through
 an effect of ,thy ,providence which    
watches over ,thy creatures1 these1 our 
destroyers1 murder each other1 and thus 
furnish us with sumptuous repasts4 ,o   
,allah6 ,,how ,,great ,,is ,,thy        
,,goodness ,,to ,,the ,,children ,,of   
,,wolves6     ,,xcix4--,,it ,,is        
,,foolish ,,to ,,see ,,in ,,the         
,,universe ,,only ,,the ,,benefactions  

,,of ,,heaven1 ,,and ,,to ,,believe     
,,that ,,this ,,universe ,,was ,,made   
,,but ,,for ,,man4  ,an exalted         
imagination sees in the universe but the
 benefactions of ,heaven2 a calm mind   
finds good and evil in it4 ,i exist1 you
 will say2 but is this existence always 
a benefit8 ,you will say1 look at this  
sun1 which shines for you2 this earth1  
which is covered with fruits and        
verdure2 these flowers1 which bloom for 
our sight and smell2 these trees1 which 
bend beneath the weight of fruits2 these
 pure streams1 which flow but to quench 
your thirst2 these seas1 which embrace  
the universe to facilitate your         
commerce2 these animals1 which a        
foreseeing nature produces for your use6
 ,yes1 ,i see all these things1 and ,i  
enjoy them when ,i can4 ,but in some    
climates this beautiful sun is most     
always obscured from me2 in others1 its 
excessive heat torments me1 produces    
storm1 gives rise to dreadful diseases1 
dries up the fields2 the meadows have no

 grass1 the trees are fruitless1 the    
harvests are scorched1 the springs are  
dried up2 ,i can scarcely exist1 and ,i 
sigh under the cruelty of a nature which
 you find so benevolent4 ,if these seas 
bring me spices1 riches1 and useless    
things1 do they not destroy a multitude 
of mortals who are dupes enough to go   
after them8  ,man's vanity persuades him
 that he is the sole center of the      
universe2 he creates for himself a world
 and a ,god2 he thinks himself of       
sufficient consequence to derange nature
 at his will1 but he reasons as an      
atheist when the question of other      
animals is involved4 ,does he not       
imagine that the individuals different  
from his species are automatons unworthy
 of the cares of universal ,providence1 
and that the beasts can not be the      
objects of its justice and kindness8    
,mortals consider fortunate or          
unfortunate events1 health or sickness1 
life and death1 abundance or famine1 as 
rewards or punishments for the use or   

misuse of the liberty which they        
arrogate to themselves4 ,do they reason 
on this principle when animals are taken
 into consideration8 ,no2 although they 
see them under a just ,god enjoy and    
suffer1 be healthy and sick1 live and   
die1 like themselves1 it does not enter 
their mind to ask what crimes these     
beasts have committed in order to cause 
the displeasure of the ,arbiter of      
nature4 ,philosophers1 blinded by their 
theological prejudices1 in order to     
disembarrass themselves1 have gone so   
far as to pretend that beasts have no   
feelings6  ,will men never renounce     
their foolish pretensions8 ,will they   
not recognize that nature was not made  
for them8 ,will they not see that this  
nature has placed on equal footing all  
the beings which she produced8 ,will    
they not see that all organized beings  
are equally made to be born and to die1 
to enjoy and to suffer8 ,finally1       
instead of priding themselves           
preposterously on their mental          

faculties1 are they not compelled to    
admit that they often render them more  
unhappy than the beasts1 in which we    
find neither opinions1 prejudices1      
vanities1 nor the weaknesses which      
decide at every moment the well-being of
 men8     ,c4--,,what ,,is ,,the ,,soul8
 ,,we ,,know ,,nothing ,,about ,,it4    
,,if ,,this ,,pretended ,,soul ,,was    
,,of ,,another ,,essence ,,from ,,that  
,,of ,,the ,,body1 ,,their ,,union      
,,would ,,be ,,impossible4  ,the        
superiority which men arrogate to       
themselves over other animals1 is       
principally founded upon the opinion of 
possessing exclusively an immortal soul4
 ,but as soon as we ask what this soul  
is1 they begin to stammer4 ,it is an    
unknown substance2 it is a secret force 
distinguished from their bodies2 it is a
 spirit of which they can form no idea4 
,ask them how this spirit1 which they   
suppose like their ,god1 totally        
deprived of a physical substance1 could 
combine itself with their material      

bodies8 ,they will tell you that they   
know nothing about it2 that it is a     
mystery to them2 that this combination  
is the effect of the ,almighty power4   
,these are the clear ideas which men    
form of the hidden1 or1 rather1         
imaginary substance which they consider 
the motor of all their actions6 ,if the 
soul is a substance essentially         
different from the body1 and which can  
have no affinity with it1 their union   
would be1 not a mystery1 but a thing    
impossible4 ,besides1 this soul1 being  
of an essence different from that of the
 body1 ought to act necessarily in a    
different way from it4 ,however1 we see 
that the movements of the body are felt 
by this pretended soul1 and that these  
two substances1 so different in essence1
 always act in harmony4 ,you will tell  
us that this harmony is a mystery2 and  
,i will tell you that ,i do not see my  
soul1 that ,i know and feel but my body2
 that it is my body which feels1 which  
reflects1 which judges1 which suffers1  

and which enjoys1 and that all of its   
faculties are the necessary results of  
its own mechanism or of its             
organization4     ,,ci4--,,the          
,,existence ,,of ,a ,,soul ,,is ,,an    
,,absurd ,,supposition1 ,,and ,,the     
,,existence ,,of ,,an ,,immortal ,,soul 
,,is ,a ,,still ,,more ,,absurd         
,,supposition4  ,although it is         
impossible for men to have the least    
idea of the soul1 or of this pretended  
spirit which animates them1 they        
persuade themselves1 however1 that this 
unknown soul is exempt from death2      
everything proves to them that they     
feel1 think1 acquire ideas1 enjoy or    
suffer1 but by the means of the senses  
or of the material organs of the body4  
,even admitting the existence of this   
soul1 one can not refuse to recognize   
that it depends wholly on the body1 and 
suffers conjointly with it all the      
vicissitudes which it experiences       
itself2 and however it is imagined that 
it has by its nature nothing analogous  

with it2 it is pretended that it can act
 and feel without the assistance of this
 body2 that deprived of this body and   
robbed of its senses1 this soul will be 
able to live1 to enjoy1 to suffer1 be   
sensitive of enjoyment or of rigorous   
torments4 ,upon such a tissue of        
conjectural absurdities the wonderful   
opinion of the immortality of the soul  
is built4  ,if ,i ask what ground we    
have for supposing that the soul is     
immortal3 they reply1 it is because man 
by his nature desires to be immortal1 or
 to live forever4 ,but ,i rejoin1 if you
 desire anything very much1 is it       
sufficient to conclude that this desire 
will be fulfilled8 ,by what strange     
logic do they decide that a thing can   
not fail to happen because they ardently
 desire it to happen8 ,man's childish   
desires of the imagination1 are they the
 measure of reality8 ,impious people1   
you say1 deprived of the flattering     
hopes of another life1 desire to be     
annihilated4 ,well1 have they not just  

as much right to conclude by this desire
 that they will be annihilated1 as you  
to conclude that you will exist forever 
because you desire it8     ,,cii4--,,it 
,,is ,,evident ,,that ,,the ,,whole ,,of
 ,,man ,,dies4  ,man dies entirely4     
,nothing is more evident to him who is  
not delirious4 ,the human body1 after   
death1 is but a mass1 incapable of      
producing any movements the union of    
which constitutes life4 ,we no longer   
see circulation1 respiration1 digestion1
 speech1 or reflection4 ,it is claimed  
then that the soul has separated itself 
from the body4 ,but to say that this    
soul1 which is unknown1 is the principle
 of life1 is saying nothing1 unless that
 an unknown force is the invisible      
principle of imperceptible movements4   
,nothing is more natural and more simple
 than to believe that the dead man lives
 no more1 nothing more absurd than to   
believe that the dead man is still      
living4  ,we ridicule the simplicity of 
some nations whose fashion is to bury   

provisions with the dead--under the idea
 that this food might be useful and     
necessary to them in another life4 ,is  
it more ridiculous or more absurd to    
believe that men will eat after death   
than to imagine that they will think2   
that they will have agreeable or        
disagreeable ideas2 that they will      
enjoy2 that they will suffer2 that they 
will be conscious of sorrow or joy when 
the organs which produce sensations or  
ideas are dissolved and reduced to dust8
 ,to claim that the souls of men will be
 happy or unhappy after the death of the
 body1 is to pretend that man will be   
able to see without eyes1 to hear       
without ears1 to taste without a palate1
 to smell without a nose1 and to feel   
without hands and without skin4 ,nations
 who believe themselves very rational1  
adopt1 nevertheless1 such ideas4        
,,ciii4--,,incontestable ,,proofs       
,,against ,,the ,,spirituality ,,of     
,,the ,,soul4  ,the dogma of the        
immortality of the soul assumes that the

 soul is a simple substance1 a spirit2  
but ,i will always ask1 what is a       
spirit8 ,it is1 you say1 a substance    
deprived of expansion1 incorruptible1   
and which has nothing in common with    
matter4 ,but if this is true1 how came  
your soul into existence8 how did it    
grow8 how did it strengthen8 how weaken 
itself1 get out of order1 and grow old  
with your body8 ,in reply to all these  
questions1 you say that they are        
mysteries2 but if they are mysteries1   
you understand nothing about them4 ,if  
you do not understand anything about    
them1 how can you positively affirm     
anything about them8 ,in order to       
believe or to affirm anything1 it is    
necessary at least to know what that    
consists of which we believe and which  
we affirm4 ,to believe in the existence 
of your immaterial soul1 is to say that 
you are persuaded of the existence of a 
thing of which it is impossible for you 
to form any true idea2 it is to believe 
in words without attaching any sense to 

them2 to affirm that the thing is as you
 claim1 is the highest folly or         
assumption4     ,,civ4--,,the           
,,absurdity ,,of ,,supernatural         
,,causes1 ,,which ,,theologians         
,,constantly    ,,call ,,to ,,their     
,,aid4  ,are not theologians strange    
reasoners8 ,as soon as they can not     
guess the natural causes of things1 they
 invent causes1 which they call         
supernatural2 they imagine them spirits1
 occult causes1 inexplicable agents1 or 
rather words much more obscure than the 
things which they attempt to explain4   
,let us remain in nature when we desire 
to understand its phenomena2 let us     
ignore the causes which are too delicate
 to be seized by our organs2 and let us 
be assured that by seeking outside of   
nature we can never find the solution of
 nature's problems4 ,even upon the      
theological hypothesis--that is to say1 
supposing an ,almighty motor in         
matter--what right have theologians to  
refuse their ,god the power to endow    

this matter with thought8 ,would it be  
more difficult for ,him to create       
combinations of matter from which       
results thought1 than spirits which     
think8 ,at least1 in supposing a        
substance endowed with thought1 we could
 form some idea of the object of our    
thoughts1 or of what thinks in us2 while
 attributing thought to an immaterial   
being1 it is impossible for us to form  
the least idea of it4     ,,cv4--,,it   
,,is ,,false ,,that ,,materialism ,,can 
,,be ,,debasing ,,to ,,the ,,human      
,,race4  ,materialism1 it is objected1  
makes of man a mere machine1 which is   
considered very debasing to the human   
race4 ,but will the human race be more  
honored when it can be said that man    
acts by the secret impulsions of a      
spirit1 or a certain something which    
animates him without his knowing how8   
,it is easy to perceive that the        
superiority which is given to mind over 
matter1 or to the soul over the body1 is
 based upon the ignorance of the nature 

of this soul2 while we are more         
familiarized with matter or the body1   
which we imagine we know1 and of which  
we believe we have understood the       
springs2 but the most simple movements  
of our bodies are1 for every thinking   
man1 enigmas as difficult to divine as  
thought4     ,,cvi4--,,continuation4    
,the esteem which so many people have   
for the spiritual substance1 appears to 
result from the impossibility they find 
in defining it in an intelligible way4  
,the contempt which our metaphysicians  
show for matter1 comes from the fact    
that familiarity breeds contempt4 ,when 
they tell us that the soul is more      
excellent and noble than the body1 they 
tell us nothing1 except that what they  
know nothing about must be more         
beautiful than that of which they have  
some faint ideas4     ,,cvii4--,,the    
,,dogma ,,of ,,another ,,life ,,is      
,,useful ,,but ,,for ,,those ,,who      
,,profit ,,by ,,it ,,at ,,the ,,expense 
,,of ,,the ,,credulous ,,public4  ,we   

are constantly told of the usefulness of
 the dogma of life hereafter4 ,it is    
pretended that even if it should be a   
fiction1 it is advantageous1 because it 
imposes upon men and leads them to      
virtue4 ,but is it true that this dogma 
renders men wiser and more virtuous8    
,the nations where this fiction is      
established1 are they remarkable for the
 morality of their conduct8 ,is not the 
visible world always preferred to the   
invisible world8 ,if those who are      
charged to instruct and to govern men   
had themselves enlightenment and virtue1
 they would govern them far better by   
realities than by vain chimeras2 but    
deceitful1 ambitious1 and corrupt1 the  
legislators found it everywhere easier  
to put the nations to sleep by fables   
than to teach them truths2 than to      
develop their reason2 than to excite    
them to virtue by sensible and real     
motives2 than to govern them in a       
reasonable way4  ,theologians1 no doubt1
 have had reasons for making the soul   

immaterial4 ,they needed souls and      
chimeras to populate the imaginary      
regions which they have discovered in   
the other life4 ,material souls would   
have been subjected1 like all bodies1 to
 dissolution4 ,moreover1 if men believe 
that everything is to perish with the   
body1 the geographers of the other world
 would evidently lose the chance of     
guiding their souls to this unknown     
abode4 ,they would draw no profits from 
the hopes with which they feast them1   
and from the terrors with which they    
take care to overwhelm them4 ,if the    
future is of no real utility to the     
human race1 it is at least of the       
greatest advantage to those who take    
upon themselves the responsibility of   
conducting mankind thither4             
,,cviii4--,,it ,,is ,,false ,,that ,,the
 ,,dogma ,,of ,,another ,,life ,,can    
,,be ,,consoling2 ,,and ,,if ,,it       
,,were1 ,,it ,,would ,,be ,,no ,,proof  
,,that ,,this ,,assertion ,,is ,,true4  
,but1 it will be said1 is not the dogma 

of the immortality of the soul consoling
 for beings who often find themselves   
very unhappy here below8 ,if this should
 be an illusion1 is it not a sweet and  
agreeable one8 ,is it not a benefit for 
man to believe that he can live again   
and enjoy1 sometime1 the happiness which
 is refused to him on earth8 ,thus1 poor
 mortals6 you make your wishes the      
measure of the truth6 ,because you      
desire to live forever1 and to be       
happier1 you conclude from thence that  
you will live forever1 and that you will
 be more fortunate in an unknown world  
than in the known world1 in which you so
 often suffer6 ,consent1 then1 to leave 
without regret this world1 which causes 
more trouble than pleasure to the       
majority of you4 ,resign yourselves to  
the order of destiny1 which decrees that
 you1 like all other beings1 should not 
endure forever4 ,but what will become of
 me8 you ask6 ,what you were several    
millions of years ago4 ,you were then1  
,i do not know what2 resign yourselves1 

then1 to become again in an instant1 ,i 
do not know what2 what you were then2   
return peaceably to the universal home  
from which you came without your        
knowledge into your material form1 and  
pass by without murmuring1 like all the 
beings which surround you6  ,we are     
repeatedly told that religious ideas    
offer infinite consolation to the       
unfortunate2 it is pretended that the   
idea of the immortality of the soul and 
of a happier life has a tendency to lift
 up the heart of man and to sustain him 
in the midst of the adversities with    
which he is assailed in this life4      
,materialism1 on the contrary1 is1 we   
are told1 an afflicting system1 tending 
to degrade man1 which ranks him among   
brutes2 which destroys his courage1     
whose only hope is complete             
annihilation1 tending to lead him to    
despair1 and inducing him to commit     
suicide as soon as he suffers in this   
world4 ,the grand policy of theologians 
is to blow hot and to blow cold1 to     

afflict and to console1 to frighten and 
to reassure4  ,according to the fictions
 of theology1 the regions of the other  
life are happy and unhappy4 ,nothing    
more difficult than to render one worthy
 of the abode of felicity2 nothing      
easier than to obtain a place in the    
abode of torments that ,divinity        
prepares for the unfortunate victims of 
,his eternal fury4 ,those who find the  
idea of another life so flattering and  
so sweet1 have they then forgotten that 
this other life1 according to them1 is  
to be accompanied by torments for the   
majority of mortals8 ,is not the idea of
 total annihilation infinitely          
preferable to the idea of an eternal    
existence accompanied with suffering and
 gnashing of teeth8 ,the fear of ceasing
 to exist1 is it more afflicting than   
the thought of having not always been8  
,the fear of ceasing to be is but an    
evil for the imagination1 which alone   
brought forth the dogma of another life4
  ,you say1 ,o ,christian philosophers1 

that the idea of a happier life is      
delightful2 we agree2 there is no one   
who would not desire a more agreeable   
and a more durable existence than the   
one we enjoy here below4 ,but1 if       
,paradise is tempting1 you will admit1  
also1 that hell is frightful4 ,it is    
very difficult to merit heaven1 and very
 easy to gain hell4 ,do you not say that
 one straight and narrow path leads to  
the happy regions1 and that a broad road
 leads to the regions of the unhappy8   
,do you not constantly tell us that the 
number of the chosen ones is very small1
 and that of the damned is very large8  
,do we not need1 in order to be saved1  
such grace as your ,god grants to but   
few8 ,well6 ,i tell you that these ideas
 are by no means consoling2 ,i prefer to
 be annihilated at once rather than to  
burn forever2 ,i will tell you that the 
fate of beasts appears to me more       
desirable than the fate of the damned2  
,i will tell you that the belief which  
delivers me from overwhelming fears in  

this world1 appears to me more desirable
 than the uncertainty in which ,i am    
left through belief in a ,god who1      
master of ,his favors1 gives them but to
 ,his favorites1 and who permits all the
 others to render themselves worthy of  
eternal punishments4 ,it can be but     
blind enthusiasm or folly that can      
prefer a system which evidently         
encourages improbable conjectures1      
accompanied by uncertainty and          
desolating fear4     ,,cix4--,,all      
,,religious ,,principles ,,are          
,,imaginary4 ,,innate ,,sense ,,is ,,but
 ,,the ,,effect ,,of ,a ,,rooted        
,,habit4 ,,god ,,is ,,an ,,idle ,,fancy1
 ,,and ,,the ,,qualities ,,which ,,are  
,,lavished ,,upon ,,him ,,destroy ,,each
 ,,other4  ,all religious principles are
 a thing of imagination1 in which       
experience and reason have nothing to   
do4 ,we find much difficulty in         
conquering them1 because imagination1   
when once occupied in creating chimeras 
which astonish or excite it1 is         

incapable of reasoning4 ,he who combats 
religion and its phantasies by the arms 
of reason1 is like a man who uses a     
sword to kill flies3 as soon as the blow
 is struck1 the flies and the fancies   
return to the minds from which we       
thought to have banished them4  ,as soon
 as we refuse the proofs which theology 
pretends to give of the existence of a  
,god1 they oppose to the arguments which
 destroy them1 an innate conviction1 a  
profound persuasion1 an invincible      
inclination inherent in every man1 which
 brings to him1 in spite of himself1 the
 idea of an ,almighty being which he can
 not altogether expel from his mind1 and
 which he is compelled to recognize in  
spite of the strongest reasons that we  
can give him4 ,but if we wish to analyze
 this innate conviction1 upon which so  
much weight is placed1 we will find that
 it is but the effect of a rooted habit1
 which1 making them close their eyes    
against the most demonstrative proofs1  
leads the majority of men1 and often the

 most enlightened ones1 back to the     
prejudices of childhood4 ,what can this 
innate sense or this ill-founded        
persuasion prove against the evidence   
which shows us that what implies        
contradiction can not exist8  ,we are   
told1 very gravely1 that it is not      
demonstrated that ,god does not exist4  
,however1 nothing is better             
demonstrated1 notwithstanding all that  
men have told us so far1 than that this 
,god is an idle fancy1 whose existence  
is totally impossible1 as nothing is    
more evident or more clearly            
demonstrated than that a being can not  
combine qualities so dissimilar1 so     
contradictory1 so irreconcilable as     
those which all the religions of the    
earth ascribe to ,divinity4 ,the        
theologian's ,god1 as well as the ,god  
of the theist1 is ,he not evidently a   
cause incompatible with the effects     
attributed to ,him8 ,in whatever light  
we may look upon it1 we must either     
invent another ,god1 or conclude that   

the one which1 for so many centuries1   
has been revealed to mortals1 is at the 
same time very good and very wicked1    
very powerful and very weak1 immutable  
and changeable1 perfectly intelligent   
and perfectly destitute of reason1 of   
plan1 and of means2 the friend of order 
and permitting disorder2 very just and  
very unjust2 very skillful and very     
awkward4 ,finally1 are we not obliged to
 admit that it is impossible to         
reconcile the discordant attributes     
which are heaped upon a being of whom we
 can not say a single word without      
falling into the most palpable          
contradictions8 ,let us attempt to      
attribute but a single quality to       
,divinity1 and what is said of it will  
be contradicted immediately by the      
effects we assign to this cause4        
,,cx4--,,every ,,religion ,,is ,,but ,a 
,,system ,,imagined ,,for ,,the         
,,purpose ,,of ,,reconciling            
,,contradictions ,,by ,,the ,,aid ,,of  
,,mysteries4  ,theology could very      

properly be defined as the science of   
contradictions4 ,every religion is but a
 system imagined for the purpose of     
reconciling irreconcilable ideas4 ,by   
the aid of habitude and terror1 we come 
to persist in the greatest absurdities1 
even when they are the most clearly     
exposed4 ,all religions are easy to     
combat1 but very difficult to eradicate4
 ,reason can do nothing against habit1  
which becomes1 as is said1 a second     
nature4 ,there are many persons         
otherwise sensible1 who1 even after     
having examined the ruinous foundations 
of their belief1 return to it in spite  
of the most striking arguments4  ,as    
soon as we complain of not understanding
 religion1 finding in it at every step  
absurdities which are repulsive1 seeing 
in it but impossibilities1 we are told  
that we are not made to conceive the    
truths of the religion which is proposed
 to us2 that wandering reason is but an 
unfaithful guide1 only capable of       
conducting us to perdition2 and what is 

more1 we are assured that what is folly 
in the eyes of man1 is wisdom in the    
eyes of ,god1 to whom nothing is        
impossible4 ,finally1 in order to decide
 by a single word the most              
insurmountable difficulties which       
theology presents to us on all sides1   
they simply cry out3 ,mysteries6        
,,cxi4--,,absurdity ,,and ,,inutility   
,,of ,,the ,,mysteries ,,forged ,,in    
,,the ,,sole ,,interest ,,of ,,the      
,,priests4  ,what is a mystery8 ,if ,i  
examine the thing closely1 ,i discover  
very soon that a mystery is nothing but 
a contradiction1 a palpable absurdity1 a
 notorious impossibility1 on which      
theologians wish to compel men to humbly
 close the eyes2 in a word1 a mystery is
 whatever our spiritual guides can not  
explain to us4  ,it is advantageous for 
the ministers of religion that the      
people should not comprehend what they  
are taught4 ,it is impossible for us to 
examine what we do not comprehend4      
,every time that we can not see clearly1

 we are obliged to be guided4 ,if       
religion was comprehensible1 priests    
would not have so many charges here     
below4  ,no religion is without         
mysteries2 mystery is its essence2 a    
religion destitute of mysteries would be
 a contradiction of terms4 ,the ,god    
which serves as a foundation to natural 
religion1 to theism or to deism1 is     
,himself the greatest mystery to a mind 
wishing to dwell upon ,him4             
,,cxii4--,,continuation4  ,all the      
revealed religions which we see in the  
world are filled with mysterious dogmas1
 unintelligible principles1 of          
incredible miracles1 of astonishing     
tales which seem imagined but to        
confound reason4 ,every religion        
announces a concealed ,god1 whose       
essence is a mystery2 consequently1 it  
is just as difficult to conceive of ,his
 conduct as of the essence of this ,god 
,himself4 ,divinity has never spoken to 
us but in an enigmatical and mysterious 
way in the various religions which have 

been founded in the different regions of
 our globe4 ,it has revealed itself     
everywhere but to announce mysteries1   
that is to say1 to warn mortals that it 
designs that they should believe in     
contradictions1 in impossibilities1 or  
in things of which they were incapable  
of forming any positive idea4  ,the more
 mysteries a religion has1 the more     
incredible objects it presents to the   
mind1 the better fitted it is to please 
the imagination of men1 who find in it a
 continual pasturage to feed upon4 ,the 
more obscure a religion is1 the more it 
appears divine1 that is to say1 in      
conformity to the nature of an invisible
 being1 of whom we have no idea4  ,it is
 the peculiarity of ignorance to prefer 
the unknown1 the concealed1 the         
fabulous1 the wonderful1 the incredible1
 even the terrible1 to that which is    
clear1 simple1 and true4 ,truth does not
 give to the imagination such lively    
play as fiction1 which each one may     
arrange as he pleases4 ,the vulgar ask  

nothing better than to listen to fables2
 priests and legislators1 by inventing  
religions and forging mysteries from    
them1 have served them to their taste4  
,in this way they have attracted        
enthusiasts1 women1 and the illiterate  
generally4 ,beings of this kind resign  
easily to reasons which they are        
incapable of examining2 the love of the 
simple and the true is found but in the 
small number of those whose imagination 
is regulated by study and by reflection4
 ,the inhabitants of a village are never
 more pleased with their pastor than    
when he mixes a good deal of ,latin in  
his sermon4 ,ignorant men always imagine
 that he who speaks to them of things   
which they do not understand1 is a very 
wise and learned man4 ,this is the true 
principle of the credulity of nations1  
and of the authority of those who       
pretend to guide them4                  
,,cxiii4--,,continuation4  ,to speak to 
men to announce to them mysteries1 is to
 give and retain1 it is to speak not to 

be understood4 ,he who talks but by     
enigmas1 either seeks to amuse himself  
by the embarrassment which he causes1 or
 finds it to his advantage not to       
explain himself too clearly4 ,every     
secret betrays suspicion1 weakness1 and 
fear4 ,princes and their ministers make 
a mystery of their projects for fear    
that their enemies in penetrating them  
would cause them to fail4 ,can a good   
,god amuse ,himself by the embarrassment
 of ,his creatures8 ,a ,god who enjoys a
 power which nothing in the world can   
resist1 can ,he apprehend that ,his     
intentions could be thwarted8 ,what     
interest would ,he have in putting upon 
us enigmas and mysteries8 ,we are told  
that man1 by the weakness of his nature1
 is not capable of comprehending the    
,divine economy which can be to him but 
a tissue of mysteries2 that ,god can not
 unveil secrets to him which are beyond 
his reach4 ,in this case1 ,i reply1 that
 man is not made to trouble himself with
 ,divine economy1 that this economy can 

not interest him in the least1 that he  
has no need of mysteries which he can   
not understand2 finally1 that a         
mysterious religion is not made for him1
 any more than an eloquent discourse is 
made for a flock of sheep4              
,,cxiv4--,a ,,universal ,,god ,,should  
,,have ,,revealed ,a ,,universal        
,,religion4  ,divinity has revealed     
itself in the different parts of our    
globe in a manner of such little        
uniformity1 that in matters of religion 
men look upon each other with hatred and
 disdain4 ,the partisans of the         
different sects see each other very     
ridiculous and foolish4 ,the most       
respected mysteries in one religion are 
laughable for another4 ,god1 having     
revealed ,himself to men1 ought at least
 to speak in the same language to all1  
and relieve their weak minds of the     
embarrassment of seeking what can be the
 religion which truly emanated from     
,him1 or what is the most agreeable form
 of worship in ,his eyes4  ,a universal 

,god ought to have revealed a universal 
religion4 ,by what fatality are so many 
different religions found on the earth8 
,which is the true one amongst the great
 number of those of which each one      
pretends to be the right one1 to the    
exclusion of all the others8 ,we have   
every reason to believe that not one of 
them enjoys this advantage4 ,the        
divisions and the disputes about        
opinions are indubitable signs of the   
uncertainty and of the obscurity of the 
principles which they profess4          
,,cxv4--,,the ,,proof ,,that ,,religion 
,,is ,,not ,,necessary1 ,,is ,,that ,,it
 ,,is ,,unintelligible4  ,if religion   
was necessary to all men1 it ought to be
 intelligible to all men4 ,if this      
religion was the most important thing   
for them1 the goodness of ,god1 it      
seems1 ought to make it for them the    
clearest1 the most evident1 and the best
 demonstrated of all things4 ,is it not 
astonishing to see that this matter1 so 
essential to the salvation of mortals1  

is precisely the one which they         
understand the least1 and about which1  
during so many centuries1 their doctors 
have disputed the most8 ,never have     
priests1 of even the same sect1 come to 
an agreement among themselves about the 
manner of understanding the wishes of a 
,god who has truly revealed ,himself to 
them4 ,the world which we inhabit can be
 compared to a public place1 in whose   
different parts several charlatans are  
placed1 each one straining himself to   
attract customers by depreciating the   
remedies offered by his competitors4    
,each stand has its purchasers1 who are 
persuaded that their empiric alone      
possesses the good remedies2            
notwithstanding the continual use which 
they make of them1 they do not perceive 
that they are no better1 or that they   
are just as sick as those who run after 
the charlatans of another stand4        
,devotion is a disease of the           
imagination1 contracted in infancy2 the 
devotee is a hypochondriac1 who         

increases his disease by the use of     
remedies4 ,the wise man takes none of   
it2 he follows a good regimen and leaves
 the rest to nature4     ,,cxvi4--,,all 
,,religions ,,are ,,ridiculed ,,by      
,,those ,,of ,,opposite ,,though        
,,equally ,,insane ,,belief4  ,nothing  
appears more ridiculous in the eyes of a
 sensible man than for one denomination 
to criticize another whose creed is     
equally foolish4 ,a ,christian thinks   
that the ,koran1 the ,divine revelation 
announced by ,mohammed1 is but a tissue 
of impertinent dreams and impostures    
injurious to ,divinity4 ,the            
,mohammedan1 on his side1 treats the    
,christian as an idolater and a dog2 he 
sees but absurdities in his religion2 he
 imagines he has the right to conquer   
his country and force him1 sword in     
hand1 to accept the faith of his ,divine
 prophet2 he believes especially that   
nothing is more impious or more         
unreasonable than to worship a man or to
 believe in the ,trinity4 ,the          

,protestant ,christian1 who without     
scruple worships a man1 and who believes
 firmly in the inconceivable mystery of 
the ,trinity1 ridicules the ,catholic   
,christian because the latter believes  
in the mystery of the                   
transubstantiation4 ,he treats him as a 
fool1 as ungodly and idolatrous1 because
 he kneels to worship the bread in which
 he believes he sees the ,god of the    
universe4 ,all the ,christian           
denominations agree in considering as   
folly the incarnation of the ,god of the
 ,indies1 ,vishnu4 ,they contend that   
the only true incarnation is that of    
,jesus1 ,son of the ,god of the universe
 and of the wife of a carpenter4 ,the   
theist1 who calls himself a votary of   
natural religion1 is satisfied to       
acknowledge a ,god of whom he has no    
conception2 indulges himself in jesting 
upon other mysteries taught by all the  
religions of the world4                 
,,cxvii4--,,opinion ,,of ,a ,,celebrated
 ,,theologian4  ,did not a famous       

theologian recognize the absurdity of   
admitting the existence of a ,god and   
arresting ,his course8 ,to us1 he said1 
who believe through faith in a true     
,god1 an individual substance1 there    
ought to be no trouble in believing     
everything else4 ,this first mystery1   
which is no small matter of itself1 once
 admitted1 our reason can not suffer    
violence in admitting all the rest4 ,as 
for myself1 it is no more trouble to    
accept a million of things that ,i do   
not understand1 than to believe the     
first one4  ,is there anything more     
contradictory1 more impossible1 or more 
mysterious1 than the creation of matter 
by an immaterial ,being1 who ,himself   
immutable1 causes the continual changes 
that we see in the world8 ,is there     
anything more incompatible with all the 
ideas of common sense than to believe   
that a good1 wise1 equitable1 and       
powerful ,being presides over nature and
 directs ,himself the movements of a    
world which is filled with follies1     

miseries1 crimes1 and disorders1 which  
,he could have foreseen1 and by a single
 word could have prevented or made to   
disappear8 ,finally1 as soon as we admit
 a ,being so contradictory as the       
theological ,god1 what right have we to 
refuse to accept the most improbable    
fables1 the most astonishing miracles1  
the most profound mysteries8            
,,cxviii4--,,the ,,deist',s ,,god ,,is  
,,no ,,less ,,contradictory1 ,,no ,,less
 ,,fanciful1 ,,than ,,the               
,,theologian',s ,,god4  ,the theist     
exclaims1 ,be careful not to worship the
 ferocious and strange ,god of theology2
 mine is much wiser and better2 ,he is  
the ,father of men2 ,he is the mildest  
of ,sovereigns2 it is ,he who fills the 
universe with ,his benefactions6 ,but ,i
 will tell him1 do you not see that     
everything in this world contradicts the
 good qualities which you attribute to  
your ,god8 ,in the numerous family of   
this mild ,father ,i see but unfortunate
 ones4 ,under the empire of this just   

,sovereign ,i see crime victorious and  
virtue in distress4 ,among these        
benefactions1 which you boast of1 and   
which your enthusiasm alone sees1 ,i see
 a multitude of evils of all kinds1 upon
 which you obstinately close your eyes4 
,compelled to acknowledge that your good
 ,god1 in contradiction with ,himself1  
distributes with the same hand good and 
evil1 you will find yourself obliged1 in
 order to justify ,him1 to send me1 as  
the priests would1 to the other life4   
,invent1 then1 another ,god than the one
 of theology1 because your ,god is as   
contradictory as its ,god is4 ,a good   
,god who does evil or who permits it to 
be done1 a ,god full of equity and in an
 empire where innocence is so often     
oppressed2 a perfect ,god who produces  
but imperfect and wretched works2 such a
 ,god and ,his conduct1 are they not as 
great mysteries as that of the          
incarnation8 ,you blush1 you say1 for   
your fellow beings who are persuaded    
that the ,god of the universe could     

change ,himself into a man and die upon 
a cross in a corner of ,asia4 ,you      
consider the ineffable mystery of the   
,trinity very absurd ,nothing appears   
more ridiculous to you than a ,god who  
changes ,himself into bread and who is  
eaten every day in a thousand different 
places4  ,well6 are all these mysteries 
any more shocking to reason than a ,god 
who punishes and rewards men's actions8 
,man1 according to your views1 is he    
free or not8 ,in either case your ,god1 
if ,he has the shadow of justice1 can   
neither punish him nor reward him4 ,if  
man is free1 it is ,god who made him    
free to act or not to act2 it is ,god1  
then1 who is the primitive cause of all 
his actions2 in punishing man for his   
faults1 ,he would punish him for having 
done that which ,he gave him the liberty
 to do4 ,if man is not free to act      
otherwise than he does1 would not ,god  
be the most unjust of beings to punish  
him for the faults which he could not   
help committing8 ,many persons are      

struck with the detail of absurdities   
with which all religions of the world   
are filled2 but they have not the       
courage to seek for the source whence   
these absurdities necessarily sprung4   
,they do not see that a ,god full of    
contradictions1 of oddities1 of         
incompatible qualities1 either inflaming
 or nursing the imagination of men1     
could create but a long line of idle    
fancies4     ,,cxix4--,,we ,,do ,,not   
,,prove ,,at ,,all ,,the ,,existence    
,,of ,a ,,god ,,by ,,saying ,,that ,,in 
,,all ,,ages ,,every ,,nation ,,has     
,,acknowledged ,,some ,,kind ,,of       
,,divinity4  ,they believe1 to silence  
those who deny the existence of a ,god1 
by telling them that all men1 in all    
ages and in all centuries1 have believed
 in some kind of a ,god2 that there is  
no people on the earth who have not     
believed in an invisible and powerful   
being1 whom they made the object of     
their worship and of their veneration2  
finally1 that there is no nation1 no    

matter how benighted we may suppose it  
to be1 that is not persuaded of the     
existence of some intelligence superior 
to human nature4 ,but can the belief of 
all men change an error into truth8 ,a  
celebrated philosopher has said with all
 reason3 ,neither general tradition nor 
the unanimous consent of all men could  
place any injunction upon truth4 ,bayle4
 ,another wise man said before him1 that
 an army of philosophers would not be   
sufficient to change the nature of error
 and to make it truth4 ,averros  ,there 
was a time when all men believed that   
the sun revolved around the earth1 while
 the latter remained motionless in the  
center of the whole system of the       
universe2 it is scarcely more than two  
hundred years since this error was      
refuted4 ,there was a time when nobody  
would believe in the existence of       
antipodes1 and when they persecuted     
those who had the courage to sustain it2
 to-day no learned man dares to doubt   
it4 ,all nations of the world1 except   

some men less credulous than others1    
still believe in sorcerers1 ghosts1     
apparitions1 spirits2 no sensible man   
imagines himself obliged to adopt these 
follies2 but the most sensible people   
feel obliged to believe in a universal  
,spirit6     ,,cxx4--,,all ,,the ,,gods 
,,are ,,of ,a ,,barbarous ,,origin2     
,,all ,,religions ,,are ,,antique       
,,monuments ,,of ,,ignorance1           
,,superstition1 ,,and ,,ferocity2 ,,and 
,,modern ,,religions ,,are ,,but        
,,ancient ,,follies ,,revived4  ,all the
 ,gods worshiped by men have a barbarous
 origin2 they were visibly imagined by  
stupid nations1 or were presented by    
ambitious and cunning legislators to    
simple and benighted people1 who had    
neither the capacity nor the courage to 
examine properly the object which1 by   
means of terrors1 they were made to     
worship4 ,in examining closely the ,god 
which we see adored still in our days by
 the most civilized nations1 we are     
compelled to acknowledge that ,he has   

evidently barbarous features4 ,to be    
barbarous is to recognize no right but  
force2 it is being cruel to excess2 it  
is but following one's own caprice2 it  
is a lack of foresight1 of prudence1 and
 reason4 ,nations1 who believe          
yourselves civilized6 do you not        
perceive this frightful character of the
 ,god to whom you offer your incense8   
,the pictures which are drawn of        
,divinity1 are they not visibly borrowed
 from the implacable1 jealous1          
vindictive1 blood-thirsty1 capricious1  
inconsiderate humor of man1 who has not 
yet cultivated his reason8 ,oh1 men6 you
 worship but a great savage1 whom you   
consider as a model to follow1 as an    
amiable master1 as a perfect sovereign4 
,the religious opinions of men in every 
country are antique and durable         
monuments of ignorance credulity1 of the
 terrors and the ferocity of their      
ancestors4 ,every barbarian is a child  
thirsting for the wonderful1 which he   
imbibes with pleasure1 and who never    

reasons upon that which he finds proper 
to excite his imagination2 his ignorance
 of the ways of nature makes him        
attribute to spirits1 to enchantments1  
to magic1 all that appears to him       
extraordinary2 in his eyes his priests  
are sorcerers1 in whom he supposes an   
,almighty power2 before whom his        
confused reason humiliates itself1 whose
 oracles are for him infallible decrees1
 to contradict which would be dangerous4
 ,in matters of religion the majority of
 men have remained in their primitive   
barbarity4 ,modern religions are but    
follies of old times rejuvenated or     
presented in some new form4 ,if the     
ancient barbarians have worshiped       
mountains1 rivers1 serpents1 trees1     
fetishes of every kind2 if the wise     
,egyptians worshiped crocodiles1 rats1  
onions1 do we not see nations who       
believe themselves wiser than they1     
worship with reverence a bread1 into    
which they imagine that the enchantments
 of their priests cause the ,divinity to

 descend8 ,is not the ,god-bread the    
fetish of many ,christian nations1 as   
little rational in this point as that of
 the most barbarous nations8            
,,cxxi4--,,all ,,religious ,,ceremonies 
,,bear ,,the ,,seal ,,of ,,stupidity    
,,or ,,barbarity4  ,in all times the    
ferocity1 the stupidity1 the folly of   
savage men were shown in religious      
customs which were often cruel and      
extravagant4 ,a spirit of barbarity has 
come down to our days2 it intrudes      
itself into the religions which are     
followed by the most civilized nations4 
,do we not still see human victims      
offered to ,divinity8 ,in order to      
appease the wrath of a ,god whom we     
suppose as ferocious1 as jealous1 as    
vindictive1 as a savage1 do not         
sanguinary laws cause the destruction of
 those who are believed to have         
displeased ,him by their way of         
thinking8  ,modern nations1 at the      
instigation of their priests1 have even 
excelled the atrocious folly of the most

 barbarous nations2 at least do we not  
find that it never entered into a       
savage's mind to torment for the sake of
 opinions1 to meddle in thought1 to     
trouble men for the invisible actions of
 their brains8 ,when we see polished and
 wise nations1 such as the ,english1    
,french1 ,german1 etc41 notwithstanding 
all their enlightenment1 continue to    
kneel before the barbarous ,god of the  
,jews1 that is to say1 of the most      
stupid1 the most credulous1 the most    
savage1 the most unsocial nation which  
ever was on the earth2 when we see these
 enlightened nations divide themselves  
into sects1 tear one another1 hate and  
despise each other for opinions1 equally
 ridiculous1 upon the conduct and the   
intentions of this irrational ,god2 when
 we see intelligent persons occupy      
themselves foolishly in meditating on   
the wishes of this capricious and       
foolish ,god2 we are tempted to exclaim1
 ,oh1 men6 you are still savages6 ,oh1  
men6 you are but children in the matter 

of religion6     ,,cxxii4--,,the ,,more 
,,ancient ,,and ,,general ,a ,,religious
 ,,opinion ,,is1 ,,the ,,greater ,,the  
,,reason ,,for ,,suspecting ,,it4       
,whoever has formed true ideas of the   
ignorance1 credulity1 negligence1 and   
sottishness of common people1 will      
always regard their religious opinions  
with the greater suspicion for their    
being generally established4 ,the       
majority of men examine nothing2 they   
allow themselves to be blindly led by   
custom and authority2 their religious   
opinions are specially those which they 
have the least courage and capacity to  
examine2 as they do not understand      
anything about them1 they are compelled 
to be silent or put an end to their     
reasoning4 ,ask the common man if he    
believes in ,god4 ,he will be surprised 
that you could doubt it4 ,then ask him  
what he understands by the word ,god4   
,you will confuse him2 you will perceive
 at once that he is incapable of forming
 any real idea of this word which he so 

often repeats2 he will tell you that    
,god is ,god1 and you will find that he 
knows neither what he thinks of ,him1   
nor the motives which he has for        
believing in ,him4  ,all nations speak  
of a ,god2 but do they agree upon this  
,god8 ,no6 ,well1 difference of opinion 
does not serve as evidence1 but is a    
sign of uncertainty and obscurity4 ,does
 the same man always agree with himself 
in his ideas of ,god8 ,no6 ,this idea   
varies with the vicissitudes of his     
life4 ,this is another sign of          
uncertainty4 ,men always agree with     
other men and with themselves upon      
demonstrated truths1 regardless of the  
position in which they find themselves2 
except the insane1 all agree that two   
and two make four1 that the sun shines1 
that the whole is greater than any one  
of its parts1 that ,justice is a        
benefaction1 that we must be benevolent 
to deserve the love of men1 that        
injustice and cruelty are incompatible  
with goodness4 ,do they agree in the    

same way if they speak of ,god8 ,all    
that they think or say of ,him is       
immediately contradicted by the effects 
which they wish to attribute to ,him4   
,tell several artists to paint a        
chimera1 each of them will form         
different ideas of it1 and will paint it
 differently2 you will find no          
resemblance in the features each of them
 will have given to a portrait whose    
model exists nowhere4 ,in painting ,god1
 do any of the theologians of the world 
represent ,him otherwise than as a great
 chimera1 upon whose features they never
 agree1 each one arranging it according 
to his style1 which has its origin but  
in his own brain8 ,there are no two     
individuals in the world who have or can
 have the same ideas of their ,god4     
,,cxxiii4--,,skepticism ,,in ,,the      
,,matter ,,of ,,religion1 ,,can ,,be    
,,the ,,effect ,,of ,,but ,a            
,,superficial ,,examination ,,of        
,,theological ,,principles4  ,perhaps it
 would be more truthful to say1 that all

 men are either skeptics or atheists1   
than to pretend that they are firmly    
convinced of the existence of a ,god4   
,how can we be assured of the existence 
of a being whom we never have been able 
to examine1 of whom it is impossible to 
form any permanent idea1 whose different
 effects upon ourselves prevent us from 
forming an invariable judgment1 of whom 
no idea can be uniform in two different 
brains8 ,how can we claim to be         
completely persuaded of the existence of
 a being to whom we are constantly      
obliged to attribute a conduct opposed  
co the ideas which we had tried to form 
of it8 ,is it possible firmly to believe
 what we can not conceive8 ,in believing
 thus1 are we not adhering to the       
opinions of others without having one of
 our own8 ,the priests regulate the     
belief of the vulgar2 but do not these  
priests themselves acknowledge that ,god
 is incomprehensible to them8 ,let us   
conclude1 then1 that the conviction of  
the existence of a ,god is not as       

general as it is affirmed to be4  ,to be
 a skeptic1 is to lack the motives      
necessary to establish a judgment4 ,in  
view of the proofs which seem to        
establish1 and of the arguments which   
combat the existence of a ,god1 some    
persons prefer to doubt and to suspend  
their judgment2 but at the bottom1 this 
uncertainty is the result of an         
insufficient examination4 ,is it1 then1 
possible to doubt evidence8 ,sensible   
people deride1 and with reason1 an      
absolute pyrrhonism1 and even consider  
it impossible4 ,a man who could doubt   
his own existence1 or that of the sun1  
would appear very ridiculous1 or would  
be suspected of reasoning in bad faith4 
,is it less extravagant to have         
uncertainties about the non-existence of
 an evidently impossible being8 ,is it  
more absurd to doubt of one's own       
existence1 than to hesitate upon the    
impossibility of a being whose qualities
 destroy each other8 ,do we find more   
probabilities for believing in a        

spiritual being than for believing in   
the existence of a stick without two    
ends8 ,is the notion of an infinitely   
good and powerful being who permits an  
infinity of evils1 less absurd or less  
impossible than that of a square        
triangle8    ,let us conclude1 then1    
that religious skepticism can be but the
 effect of a superficial examination of 
theological principles1 which are in a  
perpetual contradiction of the clearest 
and best demonstrated principles6 ,to   
doubt is to deliberate upon the judgment
 which we should pass4 ,skepticism is   
but a state of indecision which results 
from a superficial examination of       
subjects4 ,is it possible to be         
skeptical in the matter of religion when
 we design to return to its principles1 
and look closely into the idea of the   
,god who serves as its foundation8      
,doubt arises ordinarily from laziness1 
weakness1 indifference1 or incapacity4  
,to doubt1 for many people1 is to dread 
the trouble of examining things to which

 one attaches but little interest4      
,although religion is presented to men  
as the most important thing for them in 
this world as well as in the other1     
skepticism and doubt on this subject can
 be for the mind but a disagreeable     
state1 and offers but a comfortable     
cushion4 ,no man who has not the courage
 to contemplate without prejudice the   
,god upon whom every religion is        
founded1 can know what religion to      
accept2 he does not know what to believe
 and what not to believe1 to accept or  
to reject1 what to hope or fear2        
finally1 he is incompetent to judge for 
himself4  ,indifference upon religion   
can not be confounded with skepticism2  
this indifference itself is founded upon
 the assurance or upon the probability  
which we find in believing that religion
 is not made to interest us4 ,the       
persuasion which we have that a thing   
which is presented to us as very        
important1 is not so1 or is but         
indifferent1 supposes a sufficient      

examination of the thing1 without which 
it would be impossible to have this     
persuasion4 ,those who call themselves  
skeptics in regard to the fundamental   
points of religion1 are generally but   
idle and lazy men1 who are incapable of 
examining them4                         
,,cxxiv4--,,revelation ,,refuted4  ,in  
all parts of the world1 we are assured  
that ,god revealed ,himself4 ,what did  
,he teach men8 ,does ,he prove to them  
evidently that ,he exists8 ,does ,he    
tell them where ,he resides8 ,does ,he  
teach them what ,he is1 or of what ,his 
essence consists8 ,does ,he explain to  
them clearly ,his intentions and ,his   
plan8 ,what ,he says of this plan1 does 
it agree with the effects which we see8 
,no6 ,he informs us only that ,he is the
 ,one that is1 ,i am that ,i am1 saith  
the ,lord that ,he is an invincible     
,god1 that ,his ways are ineffable1 that
 ,he becomes furious as soon as one has 
the temerity to penetrate ,his decrees1 
or to consult reason in order to judge  

of ,him or ,his works4 ,does the        
revealed conduct of ,god correspond with
 the magnificent ideas which are given  
to us of ,his wisdom1 goodness1 justice1
 of ,his omnipotence8 ,not at all2 in   
every revelation this conduct shows a   
partial1 capricious being1 at least1    
good to ,his favorite people1 an enemy  
to all others4 ,if ,he condescends to   
show ,himself to some men1 ,he takes    
care to keep all the others in          
invincible ignorance of ,his divine     
intentions4 ,does not every special     
revelation announce an unjust1 partial1 
and malicious ,god8  ,are the revealed  
wishes of a ,god capable of striking us 
by the sublime reason or the wisdom     
which they contain8 ,do they tend to the
 happiness of the people to whom        
,divinity has declared them8 ,examining 
the ,divine wishes1 ,i find in them1 in 
all countries1 but whimsical ordinances1
 ridiculous precepts1 ceremonies of     
which we do not understand the aim1     
puerile practices1 principles of conduct

 unworthy of the ,monarch of ,nature1   
offerings1 sacrifices1 expiations1      
useful1 in fact1 to the ministers of    
,god1 but very onerous to the rest of   
mankind4 ,i find also1 that they often  
have a tendency to render men unsocial1 
disdainful1 intolerant1 quarrelsome1    
unjust1 inhuman toward all those who    
have not received either the same       
revelations as they1 or the same        
ordinances1 or the same favors from     
,heaven4     ,,cxxv4--,,where1 ,,then1  
,,is ,,the ,,proof ,,that ,,god ,,did   
,,ever ,,show ,,himself ,,to ,,men ,,or 
,,speak ,,to ,,them8  ,are the precepts 
of morality as announced by ,divinity   
truly ,divine1 or superior to those     
which every rational man could imagine8 
,they are ,divine only because it is    
impossible for the human mind to see    
their utility4 ,their virtue consists in
 a total renunciation of human nature1  
in a voluntary oblivion of one's reason1
 in a holy hatred of self2 finally1     
these sublime precepts show us          

perfection in a conduct cruel to        
ourselves and perfectly useless to      
others4  ,how did ,god show ,himself8   
,did ,he ,himself promulgate ,his laws8 
,did ,he speak to men with ,his own     
mouth8 ,i am told that ,god did not show
 ,himself to a whole nation1 but that   
,he employed always the organism of a   
few favored persons1 who took the care  
to teach and to explain ,his intentions 
to the unlearned4 ,it was never         
permitted to the people to go to the    
sanctuary2 the ministers of the ,gods   
always alone had the right to report to 
them what transpired4                   
,,cxxvi4--,,nothing ,,establishes ,,the 
,,truth ,,of ,,miracles4  ,if1 in the   
economy of all ,divine revelations1 ,i  
am unable to recognize either the       
wisdom1 the goodness1 or the equity of a
 ,god2 if ,i suspect deceit1 ambition1  
selfish designs in the great personages 
who have interposed between ,heaven and 
us1 ,i am assured that ,god has         
confirmed1 by splendid miracles1 the    

mission of those who have spoken for    
,him4 ,but was it not much easier to    
show ,himself1 and to explain for       
,himself8 ,on the other hand1 if ,i have
 the curiosity to examine these         
miracles1 ,i find that they are tales   
void of probability1 related by         
suspicious people1 who had the greatest 
interest in making others believe that  
they were sent from the ,most ,high4    
,what witnesses are referred to in order
 to make us believe incredible miracles8
 ,they call as witnesses stupid people1 
who have ceased to exist for thousands  
of years1 and who1 even if they could   
attest the miracles in question1 would  
be suspected of having been deceived by 
their own imagination1 and of permitting
 themselves to be seduced by the        
illusions which skillful impostors      
performed before their eyes4 ,but1 you  
will say1 these miracles are recorded in
 books which through constant tradition 
have been handed down to us4 ,by whom   
were these books written8 ,who are the  

men who have transmitted and perpetuated
 them8 ,they are either the same people 
who established these religions1 or     
those who have become their adherents   
and their assistants4 ,thus1 in the     
matter of religion1 the testimony of    
interested parties is irrefragable and  
can not be contested6                   
,,cxxvii4--,,if ,,god ,,had ,,spoken1   
,,it ,,would ,,be ,,strange ,,that ,,he 
,,had ,,spoken ,,differently ,,to ,,all 
,,the ,,adherents ,,of ,,the ,,different
 ,,sects1 ,,who ,,damn ,,each ,,other1  
,,who ,,accuse ,,each ,,other1 ,,with   
,,reason1 ,,of ,,superstition ,,and     
,,impiety4  ,god has spoken differently 
to each nation of the globe which we    
inhabit4 ,the ,indian does not believe  
one word of what ,he said to the        
,chinaman2 the ,mohammedan considers    
what ,he has told to the ,christian as  
fables2 the ,jew considers the          
,mohammedan and the ,christian as       
sacrilegious corruptors of the ,holy    
,law1 which his ,god has given to his   

fathers4 ,the ,christian1 proud of his  
more modern revelation1 equally damns   
the ,indian and the ,chinaman1 the      
,mohammedan1 and even the ,jew1 whose   
holy books he holds4 ,who is wrong or   
right8 ,each one exclaims3 ,it is ,i6   
,every one claims the same proofs2 each 
one speaks of his miracles1 his saints1 
his prophets1 his martyrs4 ,sensible men
 answer1 that they are all delirious2   
that ,god has not spoken1 if it is true 
that ,he is a ,spirit who has neither   
mouth nor tongue2 that the ,god of the  
,universe could1 without borrowing      
mortal organism1 inspire ,his creatures 
with what ,he desired them to learn1 and
 that1 as they are all equally ignorant 
of what they ought to think about ,god1 
it is evident that ,god did not want to 
instruct them4 ,the adherents of the    
different forms of worship which we see 
established in this world1 accuse each  
other of superstition and of            
ungodliness4 ,the ,christians abhor the 
superstition of the heathen1 of the     

,chinese1 of the ,mohammedans4 ,the     
,roman ,catholics treat the ,protestant 
,christians as impious2 the latter      
incessantly declaim against ,roman      
superstition4 ,they are all right4 ,to  
be impious1 is to have unjust opinions  
about the ,god who is adored2 to be     
superstitious1 is to have false ideas of
 ,him4 ,in accusing each other of       
superstition1 the different religionists
 resemble humpbacks who taunt each other
 with their malformation4               
,,cxxviii4--,,obscure ,,and ,,suspicious
 ,,origin ,,of ,,oracles4  ,the oracles 
which the ,deity has revealed to the    
nations through ,his different mediums1 
are they clear8 ,alas6 there are not two
 men who understand them alike4 ,those  
who explain them to others do not agree 
among themselves2 in order to make them 
clear1 they have recourse to            
interpretations1 to commentaries1 to    
allegories1 to parables1 in which is    
found a mystical sense very different   
from the literal one4 ,men are needed   

everywhere to explain the wishes of     
,god1 who could not or would not explain
 ,himself clearly to those whom ,he     
desired to enlighten4 ,god always       
prefers to use as mediums men who can be
 suspected of having been deceived      
themselves1 or having reasons to deceive
 others4     ,,cxxix4--,,absurdity ,,of 
,,pretended ,,miracles4  ,the founders  
of all religions have usually proved    
their mission by miracles4 ,but what is 
a miracle8 ,it is an operation directly 
opposed to the laws of nature4 ,but1    
according to you1 who has made these    
laws8 ,it is ,god4 ,thus your ,god1 who1
 according to you1 has foreseen         
everything1 counteracts the laws which  
,his wisdom had imposed upon nature6    
,these laws were then defective1 or at  
least in certain circumstances they were
 but in accordance with the views of    
this same ,god1 for you tell us that ,he
 thought ,he ought to suspend or        
counteract them4  ,an attempt is made to
 persuade us that men who have been     

favored by the ,most ,high have received
 from ,him the power to perform         
miracles2 but in order to perform a     
miracle1 it is necessary to have the    
faculty of creating new causes capable  
of producing effects opposed to those   
which ordinary causes can produce4 ,can 
we realize how ,god can give to men the 
inconceivable power of creating causes  
out of nothing8 ,can it be believed that
 an unchangeable ,god can communicate to
 man the power to change or rectify ,his
 plan1 a power which1 according to ,his 
essence1 an immutable being can not have
 himself8 ,miracles1 far from doing much
 honor to ,god1 far from proving the    
,divinity of religion1 destroy evidently
 the idea which is given to us of ,god1 
of ,his immutability1 of ,his           
incommunicable attributes1 and even of  
,his omnipotence4 ,how can a theologian 
tell us that a ,god who embraced at once
 the whole of ,his plan1 who could make 
but perfect laws1 who can change nothing
 in them1 should be obliged to employ   

miracles to make ,his projects          
successful1 or grant to ,his creatures  
the faculty of performing prodigies1 in 
order to execute ,his ,divine will8 ,is 
it probable that a ,god needs the       
support of men8 ,an ,omnipotent ,being1 
whose wishes are always gratified1 a    
,being who holds in ,his hands the      
hearts and the minds of ,his creatures1 
needs but to wish1 in order to make them
 believe all ,he desires4               
,,cxxx4--,,refutation ,,of ,,pascal',s  
,,manner ,,of ,,reasoning ,,as ,,to     
,,how ,,we ,,should ,,judge ,,miracles4 
,what should we say of religions that   
based their ,divinity upon miracles     
which they themselves cause to appear   
suspicious8 ,how can we place any faith 
in the miracles related in the ,holy    
,books of the ,christians1 where ,god   
,himself boasts of hardening hearts1 of 
blinding those whom ,he wishes to ruin2 
where this ,god permits wicked spirits  
and magicians to perform as wonderful   
miracles as those of ,his servants2     

where it is prophesied that the         
,anti-,christ will have the power to    
perform miracles capable of destroying  
the faith even of the elect8 ,this      
granted1 how can we know whether ,god   
wants to instruct us or to lay a snare  
for us8 ,how can we distinguish whether 
the wonders which we see1 proceed from  
,god or the ,devil8 ,pascal1 in order to
 disembarrass us1 says very gravely1    
that we must judge the doctrine by      
miracles1 and the miracles by the       
doctrine2 that doctrine judges the      
miracles1 and the miracles judge the    
doctrine4 ,if there exists a defective  
and ridiculous circle1 it is no doubt in
 this fine reasoning of one of the      
greatest defenders of the ,christian    
religion4 ,which of all the religions in
 the world does not claim to possess the
 most admirable doctrine1 and which does
 not bring to its aid a great number of 
miracles8  ,is a miracle capable of     
destroying a demonstrated truth8        
,although a man should have the secret  

of curing all diseases1 of making the   
lame to walk1 of raising all the dead of
 a city1 of floating in the air1 of     
arresting the course of the sun and of  
the moon1 will he be able to convince me
 by all this that two and two do not    
make four2 that one makes three and that
 three makes but one2 that a ,god who   
fills the universe with ,his immensity1 
could have transformed ,himself into the
 body of a ,jew2 that the eternal can   
perish like man2 that an immutable1     
foreseeing1 and sensible ,god could have
 changed ,his opinion upon ,his         
religion1 and reform ,his own work by a 
new revelation8     ,,cxxxi4--,,even    
,,according ,,to ,,the ,,principles ,,of
 ,,theology ,,itself1 ,,every ,,new     
,,revelation ,,should ,,be ,,refuted    
,,as ,,false ,,and ,,impious4           
,according to the principles of theology
 itself1 whether natural or revealed1   
every new revelation ought to be        
considered false2 every change in a     
religion which had emanated from the    

,deity ought to be refuted as ungodly   
and blasphemous4 ,does not every reform 
suppose that ,god did not know how at   
the start to give ,his religion the     
required solidity and perfection8 ,to   
say that ,god in giving a first law     
accommodated ,himself to the gross ideas
 of a people whom ,he wished to         
enlighten1 is to pretend that ,god      
neither could nor would make the people 
whom ,he enlightened at that time1 as   
reasonable as they ought to be to please
 ,him4     ,christianity is an impiety1 
if it is true that ,judaism as a        
religion really emanated from a ,holy1  
,immutable1 ,almighty1 grid ,foreseeing 
,god4    ,christ's religion implies     
either defects in the law that ,god     
,himself gave by ,moses1 or impotence or
 malice in this ,god who could not1 or  
would not make the ,jews as they ought  
to be to please ,him4 ,all religions1   
whether new1 or ancient ones reformed1  
are evidently founded on the weakness1  
the inconstancy1 the imprudence1 and the

 malice of the ,deity4                  
,,cxxxii4--,,even ,,the ,,blood ,,of    
,,the ,,martyrs1 ,,testifies ,,against  
,,the ,,truth ,,of ,,miracles ,,and     
,,against ,,the ,,divine ,,origin       
,,which ,,christianity ,,claims4  ,if   
history informs me that the first       
apostles1 founders or reformers of      
religions1 performed great miracles1    
history teaches me also that these      
reforming apostles and their adherents  
have been usually despised1 persecuted1 
and put to death as disturbers of the   
peace of nations4 ,i am then tempted to 
believe that they have not performed the
 miracles attributed to them4 ,finally1 
these miracles should have procured to  
them a great number of disciples among  
those who witnessed them1 who ought to  
have prevented the performers from being
 maltreated4 ,my incredulity increases  
if ,i am told that the performers of    
miracles have been cruelly tormented or 
slain4 ,how can we believe that         
missionaries1 protected by a ,god1      

invested with ,his ,divine ,power1 and  
enjoying the gift of miracles1 could not
 perform the simple miracle of escaping 
from the cruelty of their persecutors8  
,persecutions themselves are considered 
as a convincing proof in favor of the   
religion of those who have suffered     
them2 but a religion which boasts of    
having caused the death of many martyrs1
 and which informs us that its founders 
have suffered for its extension         
unheard-of torments1 can not be the     
religion of a benevolent1 equitable1 and
 ,almighty ,god4 ,a good ,god would not 
permit that men charged with revealing  
,his will should be misused4 ,an        
omnipotent ,god desiring to found a     
religion1 would have employed simpler   
and less fatal means for ,his most      
faithful servants4 ,to say that ,god    
desired that ,his religion should be    
sealed by blood1 is to say that this    
,god is weak1 unjust1 ungrateful1 and   
sanguinary1 and that ,he sacrifices     
unworthily ,his missionaries to the     

interests of ,his ambition4             
,,cxxxiii4--,,the ,,fanaticism ,,of     
,,the ,,martyrs1 ,,the ,,interested     
,,zeal ,,of ,,missionaries1 ,,prove ,,in
 ,,nowise ,,the ,,truth ,,of ,,religion4
  ,to die for a religion does not prove 
it true or ,divine2 this proves at most 
that we suppose it to be so4 ,an        
enthusiast in dying proves nothing but  
that religious fanaticism is often      
stronger than the love of life4 ,an     
impostor can sometimes die with courage2
 he makes then1 as is said1 a virtue of 
necessity4 ,we are often surprised and  
affected at the sight of the generous   
courage and the disinterested zeal which
 have led missionaries to preach their  
doctrine at the risk even of suffering  
the most rigorous torments4 ,we draw    
from this love1 which is exhibited for  
the salvation of men1 deductions        
favorable to the religion which they    
have proclaimed2 but in truth this      
disinterestedness is only apparent4     
,nothing ventured1 nothing gained6 ,a   

missionary seeks fortune by the aid of  
his doctrine2 he knows that if he has   
the good fortune to retail his          
commodity1 he will become the absolute  
master of those who accept him as their 
guide2 he is sure to become the object  
of their care1 of their respect1 of     
their veneration2 he has every reason to
 believe that he will be abundantly     
provided for4 ,these are the true       
motives which kindle the zeal and the   
charity of so many preachers and        
missionaries who travel all over the    
world4  ,to die for an opinion1 proves  
no more the truth or the soundness of   
this opinion than to die in a battle    
proves the right of the prince1 for     
whose benefit so many people are foolish
 enough to sacrifice themselves4 ,the   
courage of a martyr1 animated by the    
idea of ,paradise1 is not any more      
supernatural than the courage of a      
warrior1 inspired with the idea of glory
 or held to duty by the fear of         
disgrace4 ,what difference do we find   

between an ,iroquois who sings while he 
is burned by a slow fire1 and the martyr
 ,st4 ,lawrence1 who while upon the     
gridiron insults his tyrant8  ,the      
preachers of a new doctrine succumb     
because they are not the strongest2 the 
apostles usually practice a perilous    
business1 whose consequences they can   
foresee2 their courageous death does not
 prove any more the truth of their      
principles or their own sincerity1 than 
the violent death of an ambitious man or
 a brigand proves that they had the     
right to trouble society1 or that they  
believed themselves authorized to do it4
 ,a missionary's profession has been    
always flattering to his ambition1 and  
has enabled him to subsist at the       
expense of the common people2 these     
advantages have been sufficient to make 
him forget the dangers which are        
connected with it4                      
,,cxxxiv4--,,theology ,,makes ,,of ,,its
 ,,god ,,an ,,enemy ,,of ,,common       
,,sense ,,and ,,of ,,enlightenment4     

,you tell us1 ,o theologians6 that what 
is folly in the eyes of men1 is wisdom  
before ,god1 who is pleased to confound 
the wisdom of the wise4 ,but do you not 
pretend that human wisdom is a gift from
 ,heaven8 ,in telling us that this      
wisdom displeases ,god1 is but folly in 
,his eyes1 and that ,he wishes to       
confound it1 you proclaim that your ,god
 is but the friend of unenlightened     
people1 and that ,he makes to sensible  
people a fatal gift1 for which this     
perfidious ,tyrant promises to punish   
them cruelly some day4 ,is it not very  
strange that we can not be the friend of
 your ,god but by declaring ourselves   
the enemy of reason and common sense8   
,,cxxxv4--,,faith ,,is ,,irreconcilable 
,,with ,,reason1 ,,and ,,reason ,,is    
,,preferable ,,to ,,faith4  ,faith1     
according to theologians1 is consent    
without evidence4 ,from this it follows 
that religion exacts that we should     
firmly believe1 without evidence1 in    
propositions which are often improbable 

or opposed to reason4 ,but to challenge 
reason as a judge of faith1 is it not   
acknowledging that reason can not agree 
with faith8 ,as the ministers of        
religion have determined to banish      
reason1 they must have felt the         
impossibility of reconciling reason with
 faith1 which is visibly but a blind    
submission to those priests whose       
authority1 in many minds1 appears to be 
of a greater importance than evidence   
itself1 and preferable to the testimony 
of the senses4 ,sacrifice your reason2  
give up experience2 distrust the        
testimony of your senses2 submit without
 examination to all that is given to you
 as coming from ,heaven4 ,this is the   
usual language of all the priests of the
 world2 they do not agree upon any      
point1 except in the necessity of never 
reasoning when they present principles  
to us which they claim as the most      
important to our happiness4  ,i will not
 sacrifice my reason1 because this      
reason alone enables me to distinguish  

good from evil1 the true from the false4
 ,if1 as you pretend1 my reason comes   
from ,god1 ,i will never believe that a 
,god whom you call so good1 had ever    
given me reason but as a snare1 in order
 to lead me to perdition4 ,priests6 in  
crying down reason1 do you not see that 
you slander your ,god1 who1 as you      
assure us1 has given us this reason8  ,i
 will not give up experience1 because it
 is a much better guide than            
imagination1 or than the authority of   
the guides whom they wish to give me4   
,this experience teaches me that        
enthusiasm and interest can blind and   
mislead them1 and that the authority of 
experience ought to have more weight    
upon my mind than the suspicious        
testimony of many men whom ,i know to be
 capable of deceiving themselves1 or    
very much interested in deceiving       
others4  ,i will not distrust my senses4
 ,i do not ignore the fact that they can
 sometimes lead me into error2 but on   
the other hand1 ,i know that they do not

 deceive me always4 ,i know very well   
that the eye shows the sun much smaller 
than it really is2 but experience1 which
 is only the repeated application of the
 senses1 teaches me that objects        
continually diminish by reason of their 
distance2 it is by these means that ,i  
reach the conclusion that the sun is    
much larger than the earth2 it is thus  
that my senses suffice to rectify the   
hasty judgments which they induced me to
 form4 ,in warning me to doubt the      
testimony of my senses1 you destroy for 
me the proofs of all religion4 ,if men  
can be dupes of their imagination1 if   
their senses are deceivers1 why would   
you have me believe in the miracles     
which made an impression upon the       
deceiving senses of our ancestors8 ,if  
my senses are faithless guides1 ,i learn
 that ,i should not have faith even in  
the miracles which ,i might see         
performed under my own eyes4            
,,cxxxvi4--,,how ,,absurd ,,and         
,,ridiculous ,,is ,,the ,,sophistry ,,of

 ,,those ,,who ,,wish ,,to ,,substitute 
,,faith ,,for ,,reason4  ,you tell me   
continually that the truths of religion 
are beyond reason4 ,do you not admit1   
then1 that these truths are not made for
 reasonable beings8 ,to pretend that    
reason can deceive us1 is to say that   
truth can be false1 that usefulness can 
be injurious4 ,is reason anything else  
but the knowledge of the useful and the 
true8 ,besides1 as we have but our      
reason1 which is more or less exercised1
 and our senses1 such as they are1 to   
lead us in this life1 to claim that     
reason is an unsafe guide1 and that our 
senses are deceivers1 is to tell us that
 our errors are necessary1 that our     
ignorance is invincible1 and that1      
without extreme injustice1 ,god can not 
punish us for having followed the only  
guides which ,he desired to give us4 ,to
 pretend that we are obliged to believe 
in things which are beyond our reason1  
is an assertion as ridiculous as to say 
that ,god would compel us to fly without

 wings4 ,to claim that there are objects
 on which reason should not be          
consulted1 is to say that in the most   
important affairs1 we must consult but  
imagination1 or act by chance4  ,our    
,doctors of ,divinity tell us that we   
ought to sacrifice our reason to ,god2  
but what motives can we have for        
sacrificing our reason to a being who   
gives us but useless gifts1 which ,he   
does not intend that we should make use 
of8 ,what confidence can we place in a  
,god who1 according to our ,doctors     
themselves1 is wicked enough to harden  
hearts1 to strike us with blindness1 to 
place snares in our way1 to lead us into
 temptation8 ,finally1 how can we place 
confidence in the ministers of this     
,god1 who1 in order to guide us more    
conveniently1 command us to close our   
eyes8     ,,cxxxvii4--,,how ,,pretend   
,,that ,,man ,,ought ,,to ,,believe     
,,verbal ,,testimony ,,on ,,what ,,is   
,,claimed ,,to ,,be ,,the ,,most        
,,important ,,thing ,,for ,,him8  ,men  

persuade themselves that religion is the
 most serious affair in the world for   
them1 while it is the very thing which  
they least examine for themselves4 ,if  
the question arises in the purchase of  
land1 of a house1 of the investment of  
money1 of a transaction1 or of some kind
 of an agreement1 you will see each one 
examine everything with care1 take the  
greatest precautions1 weigh all the     
words of a document1 to beware of any   
surprise or imposition4 ,it is not the  
same with religion2 each one accepts it 
at hazard1 and believes it upon verbal  
testimony1 without taking the trouble to
 examine it4 ,two causes seem to concur 
in sustaining men in the negligence and 
the thoughtlessness which they exhibit  
when the question comes up of examining 
their religious opinions4 ,the first one
 is1 the hopelessness of penetrating the
 obscurity by which every religion is   
surrounded2 even in its first           
principles1 it has only a tendency to   
repel indolent minds1 who see in it but 

chaos1 to penetrate which1 they judge   
impossible4 ,the second is1 that each   
one is afraid to incommode himself by   
the severe precepts which everybody     
admires in the theory1 and which few    
persons take the trouble of practicing4 
,many people preserve their religion    
like old family titles which they have  
never taken the trouble to examine      
minutely1 but which they place in their 
archives in case they need them4        
,,cxxxviii4--,,faith ,,takes ,,root     
,,but ,,in ,,weak1 ,,ignorant1 ,,or     
,,indolent ,,minds4  ,the disciples of  
,pythagoras had an implicit faith in    
their ,master's doctrine3 ,,he ,,has    
,,said ,,it6 was for them the solution  
of all problems4 ,the majority of men   
act with as little reason4 ,a curate1 a 
priest1 an ignorant monk1 will become in
 the matter of religion the master of   
one's thoughts4 ,faith relieves the     
weakness of the human mind1 for whom    
application is commonly a very painful  
work2 it is much easier to rely upon    

others than to examine for one's self2  
examination being slow and difficult1 it
 is usually unpleasant to ignorant and  
stupid minds as well as to very ardent  
ones2 this is1 no doubt1 why faith finds
 so many partisans4  ,the less          
enlightenment and reason men possess1   
the more zeal they exhibit for their    
religion4 ,in all the religious         
factions1 women1 aroused by their       
directors1 exhibit very great zeal in   
opinions of which it is evident they    
have not the least idea4 ,in theological
 quarrels people rush like a ferocious  
beast upon all those against whom their 
priest wishes to excite them4 ,profound 
ignorance1 unlimited credulity1 a very  
weak head1 an irritated imagination1    
these are the materials of which        
devotees1 zealots1 fanatics1 and saints 
are made4 ,how can we make those people 
understand reason who allow themselves  
to be guided without examining anything8
 ,the devotees and common people are1 in
 the hands of their guides1 only        

automatons which they move at their     
fancy4     ,,cxxxix4--,,to ,,teach      
,,that ,,there ,,exists ,,one ,,true    
,,religion ,,is ,,an ,,absurdity1 ,,and 
,a ,,cause ,,of ,,much ,,trouble ,,among
 ,,the ,,nations4  ,religion is a thing 
of custom and fashion2 we must do as    
others do4 ,but1 among the many         
religions in the world1 which one ought 
we to choose8 ,this examination would be
 too long and too painful2 we must then 
hold to the faith of our fathers1 to    
that of our country1 or to that of the  
prince1 who1 possessing power1 must be  
the best4 ,chance alone decides the     
religion of a man and of a people4 ,the 
,french would be to-day as good         
,mussulmen as they are ,christians1 if  
their ancestors had not repulsed the    
efforts of the ,saracens4 ,if we judge  
of the intentions of ,providence by the 
events and the revolutions of this      
world1 we are compelled to believe that 
it is quite indifferent about the       
different religions which exist on      

earth4 ,during thousands of years       
,paganism1 ,polytheism1 and ,idolatry   
have been the religions of the world2 we
 are assured today1 that during this    
period the most flourishing nations had 
not the least idea of the ,deity1 an    
idea which is claimed1 however1 to be so
 important to all men4 ,the ,christians 
pretend that1 with the exception of the 
,jewish people1 that is to say1 a       
handful of unfortunate beings1 the whole
 human race lived in utter ignorance of 
its duties toward ,god1 and had but     
imperfect ideas of ,divine majesty4     
,christianity1 offshoot of ,judaism1    
which was very humble in its obscure    
origin1 became powerful and cruel under 
the ,christian emperors1 who1 driven by 
a holy zeal1 spread it marvelously in   
their empire by sword and fire1 and     
founded it upon the ruins of overthrown 
,paganism4 ,mohammed and his successors1
 aided by ,providence1 or by their      
victorious arms1 succeeded in a short   
time in expelling the ,christian        

religion from a part of ,asia1 ,africa1 
and even of ,europe itself2 the ,gospel 
was compelled to surrender to the       
,koran4 ,in all the factions or sects   
which during a great number of centuries
 have lacerated the ,christians1 ,,the  
,,reason ,,of ,,the ,,strongest ,,was   
,,always ,,the ,,best2 the arms and the 
will of the princes alone decided upon  
the most useful doctrine for the        
salvation of the nations4 ,could we not 
conclude by this1 either that the ,deity
 takes but little interest in the       
religion of men1 or that ,he declares   
,himself always in favor of opinions    
which best suit the ,authorities of the 
earth1 in order that ,he can change ,his
 systems as soon as they take a notion  
to change8  ,a king of ,macassar1 tired 
of the idolatry of his fathers1 took a  
notion one day to leave it4 ,the        
monarch's council deliberated for a long
 time to know whether they should       
consult ,christian or ,mohammedan       
,doctors4 ,in the impossibility of      

finding out which was the better of the 
two religions1 it was resolved to send  
at the same time for the missionaries of
 both1 and to accept the doctrine of    
those who would have the advantage of   
arriving first4 ,they did not doubt that
 ,god1 who disposes of events1 would    
thus ,himself explain ,his will4        
,mohammed's missionaries having been    
more diligent1 the king with his people 
submitted to the law which he had       
imposed upon himself2 the missionaries  
of ,christ were dismissed by default of 
their ,god1 who did not permit them to  
arrive early enough4 ,god evidently     
consents that chance should decide the  
religion of nations4  ,those who govern1
 always decide the religion of the      
people4 ,the true religion is but the   
religion of the prince2 the true ,god is
 the ,god whom the prince wishes them to
 worship2 the will of the priests who   
govern the prince1 always becomes the   
will of ,god4 ,a jester once said1 with 
reason1 that the true faith is always   

the one which has on its side 'the      
prince and the executioner4'  ,emperors 
and executioners for a long time        
sustained the ,gods of ,rome against the
 ,god of the ,christians2 the latter    
having won over to their side the       
emperors1 their soldiers and their      
executioners succeeded in suppressing   
the worship of the ,roman ,gods4        
,mohammed's ,god succeeded in expelling 
the ,christian's ,god from a large part 
of the countries which ,he formerly     
occupied4 ,in the eastern part of ,asia1
 there is a large country which is very 
flourishing1 very productive1 thickly   
populated1 and governed by such wise    
laws1 that the most savage conquerors   
adopted them with respect4 ,it is       
,china6 ,with the exception of          
,christianity1 which was banished as    
dangerous1 they followed their own      
superstitious ideas2 while the mandarins
 or magistrates1 undeceived long ago    
about the popular religion1 do not      
trouble themselves in regard to it1     

except to watch over it1 that the bonzes
 or priests do not use this religion to 
disturb the peace of the ,state4        
,however1 we do not see that ,providence
 withholds its benefactions from a      
nation whose chiefs take so little      
interest in the worship which is offered
 to it4 ,the ,chinese enjoy1 on the     
contrary1 blessings and a peace worthy  
of being envied by many nations which   
religion divides1 ravages1 and often    
destroys4 ,we can not reasonably expect 
to deprive a people of its follies2 but 
we can hope to cure of their follies    
those who govern the people2 these will 
then prevent the follies of the people  
from becoming dangerous4 ,superstition  
is never to be feared except when it has
 the support of princes and soldiers2 it
 is only then that it becomes cruel and 
sanguinary4 ,every sovereign who assumes
 the protection of a sect or of a       
religious faction1 usually becomes the  
tyrant of other sects1 and makes himself
 the must cruel perturbator in his      

kingdom4     ,,cxl4--,,religion ,,is    
,,not ,,necessary ,,to ,,morality ,,and 
,,to ,,virtue4  ,we are constantly told1
 and a good many sensible persons come  
to believe it1 that religion is         
necessary to restrain men2 that without 
it there would be no check upon the     
people2 that morality and virtue are    
intimately connected with it3 ,the fear 
of the ,lord is1 we are told1 the       
beginning of wisdom4 ,the terrors of    
another life are salutary terrors1 and  
calculated to subdue men's passions4 ,to
 disabuse us in regard to the utility of
 religious notions1 it is sufficient to 
open the eyes and to consider what are  
the morals of the most religious people4
 ,we see haughty tyrants1 oppressive    
ministers1 perfidious courtiers1        
countless extortioners1 unscrupulous    
magistrates1 impostors1 adulterers1     
libertines1 prostitutes1 thieves1 and   
rogues of all kinds1 who have never     
doubted the existence of a vindictive   
,god1 or the punishments of hell1 or the

 joys of ,paradise4  ,although very     
useless for the majority of men1 the    
ministers of religion have tried to make
 death appear terrible to the eyes of   
their votaries4 ,if the most devoted    
,christians could be consistent1 they   
would pass their whole lives in tears1  
and would finally die in the most       
terrible alarms4 ,what is more frightful
 than death to those unfortunate ones   
who are constantly reminded that it is a
 fearful thing to fall into the hands of
 a living ,god2 that they should seek   
salvation with fear and trembling6      
,however1 we are assured that the       
,christian's death has great            
consolations1 of which the unbeliever is
 deprived4 ,the good ,christian1 we are 
told1 dies with the firm hope of        
enjoying eternal happiness1 which he has
 tried to deserve4 ,but this firm       
assurance1 is it not a punishable       
presumption in the eyes of a severe     
,god8 ,the greatest saints1 are they not
 to be in doubt whether they are worthy 

of the love or of the hatred of ,god    
,priests who console us with the hope of
 the joys of ,paradise1 and close your  
eyes to the torments of hell1 have you  
then had the advantage of seeing your   
names and ours inscribed in the book of 
life8     ,,cxli4--,,religion ,,is ,,the
 ,,weakest ,,restraint ,,that ,,can ,,be
 ,,opposed ,,to ,,the ,,passions4  ,to  
oppose to the passions and present      
interests of men the obscure notions    
about a metaphysical ,god whom no one   
can conceive of2 the incredible         
punishments of another life2 the        
pleasures of ,heaven1 of which we can   
not form an idea1 is it not combating   
realities with chimeras8 ,men have      
always but confused ideas of their ,god2
 they see ,him only in the clouds2 they 
never think of ,him when they wish to do
 wrong4 ,whenever ambition1 fortune1 or 
pleasure entices them or leads them     
away1 ,god1 and ,his menaces1 and ,his  
promises weigh nothing in the balance4  
,the things of this life have for men a 

degree of certainty1 which the most     
lively faith can never give to the      
objects of another life4  ,every        
religion1 in its origin1 was a restraint
 invented by legislators who wished to  
subjugate the minds of the common       
people4 ,like nurses who frighten       
children in order to put them to sleep1 
ambitious men use the name of the gods  
to inspire fear in savages2 terror seems
 well suited to compel them to submit   
quietly to the yoke which is to be      
imposed upon them4 ,are the ghost       
stories of childhood fit for mature age8
 ,man in his maturity no longer believes
 in them1 or if he does1 he is troubled 
but little by it1 and he keeps on his   
road4     ,,cxlii4--,,honor ,,is ,a     
,,more ,,salutary ,,and ,a ,,stronger   
,,check ,,than ,,religion4  ,there is   
scarcely a man who does not fear more   
what he sees than what he does not see2 
the judgments of men1 of which he       
experiences the effects1 than the       
judgments of ,god1 of whom he has but   

floating ideas4 ,the desire to please   
the world1 the current of custom1 the   
fear of being ridiculed1 and of ,,what  
,,will ,,they ,,say8 have more power    
than all religious opinions4 ,a warrior 
with the fear of dishonor1 does he not  
hazard his life in battles every day1   
even at the risk of incurring eternal   
damnation8  ,the most religious persons 
sometimes show more respect for a       
servant than for ,god4 ,a man that      
firmly believes that ,god sees          
everything1 knows everything1 is        
everywhere1 will1 when he is alone1     
commit actions which he never would do  
in the presence of the meanest of       
mortals4 ,those even who claim to be the
 most firmly convinced of the existence 
of a ,god1 act every instant as if they 
did not believe anything about it4      
,,cxliii4--,,religion ,,is ,,certainly  
,,not ,a ,,powerful ,,check ,,upon ,,the
 ,,passions ,,of ,,kings1 ,,who ,,are   
,,almost ,,always ,,cruel ,,and         
,,fantastic ,,tyrants ,,by ,,the        

,,example ,,of ,,this ,,same ,,god1 ,,of
 ,,whom ,,they ,,claim ,,to ,,be ,,the  
,,representatives2 ,,they ,,use         
,,religion ,,but ,,to ,,brutalize       
,,their ,,slaves ,,so ,,much ,,the      
,,more1 ,,to ,,lull ,,them ,,to ,,sleep 
,,in ,,their ,,fetters1 ,,and ,,to      
,,prey ,,upon ,,them ,,with ,,the       
,,greater ,,facility4  ,let us tolerate 
at least1 we are told1 the idea of a    
,god1 which alone can be a restraint    
upon the passions of kings4 ,but1 in    
good faith1 can we admire the marvelous 
effects which the fear of this ,god     
produces generally upon the mind of the 
princes who claim to be ,his images8    
,what idea can we form of the original1 
if we judge it by its duplicates8       
,sovereigns1 it is true1 call1          
themselves the representatives of ,god1 
,his lieutenants upon earth4 ,but does  
the fear of a more powerful master than 
themselves make them attend to the      
welfare of the peoples that ,providence 
has confided to their care8 ,the idea of

 an invisible ,judge1 to whom alone they
 pretend to be accountable for their    
actions1 should inspire them with       
terror6 ,but does this terror render    
them more equitable1 more humane1 less  
avaricious of the blood and the goods of
 their subjects1 more moderate in their 
pleasures1 more attentive to their      
duties8 ,finally1 does this ,god1 by    
whom we are assured that kings reign1   
prevent them from vexing in a thousand  
ways the peoples of whom they ought to  
be the leaders1 the protectors1 and     
fathers8 ,let us open our eyes1 let us  
turn our regards upon all the earth1 and
 we shall see1 almost everywhere1 men   
governed by tyrants1 who make use of    
religion but to brutalize their slaves1 
whom they oppress by the weight of their
 vices1 or whom they sacrifice without  
mercy to their fatal extravagances4 ,far
 from being a restraint to the passions 
of kings1 religion1 by its very         
principles1 gives them a loose rein4 ,it
 transforms them into ,divinities1 whose

 caprices the nations never dare to     
resist4 ,at the same time that it       
unchains princes and breaks for them the
 ties of the social pact1 it enchains   
the minds and the hands of their        
oppressed subjects4 ,is it surprising1  
then1 that the gods of the earth believe
 that all is permitted to them1 and     
consider their subjects as vile         
instruments of their caprices or of     
their ambition8  ,religion1 in every    
country1 has made of the ,monarch of    
,nature a cruel1 fantastic1 partial     
tyrant1 whose caprice is the rule4 ,the 
,god-monarch is but too well imitated by
 ,his representatives upon the earth4   
,everywhere religion seems invented but 
to lull to sleep the people in fetters1 
in order to furnish their masters the   
facility of devouring them1 or to render
 them miserable with impunity4          
,,cxliv4--,,origin ,,of ,,the ,,most    
,,absurd1 ,,the ,,most ,,ridiculous1    
,,and ,,the ,,most ,,odious             
,,usurpation1 ,,called ,,the ,,divine   

,,right ,,of ,,kings4 ,,wise ,,counsels 
,,to ,,kings4  ,in order to guard       
themselves against the enterprises of a 
haughty ,pontiff who desired to reign   
over kings1 and in order to protect     
their persons from the attacks of the   
credulous people excited by their       
priests1 several princes of ,europe     
pretended to have received their crowns 
and their rights from ,god alone1 and   
that they should account to ,him only   
for their actions4 ,civil power in its  
battles against spiritual power1 having 
at length gained the advantage1 and the 
priests being compelled to yield1       
recognized the ,divine right of kings   
and preached it to the people1 reserving
 to themselves the right to change      
opinions and to preach revolution1 every
 time that the divine rights of kings   
did not agree with the divine rights of 
the clergy4 ,it was always at the       
expense of the people that peace was    
restored between the kings and the      
priests1 but the latter maintained their

 pretensions notwithstanding all        
treaties4  ,many tyrants and wicked     
princes1 whose conscience reproaches    
them for their negligence or their      
perversity1 far from fearing their ,god1
 rather like to bargain with this       
invisible ,judge1 who never refuses     
anything1 or with ,his priests1 who are 
accommodating to the masters of the     
earth rather than to their subjects4    
,the people1 when reduced to despair1   
consider the divine rights of their     
chiefs as an abuse4 ,when men become    
exasperated1 the divine rights of       
tyrants are compelled to yield to the   
natural rights of their subjects2 they  
have better market with the gods than   
with men4 ,kings are responsible for    
their actions but to ,god1 the priests  
but to themselves2 there is reason to   
believe that both of them have more     
faith in the indulgence of ,heaven than 
in that of earth4 ,it is much easier to 
escape the judgments of the gods1 who   
can be appeased at little expense1 than 

the judgments of men whose patience is  
exhausted4 ,if you take away from the   
sovereigns the fear of an invisible     
power1 what restraint will you oppose to
 their misconduct8 ,let them learn how  
to govern1 how to be just1 how to       
respect the rights of the people1 to    
recognize the benefactions of the       
nations from whom they obtain their     
grandeur and power2 let them learn to   
fear men1 to submit to the laws of      
equity1 that no one can violate without 
danger2 let these laws restrain equally 
the powerful and the weak1 the great and
 the small1 the sovereign and the       
subjects4  ,the fear of the ,gods1      
religion1 the terrors of another        
life--these are the metaphysical and    
supernatural barriers which are opposed 
to the furious passions of princes6 ,are
 these barriers sufficient8 ,we leave it
 to experience to solve the question6   
,to oppose religion to the wickedness of
 tyrants1 is to wish that vague         
speculations should be more powerful    

than inclinations which conspire to     
fortify them in it from day to day4     
,,cxlv4--,,religion ,,is ,,fatal ,,to   
,,politics2 ,,it ,,forms ,,but          
,,licentious ,,and ,,perverse ,,despots1
 ,,as ,,well ,,as ,,abject ,,and        
,,unhappy ,,subjects4  ,we are told     
constantly of the immense advantages    
which religion secures to politics2 but 
if we reflect a moment1 we will see     
without trouble that religious opinions 
blind and lead astray equally the rulers
 and the people1 and never enlighten    
them either in regard to their true     
duties or their real interests4         
,religion but too often forms           
licentious1 immoral tyrants1 obeyed by  
slaves who are obliged to conform to    
their views4 ,from lack of the knowledge
 of the true principles of              
administration1 the aim and the rights  
of social life1 the real interests of   
men1 and the duties which unite them1   
the princes are become1 in almost every 
land1 licentious1 absolute1 and         

perverse2 and their subjects abject     
unhappy1 and wicked4 ,it was to avoid   
the trouble of studying these important 
subjects1 that they felt themselves     
obliged to have recourse to chimeras1   
which so far1 instead of being a remedy1
 have but increased the evils of the    
human race and withdrawn their attention
 from the most interesting things4 ,does
 not the unjust and cruel manner in     
which so many nations are governed here 
below1 furnish the most visible proofs1 
not only of the non-effect produced by  
the fear of another life1 but of the    
non-existence of a ,providence          
interested in the fate of the human     
race8 ,if there existed a good ,god1    
would we not be forced to admit that ,he
 strangely neglects the majority of men 
in this life8 ,it would appear that this
 ,god created the nations but to be toys
 for the passions and follies of ,his   
representatives upon earth4             
,,cxlvi4--,,christianity ,,extended     
,,itself ,,but ,,by ,,encouraging       

,,despotism1 ,,of ,,which ,,it1 ,,like  
,,all ,,religion1 ,,is ,,the ,,strongest
 ,,support4  ,if we read history with   
some attention1 we shall see that       
,christianity1 fawning at first1        
insinuated itself among the savage and  
free nations of ,europe but by showing  
their chiefs that its principles would  
favor despotism and place absolute power
 in their hands4 ,we see1 consequently1 
barbarous kings converting themselves   
with a miraculous promptitude2 that is  
to say1 adopting without examination a  
system so favorable to their ambition1  
and exerting themselves to have it      
adopted by their subjects4 ,if the      
ministers of this religion have since   
often moderated their servile           
principles1 it is because the theory has
 no influence upon the conduct of the   
,lord's ministers1 except when it suits 
their temporal interests4               
,christianity boasts of having brought  
to men a happiness unknown to preceding 
centuries4 ,it is true that the         

,grecians have not known the ,divine    
right of tyrants or usurpers over their 
native country4 ,under the reign of     
,paganism it never entered the brain of 
anybody that ,heaven did not want a     
nation to defend itself against a       
ferocious beast which insolently ravaged
 it4 ,the ,christian religion1 devised  
for the benefit of tyrants1 was         
established on the principle that the   
nations should renounce the legitimate  
defense of themselves4 ,thus ,christian 
nations are deprived of the first law of
 nature1 which decrees that man should  
resist evil and disarm all who attempt  
to destroy him4 ,if the ministers of the
 ,church have often permitted nations to
 revolt for ,heaven's cause1 they never 
allowed them to revolt against real     
evils or known violences4  ,it is from  
,heaven that the chains have come to    
fetter the minds of mortals4 ,why is the
 ,mohammedan everywhere a slave8 ,it is 
because his ,prophet subdued him in the 
name of the ,deity1 just as ,moses      

before him subjugated the ,jews4 ,in all
 parts of the world we see that priests 
were the first law-givers and the first 
sovereigns of the savages whom they     
governed4 ,religion seems to have been  
invented but to exalt princes above     
their nations1 and to deliver the people
 to their discretion4 ,as soon as the   
latter find themselves unhappy here     
below1 they are silenced by menacing    
them with ,god's wrath2 their eyes are  
fixed on ,heaven1 in order to prevent   
them from perceiving the real causes of 
their sufferings and from applying the  
remedies which nature offers them4      
,,cxlvii4--,,the ,,only ,,aim ,,of      
,,religious ,,principles ,,is ,,to      
,,perpetuate ,,the ,,tyranny ,,of       
,,kings ,,and ,,to ,,sacrifice ,,the    
,,nations ,,to ,,them4  ,by incessantly 
repeating to men that the earth is not  
their true country2 that the present    
life is but a passage2 that they were   
not made to be happy in this world2 that
 their sovereigns hold their authority  

but from ,god1 and are responsible to   
,him alone for the misuse of it2 that it
 is never permitted to them to resist1  
the priesthood succeeded in perpetuating
 the misconduct of the kings and the    
misfortunes of the people2 the interests
 of the nations have been cowardly      
sacrificed to their chiefs4 ,the more we
 consider the dogmas and the principles 
of religion1 the more we shall be       
convinced that their only aim is to give
 advantage to tyrants and priests2 not  
having the least regard for the good of 
society4 ,in order to mask the          
powerlessness of these deaf ,gods1      
religion has succeeded in making mortals
 believe that it is always iniquity     
which excites the wrath of ,heaven4 ,the
 people blame themselves for the        
disasters and the adversities which they
 endure continually4 ,if disturbed      
nature sometimes causes the people to   
feel its blows1 their bad governments   
are but too often the immediate and     
permanent causes from which spring the  

continual calamities that they are      
obliged to endure4 ,is it not the       
ambition of kings and of the great1     
their negligence1 their vices1 their    
oppression1 to which are generally due  
sterility1 mendacity1 wars1 contagions1 
bad morals1 and all the multiplied      
scourges which desolate the earth8  ,in 
continually directing the eyes of men   
toward ,heaven1 making them believe that
 all their evils are due to ,divine     
wrath1 in furnishing them but           
inefficient and futile means of         
lessening their troubles1 it would      
appear that the only object of the      
priests is to prevent the nations from  
dreaming of the true sources of their   
miseries1 and to perpetuate them4 ,the  
ministers of religion act like those    
indigent mothers1 who1 in need of bread1
 put their hungry children to sleep by  
songs1 or who present them toys to make 
them forget the want which torments     
them4  ,blinded from childhood by error1
 held by the invincible ties of opinion1

 crushed by panic terrors1 stupefied at 
the bosom of ignorance1 how could the   
people understand the true causes of    
their troubles8 ,they think to remedy   
them by invoking the gods4 ,alas6 do    
they not see that it is it the name of  
these gods that they are ordered to     
present their throat to the sword of    
their pitiless tyrants1 in whom they    
would find the most visible cause of the
 evils under which they groan1 and for  
which they uselessly implore the        
assistance of ,heaven8 ,credulous       
people6 in your adversities redouble    
your prayers1 your offerings1 your      
sacrifices2 besiege your temples1       
strangle countless victims1 fast in     
sackcloth and in ashes1 drink your own  
tears2 finally1 exhaust yourselves to   
enrich your gods3 you will do nothing   
but enrich their priests2 the gods of   
,heaven will not be propitious to you1  
except when the gods of the earth will  
recognize that they are men like        
yourselves1 and will give to your       

welfare the care which is your due4     
,,cxlviii4--,,how ,,fatal ,,it ,,is ,,to
 ,,persuade ,,kings ,,that ,,they ,,have
 ,,only ,,god ,,to ,,fear ,,if ,,they   
,,injure ,,the ,,people4  ,negligent1   
ambitious1 and perverse princes are the 
real causes of public adversities1 of   
useless and unjust wars continually     
depopulating the earth1 of greedy and   
despotic governments1 destroying the    
benefactions of nature for men4 ,the    
rapacity of the courts discourages      
agriculture1 blots out industry1 causes 
famine1 contagion1 misery2 ,heaven is   
neither cruel nor favorable to the      
wishes of the people2 it is their       
haughty chiefs1 who always have a heart 
of brass4  ,it is a notion destructive  
to wholesome politics and to the morals 
of princes1 to persuade them that ,god  
alone is to be feared by them1 when they
 injure their subjects or when they     
neglect to render them happy4           
,sovereigns6 ,it is not the ,gods1 but  
your people whom you offend when you do 

evil4 ,it is to these people1 and by    
retroaction1 to yourselves1 that you do 
harm when you govern unjustly4  ,nothing
 is more common in history than to see  
religious tyrants2 nothing more rare    
than to find equitable1 vigilant1       
enlightened princes4 ,a monarch can be  
pious1 very strict in fulfilling        
servilely the duties of his religion1   
very submissive to his priests1 liberal 
in their behalf1 and at the same time   
destitute of all the virtues and talents
 necessary for governing4 ,religion for 
the princes is but an instrument        
intended to keep the people more firmly 
under the yoke4 ,according to the       
beautiful principles of religious       
morality1 a tyrant who1 during a long   
reign1 will have done nothing but       
oppress his subjects1 rob them of the   
fruits of their labor1 sacrifice them   
without pity to his insatiable ambition2
 a conqueror who will have usurped the  
provinces of others1 who will have      
slaughtered whole nations1 who will have

 been all his life a real scourge of the
 human race1 imagines that his          
conscience can be tranquillized1 if1 in 
order to expiate so many crimes1 he will
 have wept at the feet of a priest1 who 
will have the cowardly complaisance to  
console and reassure a brigand1 whom the
 most frightful despair would punish too
 little for the evil which he has done  
upon earth4     ,,clxix4--,a ,,religious
 ,,king ,,is ,a ,,scourge ,,to ,,his    
,,kingdom4  ,a sincerely religious      
sovereign is generally a very dangerous 
chief for a ,state2 credulity always    
indicates a narrow mind2 devotion       
generally absorbs the attention which   
the prince ought to give to the ruling  
of his people4 ,docile to the           
suggestions of his priests1 he          
constantly becomes the toy of their     
caprices1 the abettor of their quarrels1
 the instrument and the accomplice of   
their follies1 to which he attaches the 
greatest importance4 ,among the most    
fatal gifts which religion has bestowed 

upon the world1 we must consider above  
all1 these devoted and zealous monarchs1
 who1 with the idea of working for the  
salvation of their subjects1 have made  
it their sacred duty to torment1 to     
persecute1 to destroy those whose       
conscience made them think otherwise    
than they do4 ,a religious bigot at the 
head of an empire1 is one of the        
greatest scourges which ,heaven in its  
fury could have sent upon earth4 ,one   
fanatical or deceitful priest who has   
the ear of a credulous and powerful     
prince1 suffices to put a ,state into   
disorder and the universe into          
combustion4  ,in almost all countries1  
priests and devout persons are charged  
with forming the mind and the heart of  
the young princes destined to govern the
 nations4 ,what enlightenment can       
teachers of this stamp give8 ,filled    
themselves with prejudices1 they will   
hold up to their pupil superstition as  
the most important and the most sacred  
thing1 its chimerical duties as the most

 holy obligations1 intolerance1 and the 
spirit of persecution1 as the true      
foundations of his future authority2    
they will try to make him a chief of    
party1 a turbulent fanatic1 and a       
tyrant2 they will suppress at an early  
period his reason2 they will premonish  
him against it2 they will prevent truth 
from reaching him2 they will prejudice  
him against true talents1 and prepossess
 him in favor of despicable talents2    
finally they will make of him an        
imbecile devotee1 who will have no idea 
of justice or of injustice1 of true     
glory or of true greatness1 and who will
 be devoid of the intelligence and      
virtue necessary to the government of a 
great kingdom4 ,here1 in brief1 is the  
plan of education for a child destined  
to make1 one day1 the happiness or the  
misery of several millions of men4      
,,cl4--,,the ,,shield ,,of ,,religion   
,,is ,,for ,,tyranny1 ,a ,,weak         
,,rampart ,,against ,,the ,,despair ,,of
 ,,the ,,people4 ,a ,,despot ,,is ,a    

,,madman1 ,,who ,,injures ,,himself     
,,and ,,sleeps ,,upon ,,the ,,edge ,,of 
,a ,,precipice4  ,priests in all times  
have shown themselves supporters of     
despotism1 and the enemies of public    
liberty4 ,their profession requires vile
 and submissive slaves1 who never have  
the audacity to reason4 ,in an absolute 
government1 their great object is to    
secure control of the mind of a weak and
 stupid prince1 in order to make        
themselves masters of the people4       
,instead of leading the people to       
salvation1 priests have always led them 
to servitude4  ,for the sake of the     
supernatural titles which religion has  
forged for the most wicked princes1 the 
latter have generally united with the   
priests1 who1 sure of governing by      
controlling the opinion of the sovereign
 himself1 have charge of tying the hands
 of the people and of keeping them under
 their yoke4 ,but it is vain that the   
tyrant1 protected by the shield of      
religion1 flatters himself with being   

sheltered from all the blows of fate4   
,opinion is a weak rampart against the  
despair of the people4 ,besides1 the    
priest is the friend of the tyrant only 
so long as he finds his profit by the   
tyranny2 he preaches sedition and       
demolishes the idol which he has made1  
when he considers it no longer in       
conformity with the interests of        
,heaven1 which he speaks of as he       
pleases1 and which never speaks but in  
behalf of his interests4 ,no doubt it   
will be said1 that the sovereigns1      
knowing all the advantages which        
religion procures for them1 are truly   
interested in upholding it with all     
their strength4 ,if religious opinions  
are useful to tyrants1 it is evident    
that they are useless to those who      
govern according to the laws of reason  
and of equity4 ,is there any advantage  
in exercising tyranny8 ,does not tyranny
 deprive princes of true power1 the love
 of the people1 in which is safety8     
,should not every rational prince       

perceive that the despot is but an      
insane man who injures himself8 ,will   
not every enlightened prince beware of  
his flatterers1 whose object is to put  
him to sleep at the edge of the         
precipice to which they lead him8       
,,cli4--,,religion ,,favors ,,the       
,,errors ,,of ,,princes1 ,,by           
,,delivering ,,them ,,from ,,fear ,,and 
,,remorse4  ,if the sacerdotal          
flatteries succeed in perverting princes
 and changing them into tyrants1 the    
latter on their side necessarily corrupt
 the great men and the people4 ,under an
 unjust master1 without goodness1       
without virtue1 who knows no law but his
 caprice1 a nation must become          
necessarily depraved4 ,will this master 
wish to have honest1 enlightened1 and   
virtuous men near him8 ,no6 he needs    
flatterers in those who approach him1   
imitators1 slaves1 base and servile     
minds1 who give themselves up to his    
taste2 his court will spread the        
contagion of vice to the inferior       

classes4 ,by degrees all will be        
necessarily corrupted1 in a ,state whose
 chief is corrupt himself4 ,it was said 
a long time ago that the princes seem   
ordained to do all they do themselves4  
,religion1 far from being a restraint   
upon the sovereigns1 entitles them1     
without fear and without remorse1 to the
 errors which are as fatal to themselves
 as to the nations which they govern4   
,men are never deceived with impunity4  
,tell a prince that he is a ,god1 and   
very soon he will believe that he owes  
nothing to anybody4 ,as long as he is   
feared1 he will not care much for love2 
he will recognize no rights1 no         
relations with his subjects1 nor        
obligations in their behalf4 ,tell this 
prince that he is responsible for his   
actions to ,god alone1 and very soon he 
will act as if he was responsible to    
nobody4     ,,clii4--,,what ,,is ,,an   
,,enlightened ,,sovereign8  ,an         
enlightened sovereign is he who         
understands his true interests2 he knows

 they are united to those of his nation2
 he knows that a prince can be neither  
great1 nor powerful1 nor beloved1 nor   
respected1 so long as he will command   
but miserable slaves2 he knows that     
equity1 benevolence1 and vigilance will 
give him more real rights over men than 
fabulous titles which claim to come from
 ,heaven4 ,he will feel that religion is
 useful but to the priests2 that it is  
useless to society1 which is often      
troubled by it2 that it must be limited 
to prevent it from doing injury2        
finally1 he will understand that1 in    
order to reign with glory1 he must make 
good laws1 possess virtues1 and not base
 his power on impositions and chimeras4 
,,cliii4--,,the ,,dominant ,,passions   
,,and ,,crimes ,,of ,,priestcraft4      
,,with ,,the ,,assistance ,,of ,,its    
,,pretended ,,god ,,and ,,of ,,religion1
 ,,it ,,asserts ,,its ,,passions ,,and  
,,commits ,,its ,,crimes4  ,the         
ministers of religion have taken great  
care to make of their ,god a terrible1  

capricious1 and changeable tyrant2 it   
was necessary for them that ,he should  
be thus in order that ,he might lend    
,himself to their various interests4 ,a 
,god who would be just and good1 without
 a mixture of caprice and perversity2 a 
,god who would constantly have the      
qualities of an honest man or of a      
compliant sovereign1 would not suit ,his
 ministers4 ,it is necessary to the     
priests that we tremble before their    
,god1 in order that we have recourse to 
them to obtain the means to be quieted4 
,no man is a hero to his valet de       
chambre4 ,it is not surprising that a   
,god clothed by ,his priests in such a  
way as to cause others to fear ,him1    
should rarely impose upon those priests 
themselves1 or exert but little         
influence upon their conduct4           
,consequently we see them behave        
themselves in a uniform way in every    
land2 everywhere they devour nations1   
debase souls1 discourage industry1 and  
sow discord under the pretext of the    

glory of their ,god4 ,ambition and      
avarice were at all times the dominating
 passions of the priesthood2 everywhere 
the priest places himself above the     
sovereign and the laws2 everywhere we   
see him occupied but with the interests 
of his pride1 his cupidity1 his despotic
 and vindictive mood2 everywhere he     
substitutes expiations1 sacrifices1     
ceremonies1 and mysterious practices2 in
 a word1 inventions lucrative to himself
 for useful and social virtues4 ,the    
mind is confounded and reason           
interdicted with the view of ridiculous 
practices and pitiable means which the  
ministers of the gods invented in every 
country to purify souls and render      
,heaven favorable to nations4 ,here1    
they practice circumcision upon a child 
to procure it ,divine benevolence2      
there1 they pour water upon his head to 
wash away the crimes which he could not 
yet have committed2 in other places he  
is told to plunge himself into a river  
whose waters have the power to wash away

 all his impurities2 in other places    
certain food is forbidden to him1 whose 
use would not fail to excite celestial  
indignation2 in other countries they    
order the sinful man to come            
periodically for the confession of his  
faults to a priest1 who is often a      
greater sinner than he4                 
,,cliv4--,,charlatanry ,,of ,,the       
,,priests4  ,what would we say of a     
crowd of quacks1 who every day would    
exhibit in a public place1 selling their
 remedies and recommending them as      
infallible1 while we should find them   
afflicted with the same infirmities     
which they pretend to cure8 ,would we   
have much confidence in the recipes of  
these charlatans1 who would bawl out3   
,take our remedies1 their effects are   
infallible--they cure everybody except  
us8 ,what would we think to see these   
same charlatans pass their lives in     
complaining that their remedies never   
produce any effect upon the patients who
 take them8 ,finally1 what idea would we

 form of the foolishness of the common  
man who1 in spite of this confession1   
would continue to pay very high for     
remedies which will not be beneficial to
 him8 ,the priests resemble alchemists1 
who boldly assert that they have the    
secret of making gold1 while they       
scarcely have clothing enough to cover  
their nudity4  ,the ministers of        
religion incessantly declaim against the
 corruption of the age1 and complain    
loudly of the little success of their   
teachings1 at the same time they assure 
us that religion is the universal       
remedy1 the true panacea for all human  
evils4 ,these priests are sick          
themselves2 however1 men continue to    
frequent their stands and to have faith 
in their ,divine antidotes1 which1      
according to their own confession1 cure 
nobody6     ,,clv4--,,countless         
,,calamities ,,are ,,produced ,,by      
,,religion1 ,,which ,,has ,,tainted     
,,morality ,,and ,,disturbed ,,all      
,,just ,,ideas ,,and ,,all ,,sound      

,,doctrines4  ,religion1 especially     
among modern people1 in taking          
possession of morality1 totally obscured
 its principles2 it has rendered men    
unsocial from a sense of duty2 it has   
forced them to be inhuman toward all    
those who did not think as they did4    
,theological disputes1 equally          
unintelligible for the parties already  
irritated against each other1 have      
unsettled empires1 caused revolutions1  
ruined sovereigns1 devastated the whole 
of ,europe2 these despicable quarrels   
could not be extinguished even in rivers
 of blood4 ,after the extinction of     
,paganism the people established a      
religious principle of going into a     
frenzy1 every time that an opinion was  
brought forth which their priests       
considered contrary to the holy         
doctrine4 ,the votaries of a religion   
which preaches externally but charity1  
harmony1 and peace1 have shown          
themselves more ferocious than cannibals
 or savages every time that their       

instructors have excited them to the    
destruction of their brethren4 ,there is
 no crime which men have not committed  
in the idea of pleasing the ,deity or of
 appeasing ,his wrath4 ,the idea of a   
terrible ,god who was represented as a  
despot1 must necessarily have rendered  
,his subjects wicked4 ,fear makes but   
slaves1 and slaves are cowardly1 low1   
cruel1 and think they have a right to do
 anything when it is the question of    
gaining the good-will or of escaping the
 punishments of the master whom they    
fear4 ,liberty of thought can alone give
 to men humanity and grandeur of soul4  
,the notion of a tyrant ,god can create 
but abject1 angry1 quarrelsome1         
intolerant slaves4 ,every religion which
 supposes a ,god easily irritated1      
jealous1 vindictive1 punctilious about  
,his rights or ,his title1 a ,god small 
enough to be offended at opinions which 
we have of ,him1 a ,god unjust enough to
 exact uniform ideas in regard to ,him1 
such a religion becomes necessarily     

turbulent1 unsocial1 sanguinary2 the    
worshipers of such a ,god never believe 
they can1 without crime1 dispense with  
hating and even destroying all those    
whom they designate as adversaries of   
this ,god2 they would believe themselves
 traitors to the cause of their         
celestial ,monarch1 if they should live 
on good terms with rebellious           
fellow-citizens4 ,to love what ,god     
hates1 would it not be exposing one's   
self to ,his implacable hatred8         
,infamous persecutors1 and you1         
religious cannibals6 will you never feel
 the folly and injustice of your        
intolerant disposition8 ,do you not see 
that man is no more the master of his   
religious opinions1 of his credulity or 
incredulity1 than of the language which 
he learns in childhood1 and which he can
 not change8 ,to tell men to think as   
you do1 is it not asking a foreigner to 
express his thoughts in your language8  
,to punish a man for his erroneous      
opinions1 is it not punishing him for   

having been educated differently from   
yourself8 ,if ,i am incredulous1 is it  
possible for me to banish from my mind  
the reasons which have unsettled my     
faith8 ,if ,god allows men the freedom  
to damn themselves1 is it your business8
 ,are you wiser and more prudent than   
this ,god whose rights you wish to      
avenge8     ,,clvi4--,,every ,,religion 
,,is ,,intolerant1 ,,and ,,consequently 
,,destructive ,,of ,,beneficence4       
,there is no religious person who1      
according to his temperament1 does not  
hate1 despise1 or pity the adherents of 
a sect different from his own4 ,the     
dominant religion 7which is never but   
that of the sovereign and the armies7   
always makes its superiority felt in a  
very cruel and injurious manner toward  
the weaker sects4 ,there does not exist 
yet upon earth a true tolerance2        
everywhere a jealous ,god is worshiped1 
and each nation believes itself ,his    
friend to the exclusion of all others4  
,every nation boasts itself of          

worshiping the true ,god1 the universal 
,god1 the ,sovereign of ,nature2 but    
when we come to examine this ,monarch of
 the world1 we perceive that each       
organization1 each sect1 each religious 
party1 makes of this powerful ,god but  
an inferior sovereign1 whose cares and  
kindness extend themselves but over a   
small number of ,his subjects who       
pretend to have the exclusive advantage 
of ,his favors1 and that ,he does not   
trouble ,himself about the others4  ,the
 founders of religions1 and the priests 
who maintain them1 have intended to     
separate the nations which they         
indoctrinated1 from other nations2 they 
desired to separate their own flock by  
distinctive features2 they gave to their
 votaries ,gods inimical to other ,gods 
as well as the forms of worship1 dogmas1
 ceremonies1 separately2 they persuaded 
them especially that the religions of   
others were ungodly and abominable4 ,by 
this infamous contrivance1 these        
ambitious impostors took exclusive      

possession of the minds of their        
votaries1 rendered them unsocial1 and   
made them consider as outcasts all those
 who had not the same ideas and form of 
worship as their own4 ,this is the way  
religion succeeded in closing the heart1
 and in banishing from it that affection
 which man ought to have for his        
fellow-being4 ,sociability1 tolerance1  
humanity1 these first virtues of all    
morality are totally in compatible with 
religious prejudices4                   
,,clvii4--,,abuse ,,of ,a ,,state       
,,religion4  ,every national religion   
has a tendency to make man vain1        
unsocial1 and wicked2 the first step    
toward humanity is to permit each one to
 follow peacefully the worship and the  
opinions which suit him4 ,but such a    
conduct can not please the ministers of 
religion1 who wish to have the right to 
tyrannize over even the thoughts of men4
 ,blind and bigoted princes1 you hate1  
you persecute1 you devote heretics to   
torture1 because you are persuaded that 

these unfortunate ones displease ,god4  
,but do you not claim that your ,god is 
full of kindness8 ,how can you hope to  
please ,him by such barbarous actions   
which ,he can not help disapproving of8 
,besides1 who told you that their       
opinions displease your ,god8 ,your     
priests told you6 ,but who guarantees   
that your priests are not deceived      
themselves or that they do not wish to  
deceive you8 ,it is these same priests6 
,princes6 it is upon the perilous word  
of your priests that you commit the most
 atrocious and the most unheard-of      
crimes1 with the idea of pleasing the   
,deity6     ,,clviii4--,,religion       
,,gives ,,license ,,to ,,the ,,ferocity 
,,of ,,the ,,people ,,by                
,,legitimizing ,,it1 ,,and ,,authorizes 
,,crime ,,by ,,teaching ,,that ,,it     
,,can ,,be ,,useful ,,to ,,the ,,designs
 ,,of ,,god4  ,never1 says ,pascal1 do  
we do evil so thoroughly and so         
willingly as when we do it through a    
false principle of conscience4 ,nothing 

is more dangerous than a religion which 
licenses the ferocity of the people1 and
 justifies in their eyes the blackest   
crimes2 it puts no limits to their      
wickedness as soon as they believe it   
authorized by their ,god1 whose         
interests1 as they are told1 can justify
 all their actions4 ,if there is a      
question of religion1 immediately the   
most civilized nations become true      
savages1 and believe everything is      
permitted to them4 ,the more cruel they 
are1 the more agreeable they suppose    
themselves to be to their ,god1 whose   
cause they imagine can not be sustained 
by too much zeal4 ,all religions of the 
world have authorized countless crimes4 
,the ,jews1 excited by the promises of  
their ,god1 arrogated to themselves the 
right of exterminating whole nations2   
the ,romans1 whose faith was founded    
upon the oracles of their ,gods1 became 
real brigands1 and conquered and ravaged
 the world2 the ,arabians1 encouraged by
 their ,divine preceptor1 carried the   

sword and the flame among ,christians   
and idolaters4 ,the ,christians1 under  
pretext of spreading their holy         
religion1 covered the two hemispheres a 
hundred times with blood4 ,in all events
 favorable to their own interests1 which
 they always call the cause of ,god1 the
 priests show us the finger of ,god4    
,according to these principles1         
religious bigots have the luck of seeing
 the finger of ,god in revolts1 in      
revolutions1 massacres1 regicides1      
prostitutions1 infamies1 and1 if these  
things contribute to the advantage of   
religion1 we can say1 then1 that ,god   
uses all sorts of means to secure ,his  
ends4 ,is there anything better         
calculated to annihilate every idea of  
morality in the minds of men1 than to   
make them understand that their ,god1   
who is so powerful and so perfect1 is   
often compelled to use crime to         
accomplish ,his designs8                
,,clix4--,,refutation ,,of ,,the        
,,argument1 ,,that ,,the ,,evils        

,,attributed ,,to ,,religion ,,are ,,but
 ,,the ,,sad ,,effects ,,of ,,the       
,,passions ,,of ,,men4  ,when we        
complain about the violence and evils   
which generally religion causes upon    
earth1 we are answered at once1 that    
these excesses are not due to religion1 
but that they are the sad effect of     
men's passions4 ,i would ask1 however1  
what unchained these passions8 ,it is   
evidently religion2 it is a zeal which  
renders inhuman1 and which serves to    
cover the greatest infamy4 ,do not these
 disorders prove that religion1 instead 
of restraining the passions of men1 does
 but cover them with a cloak that       
sanctifies them2 and that nothing would 
be more beneficial than to tear away    
this sacred cloak of which men make such
 a bad use8 ,what horrors would be      
banished from society1 if the wicked    
were deprived of a pretext so plausible 
for disturbing it6  ,instead of         
cherishing peace among men1 the priests 
stirred up hatred and strife4 ,they     

pleaded their conscience1 and pretended 
to have received from ,heaven the right 
to be quarrelsome1 turbulent1 and       
rebellious4 ,do not the ministers of    
,god consider themselves to be wronged1 
do they not pretend that ,his ,divine   
,majesty is injured every time that the 
sovereigns have the temerity to try to  
prevent them from doing injury8 ,the    
priests resemble that irritable woman1  
who cried out fire6 murder6 assassins6  
while her husband was holding her hands 
to prevent her from beating him4        
,,clx4--,,all ,,morality ,,is           
,,incompatible ,,with ,,religious       
,,opinions4  ,notwithstanding the bloody
 tragedies which religion has so often  
caused in this world1 we are constantly 
told that there can be no morality      
without religion4 ,if we judge          
theological opinions by their effects1  
we would be right in assuming that all  
morality is perfectly incompatible with 
the religious opinions of men4 ,imitate 
,god1 is constantly repeated to us4 ,ah6

 what morals would we have if we should 
imitate this ,god6 ,which ,god should we
 imitate8 ,is it the deist's ,god8 ,but 
even this ,god can not be a model of    
goodness for us4 ,if ,he is the author  
of all1 ,he is equally the author of the
 good and of the bad we see in this     
world2 if ,he is the author of order1   
,he is also the author of disorder1     
which would not exist without ,his      
permission2 if ,he produces1 ,he        
destroys2 if ,he gives life1 ,he also   
causes death2 if ,he grants abundance1  
riches1 prosperity1 and peace1 ,he      
permits or sends famines1 poverty1      
calamities1 and wars4 ,how can you      
accept as a model of permanent          
beneficence the ,god of theism or of    
natural religion1 whose favorable       
intentions are at every moment          
contradicted by everything that         
transpires in the world8 ,morality needs
 a firmer basis than the example of a   
,god whose conduct varies1 and whom we  
can not call good but by obstinately    

closing the eyes to the evil which ,he  
causes1 or permits to be done in this   
world4  ,shall we imitate the good and  
great ,jupiter of ancient ,paganism8 ,to
 imitate such a ,god would be to take as
 a model a rebellious son1 who wrests   
his father's throne from him and then   
mutilates his body2 it is imitating a   
debauchee and adulterer1 an incestuous1 
intemperate man1 whose conduct would    
cause any reasonable mortal to blush4   
,what would have become of men under the
 control of ,paganism if they had       
imagined1 according to ,plato1 that     
virtue consisted in imitating the gods8 
,must we imitate the ,god of the ,jews8 
,will we find a model for our conduct in
 ,jehovah8 ,he is truly a savage ,god1  
really created for an ignorant1 cruel1  
and immoral people2 ,he is a ,god who is
 constantly enraged1 breathing only     
vengeance2 who is without pity1 who     
commands carnage and robbery2 in a word1
 ,he is a ,god whose conduct can not    
serve as a model to an honest man1 and  

who can be imitated but by a chief of   
brigands4  ,shall we imitate1 then1 the 
,jesus of the ,christians8 ,can this    
,god1 who died to appease the implacable
 fury of ,his ,father1 serve as an      
example which men ought to follow8      
,alas6 we will see in ,him but a ,god1  
or rather a fanatic1 a misanthrope1 who 
being plunged ,himself into misery1 and 
preaching to the wretched1 advises them 
to be poor1 to combat and extinguish    
nature1 to hate pleasure1 to seek       
sufferings1 and to despise themselves2  
,he tells them to leave father1 mother1 
all the ties of life1 in order to follow
 ,him4 ,what beautiful morality6 you    
will say4 ,it is admirable1 no doubt2 it
 must be ,divine1 because it is         
impracticable for men4 ,but does not    
this sublime morality tend to render    
virtue despicable8 ,according to this   
boasted morality of the man-,god of the 
,christians1 ,his disciples in this     
lower world are1 like ,tantalus1        
tormented with burning thirst1 which    

they are not permitted to quench4 ,do   
not such morals give us a wonderful idea
 of nature's ,author8 ,if ,he has1 as we
 are assured1 created everything for the
 use of ,his creatures1 by what strange 
caprice does ,he forbid the use of the  
good things which ,he has created for   
them8 ,is the pleasure which man        
constantly desires but a snare that ,god
 has maliciously laid in his path to    
entrap him8     ,,clxi4--,,the ,,morals 
,,of ,,the ,,gospel ,,are               
,,impracticable4  ,the votaries of      
,christ would like to make us regard as 
a miracle the establishment of their    
religion1 which is in every respect     
contrary to nature1 opposed to all the  
inclinations of the heart1 an enemy to  
physical pleasures4 ,but the austerity  
of a doctrine has a tendency to render  
it more wonderful to the ignorant4 ,the 
same reason which makes us respect1 as  
,divine and supernatural1 inconceivable 
mysteries1 causes us to admire1 as      
,divine and supernatural1 a morality    

impracticable and beyond the power of   
man4 ,to admire morals and to practice  
them1 are two very different things4    
,all the ,christians continually admire 
the morals of the ,gospel1 but it is    
practiced but by a small number of      
saints2 admired by people who themselves
 avoid imitating their conduct1 under   
the pretext that they are lacking either
 the power or the grace4  ,the whole    
universe is infected more or less with a
 religious morality which is founded    
upon the opinion that to please the     
,deity it is necessary to render one's  
self unhappy upon earth4 ,we see in all 
parts of our globe penitents1 hermits1  
fakirs1 fanatics1 who seem to have      
studied profoundly the means of         
tormenting themselves for the glory of a
 ,being whose goodness they all agree in
 celebrating4 ,religion1 by its essence1
 is the enemy of joy and of the welfare 
of men4 ,blessed are those who suffer6  
,woe to those who have abundance and    
joy6 ,these are the rare revelations    

which ,christianity teaches6            
,,clxii4--,a ,,society ,,of ,,saints    
,,would ,,be ,,impossible4  ,in what    
consists the saint of all religions8 ,it
 is a man who prays1 fasts1 who torments
 himself1 who avoids the world1 who1    
like an owl1 is pleased but in solitude1
 who abstains from all pleasure1 who    
seems frightened at every object which  
turns him a moment from his fanatical   
meditations4 ,is this virtue8 ,is a     
being of this stamp of any use to       
himself or to others8 ,would not society
 be dissolved1 and would not men        
retrograde into barbarism1 if each one  
should be fool enough to wish to be a   
saint8  ,it is evident that the literal 
and rigorous practice of the ,divine    
morality of the ,christians would lead  
nations to ruin4 ,a ,christian who would
 attain perfection1 ought to drive away 
from his mind all that can alienate him 
from heaven--his true country4 ,he sees 
upon earth but temptations1 snares1 and 
opportunities to go astray2 he must fear

 science as injurious to faith2 he must 
avoid industry1 as it is a means of     
obtaining riches1 which are fatal to    
salvation2 he must renounce preferments 
and honors1 as things capable of        
exciting his pride and calling his      
attention away from his soul2 in a word1
 the sublime morality of ,christ1 if it 
were not impracticable1 would sever all 
the ties of society4  ,a saint in the   
world is no more useful than a saint in 
the desert2 the saint has an unhappy1   
discontented1 and often irritable1      
turbulent disposition2 his zeal often   
obliges him1 conscientiously1 to disturb
 society by opinions or dreams which his
 vanity makes him accept as inspirations
 from ,heaven4 ,the annals of all       
religions are filled with accounts of   
anxious1 intractable1 seditious saints1 
who have distinguished themselves by    
ravages that1 for the greater glory of  
,god1 they have scattered throughout the
 universe4 ,if the saints who live in   
solitude are useless1 those who live in 

the world are very often dangerous4 ,the
 vanity of performing a role1 the desire
 of distinguishing themselves in the    
eyes of the stupid vulgar by a strange  
conduct1 constitute usually the         
distinctive characteristics of great    
saints2 pride persuades them that they  
are extraordinary men1 far above human  
nature2 beings who are more perfect than
 others2 chosen ones1 which ,god looks  
upon with more complaisance than the    
rest of mortals4 ,humility in a saint   
is1 is a general rule1 but a pride more 
refined than that of common men4 ,it    
must be a very ridiculous vanity which  
can determine a man to continually war  
with his own nature6                    
,,clxiii4--,,human ,,nature ,,is ,,not  
,,depraved2 ,,and ,a ,,morality ,,which 
,,contradicts ,,this ,,fact ,,is ,,not  
,,made ,,for ,,man4  ,a morality which  
contradicts the nature of man is not    
made for him4 ,but you will say that    
man's nature is depraved4 ,in what      
consists this pretended depravity8 ,is  

it because he has passions8 ,but are not
 passions the very essence of man8 ,must
 he not seek1 desire1 love that which   
is1 or that which he believes to be1    
essential to his happiness8 ,must he not
 fear and avoid that which he judges    
injurious or fatal to him8 ,excite his  
passions by useful objects2 let him     
attach himself to these same objects1   
divert him by sensible and known motives
 from that which can do him or others   
harm1 and you will make of him a        
reasonable and virtuous being4 ,a man   
without passions would be equally       
indifferent to vice and to virtue4      
,holy doctors6 you constantly tell us   
that man's nature is perverted2 you tell
 us that the way of all flesh is        
corrupt2 you tell us that nature gives  
us but inordinate inclinations4 ,in this
 case you accuse your ,god1 who has not 
been able or willing to keep this nature
 in its original perfection4 ,if this   
nature became corrupted1 why did not    
this ,god repair it8 ,the ,christian    

assures me that human nature is         
repaired1 that the death of his ,god has
 reestablished it in its integrity4 ,how
 comes it then1 that human nature1      
notwithstanding the death of a ,god1 is 
still depraved8 ,is it1 then1 a pure    
loss that your ,god died8 ,what becomes 
of ,his omnipotence and ,his victory    
over the ,devil1 if it is true that the 
,devil still holds the empire which1    
according to you1 he has always         
exercised in the world8  ,death1        
according to ,christian theology1 is the
 penalty of sin4 ,this opinion agrees   
with that of some savage ,negro nations1
 who imagine that the death of a man is 
always the supernatural effect of the   
wrath of the ,gods4 ,the ,christians    
firmly believe that ,christ has         
delivered them from sin1 while they see 
that1 in their religion as in the       
others1 man is subject to death4 ,to say
 that ,jesus ,christ has delivered us   
from sin1 is it not claiming that a     
judge has granted pardon to a guilty    

man1 while we see him sent to torture8  
,,clxiv4--,,of ,,jesus ,,christ1 ,,the  
,,priest',s ,,god4  ,if1 closing our    
eyes upon all that transpires in this   
world1 we should rely upon the votaries 
of the ,christian religion1 we would    
believe that the coming of our ,divine  
,saviour has produced the most wonderful
 revolution and the most complete reform
 in the morals of nations4 ,the         
,messiah1 according to ,pascal1 ,see    
,thoughts of ,pascal ought of ,himself  
alone to produce a great1 select1 and   
holy people2 conducting and nourishing  
it1 and introducing it into the place of
 repose and sanctity1 rendering it holy 
to ,god1 making it the temple of ,god1  
saving it from the wrath of ,god1       
delivering it from the servitude of sin1
 giving laws to this people1 engraving  
these laws upon their hearts1 offering  
,himself to ,god for them1 crushing the 
head of the serpent1 etc4 ,this great   
man has forgotten to show us the people 
upon whom ,his ,divine ,messiah has     

produced the miraculous effects of which
 ,he speaks with so much emphasis2 so   
far1 it seems1 they do not exist upon   
the earth6  ,if we examine ever so      
little the morals of the ,christian     
nations1 and listen to the clamors of   
their priests1 we will be obliged to    
conclude that their ,god1 ,jesus        
,christ1 preached without fruit1 without
 success2 that ,his ,almighty will still
 finds in men a resistance1 over which  
this ,god either can not or does not    
wish to triumph4 ,the morality of this  
,divine ,doctor which ,his disciples    
admire so much1 and practice so little1 
is followed during a whole century but  
by half a dozen of obscure saints1      
fanatical and ignorant monks1 who alone 
will have the glory of shining in the   
celestial court2 all the remainder of   
mortals1 although redeemed by the blood 
of this ,god1 will be the prey of       
eternal flames4     ,,clxv4--,,the      
,,dogma ,,of ,,the ,,remission ,,of     
,,sins ,,has ,,been ,,invented ,,in     

,,the ,,interest ,,of ,,the ,,priests4  
,when a man has a great desire to sin1  
he thinks very little about his ,god2   
more than this1 whatever crimes he may  
have committed1 he always flatters      
himself that this ,god will mitigate the
 severity of his punishments4 ,no mortal
 seriously believes that his conduct can
 damn him4 ,although he fears a terrible
 ,god1 who often makes him tremble1     
every time he is strongly tempted he    
succumbs and sees but a ,god of mercy1  
the idea of whom quiets him4 ,does he do
 evil8 ,he hopes to have the time to    
correct himself1 and promises earnestly 
to repent some day4  ,there are in the  
religious pharmacy infallible receipts  
for calming the conscience2 the priests 
in every country possess sovereign      
secrets for disarming the wrath of      
,heaven4 ,however true it may be that   
the anger of ,deity is appeased by      
prayers1 by offerings1 by sacrifices1 by
 penitential tears1 we have no right to 
say that religion holds in check the    

irregularities of men2 they will first  
sin1 and afterward seek the means to    
reconcile ,god4 ,every religion which   
expiates1 and which promises the        
remission of crimes1 if it restrains    
any1 it encourages the great number to  
commit evil4 ,notwithstanding ,his      
immutability1 ,god is1 in all the       
religions of this world1 a veritable    
,proteus4 ,his priests show ,him now    
armed with severity1 and then full of   
clemency and gentleness2 now cruel and  
pitiless1 and then easily reconciled by 
the repentance and the tears of the     
sinners4 ,consequently1 men face the    
,deity in the manner which conforms the 
most to their present interests4 ,an    
always wrathful ,god would repel ,his   
worshipers1 or cast them into despair4  
,men need a ,god who becomes angry and  
who can be appeased2 if ,his anger      
alarms a few timid souls1 ,his clemency 
reassures the determined wicked ones who
 intend to have recourse sooner or later
 to the means of reconciling themselves 

with ,him2 if the judgments of ,god     
frighten a few faint-hearted devotees   
who already by temperament and by       
habitude are not inclined to evil1 the  
treasures of ,divine mercy reassure the 
greatest criminals1 who have reason to  
hope that they will participate in them 
with the others4     ,,clxvi4--,,the    
,,fear ,,of ,,god ,,is ,,powerless      
,,against ,,human ,,passions4  ,the     
majority of men rarely think of ,god1   
or1 at least1 do not occupy themselves  
much with ,him4 ,the idea of ,god has so
 little stability1 it is so afflicting1 
that it can not hold the imagination for
 a long time1 except in some sad and    
melancholy visionists who do not        
constitute the majority of the          
inhabitants of this world4 ,the common  
man has no conception of it2 his weak   
brain becomes perplexed the moment he   
attempts to think of ,him4 ,the business
 man thinks of nothing but his affairs2 
the courtier of his intrigues2 worldly  
men1 women1 youth1 of their pleasures2  

dissipation soon dispels the wearisome  
notions of religion4 ,the ambitious1 the
 avaricious1 and the debauchee          
sedulously lay aside speculations too   
feeble to counterbalance their diverse  
passions4  ,whom does the idea of ,god  
overawe8 ,a few weak men disappointed   
and disgusted with this world2 some     
persons whose passions are already      
extinguished by age1 by infirmities1 or 
by reverses of fortune4 ,religion is a  
restraint but for those whose           
temperament or circumstances have       
already subjected them to reason4 ,the  
fear of ,god does not prevent any from  
committing sin but those who do not wish
 to sin very much1 or who are no longer 
in a condition to sin4 ,to tell men that
 ,divinity punishes crime in this world1
 is to claim as a fact that which       
experience contradicts constantly ,the  
most wicked men are usually the arbiters
 of the world1 and those whom fortune   
blesses with its favors4 ,to convince us
 of the judgments of ,god by sending us 

to the other life1 is to make us accept 
conjectures in order to destroy facts   
which we can not dispute4               
,,clxvii4--,,the ,,invention ,,of ,,hell
 ,,is ,,too ,,absurd ,,to ,,prevent     
,,evil4  ,no one dreams about another   
life when he is very much absorbed in   
objects which he meets on earth4 ,in the
 eyes of a passionate lover1 the        
presence of his mistress extinguishes   
the fires of hell1 and her charms blot  
out all the pleasures of ,paradise4     
,woman6 you leave1 you say1 your lover  
for your ,god8 ,it is that your lover is
 no longer the same in your estimation2 
or your lover leaves you1 and you must  
fill the void which is made in your     
heart4 ,nothing is more common than to  
see ambitious1 perverse1 corrupt1 and   
immoral men who are religious1 and who  
sometimes exhibit even zeal in its      
behalf2 if they do not practice         
religion1 they promise themselves they  
will practice it some day2 they keep it 
in reserve as a remedy which1 sooner or 

later1 will be necessary to quiet the   
conscience for the evil which they      
intend yet to do4 ,besides1 devotees and
 priests being a very numerous1 active1 
and powerful party1 it is not           
astonishing to see impostors and thieves
 seek for its support in order to gain  
their ends4 ,we will be told1 no doubt1 
that many honest people are sincerely   
religious without profit2 but is        
uprightness of heart always accompanied 
with intelligence8 ,we are cited to a   
great number of learned men1 men of     
genius1 who are very religious4 ,this   
proves that men of genius can have      
prejudices1 can be pusillanimous1 can   
have an imagination which seduces them  
and prevents them from examining objects
 coolly4 ,pascal proves nothing in favor
 of religion1 except that a man of      
genius can possess a grain of weakness1 
and is but a child when he is weak      
enough to listen to prejudices4 ,pascal 
himself tells us that the mind can be   
strong and narrow1 and just as extended 

as it is weak4 ,he says more3 ,we can   
have our senses all right1 and not be   
equally able in all things2 because     
there are men who1 being right in a     
certain sphere of things1 lose          
themselves in others4                   
,,clxviii4--,,absurdity ,,of ,,the      
,,morality ,,and ,,of ,,the ,,religious 
,,virtues ,,established ,,solely ,,in   
,,the ,,interest ,,of ,,the ,,priests4  
,what is virtue according to theology8  
,it is1 we are told1 the conformity of  
men's actions with the will of ,god4    
,but who is ,god8 ,he is a being whom no
 one is able to conceive of1 and whom1  
consequently1 each one modifies in his  
own way4 ,what is the will of ,god8 ,it 
is what men who have seen ,god1 or whom 
,god has inspired1 have told us4 ,who   
are those who have seen ,god8 ,they are 
either fanatics1 or scoundrels1 or      
ambitious men1 whose word we can not    
rely upon4 ,to found morality upon a    
,god that each man represents           
differently1 that each one composes by  

his own idea1 whom everybody arranges   
according to his own temperament and his
 own interest1 is evidently founding    
morality upon the caprice and upon the  
imagination of men2 it is basing it upon
 the whims of a sect1 faction1 or party1
 who1 excluding all others1 claim to    
have the advantage of worshiping the    
true ,god4  ,to establish morality1 or  
the duties of man1 upon the ,divine     
will1 is founding it upon the wishes1   
the reveries1 or the interests of those 
who make ,god talk without fear of      
contradiction4 ,in every religion the   
priests alone have the right to decide  
upon what pleases or displeases their   
,god2 we may rest assured that they will
 decide upon what pleases or displeases 
themselves4  ,the dogmas1 ceremonies1   
the morality and the virtues which all  
religions of the world prescribe1 are   
visibly calculated only to extend the   
power or to increase the emoluments of  
the founders and of the ministers of    
these religions2 the dogmas are obscure1

 inconceivable1 frightful1 and1 thereby1
 very liable to cause the imagination to
 wander1 and to render the common man   
more docile to those who wish to        
domineer over him2 the ceremonies and   
practices procure fortune or            
consideration to the priests2 the       
religious morals and virtues consist in 
a submissive faith1 which prevents      
reasoning2 in a devout humility1 which  
assures to the priests the submission of
 their slaves2 in an ardent zeal1 when  
the question of religion is agitated2   
that is to say1 when the interest of    
these priests is considered1 all        
religious virtues having evidently for  
their object the advantage of the       
priests4     ,,clxix4--,,what ,,does    
,,that ,,christian ,,charity ,,amount   
,,to1 ,,such ,,as ,,theologians ,,teach 
,,and ,,practice8  ,when we reproach the
 theologians with the sterility of their
 religious virtues1 they praise1 with   
emphasis1 charity1 that tender love of  
our neighbor which ,christianity makes  

an essential duty for its disciples4    
,but1 alas6 what becomes of this        
pretended charity as soon as we examine 
the actions of the ,lord's ministers8   
,ask if you must love your neighbor if  
he is impious1 heretical1 and           
incredulous1 that is to say1 if he does 
not think as they do8 ,ask them if you  
must tolerate opinions contrary to those
 which they profess8 ,ask them if the   
,lord can show indulgence to those who  
are in error8 ,immediately their charity
 disappears1 and the dominating clergy  
will tell you that the prince carries   
the sword but to sustain the interests  
of the ,most ,high2 they will tell you  
that for love of the neighbor1 you must 
persecute1 imprison1 exile1 or burn him4
 ,you will find tolerance among a few   
priests who are persecuted themselves1  
but who put aside ,christian charity as 
soon as they have the power to persecute
 in their turn4  ,the ,christian        
religion which was originally preached  
by beggars and by very wretched men1    

strongly recommends alms-giving under   
the name of charity2 the faith of       
,mohammed equally makes it an           
indispensable duty4 ,nothing1 no doubt1 
is better suited to humanity than to    
assist the unfortunate1 to clothe the   
naked1 to lend a charitable hand to     
whoever needs it4 ,but would it not be  
more humane and more charitable to      
foresee the misery and to prevent the   
poor from increasing8 ,if religion1     
instead of deifying princes1 had but    
taught them to respect the property of  
their subjects1 to be just1 and to      
exercise but their legitimate rights1 we
 should not see such a great number of  
mendicants in their realms4 ,a greedy1  
unjust1 tyrannical government multiplies
 misery2 the rigor of taxes produces    
discouragement1 idleness1 indigence1    
which1 on their part1 produce robbery1  
murders1 and all kinds of crime4 ,if the
 sovereigns had more humanity1 charity1 
and justice1 their ,states would not be 
peopled by so many unfortunate ones     

whose misery becomes impossible to      
soothe4  ,the ,christian and ,mohammedan
 ,states are filled with vast and richly
 endowed hospitals1 in which we admire  
the pious charity of the kings and of   
the sultans who erected them4 ,would it 
not have been more humane to govern the 
people well1 to procure them ease1 to   
excite and to favor industry and trade1 
to permit them to enjoy in safety the   
fruits of their labors1 than to oppress 
them under a despotic yoke1 to          
impoverish them by senseless wars1 to   
reduce them to mendicity in order to    
gratify an immoderate luxury1 and       
afterward build sumptuous monuments     
which can contain but a very small      
portion of those whom they have rendered
 miserable8 ,religion1 by its virtues1  
has but given a change to men2 instead  
of foreseeing evils1 it applies but     
insufficient remedies4 ,the ministers of
 ,heaven have always known how to       
benefit themselves by the calamities of 
others2 public misery became their      

element2 they made themselves the       
administrators of the goods of the poor1
 the distributors of alms1 the          
depositaries of charities2 thereby they 
extended and sustained at all times     
their power over the unfortunates who   
usually compose the most numerous1 the  
most anxious1 the most seditious part of
 society4 ,thus the greatest evils are  
made profitable to the ministers of the 
,lord4  ,the ,christian priests tell us 
that the goods which they possess are   
the goods of the poor1 and pretend by   
this title that their possessions are   
sacred2 consequently1 the sovereigns and
 the people press themselves to         
accumulate lands1 revenues1 treasures   
for them2 under pretext of charity1 our 
spiritual guides have become very       
opulent1 and enjoy1 in the sight of the 
impoverished nations1 goods which were  
destined but for the miserable2 the     
latter1 far from murmuring about it1    
applaud a deceitful generosity which    
enriches the ,church1 but which very    

rarely alleviates the sufferings of the 
poor4  ,according to the principles of  
,christianity1 poverty itself is a      
virtue1 and it is this virtue which the 
sovereigns and the priests make their   
slaves observe the most4 ,according to  
these ideas1 a great number of pious    
,christians have renounced with         
good-will the perishable riches of the  
earth2 have distributed their patrimony 
to the poor1 and have retired into a    
desert to live a life of voluntary      
indigence4 ,but very soon this          
enthusiasm1 this supernatural taste for 
misery1 must surrender to nature4 ,the  
successors to these voluntary poor1 sold
 to the religious people their prayers  
and their powerful intercession with the
 ,deity2 they became rich and powerful2 
thus1 monks and hermits lived in        
idleness1 and1 under the pretext of     
charity1 devoured insultingly the       
substance of the poor4 ,poverty of      
spirit was that of which religion made  
always the greatest use4 ,the           

fundamental virtue of all religion1 that
 is to say1 the most useful one to its  
ministers1 is faith4 ,it consists in an 
unlimited credulity1 which causes men to
 believe1 without examination1 all that 
which the interpreters of the ,deity    
wish them to believe4 ,with the aid of  
this wonderful virtue1 the priests      
became the arbiters of justice and of   
injustice2 of good and of evil2 they    
found it easy to commit crimes when     
crimes became necessary to their        
interests4 ,implicit faith has been the 
source of the greatest outrages which   
have been committed upon the earth4     
,,clxx4--,,confession1 ,,that ,,golden  
,,mine ,,for ,,the ,,priests1 ,,has     
,,destroyed ,,the ,,true ,,principles   
,,of ,,morality4  ,he who first         
proclaimed to the nations that1 when man
 had wronged man1 he must ask ,god's    
pardon1 appease ,his wrath by presents1 
and offer ,him sacrifices1 obviously    
subverted the true principles of        
morality4 ,according to these ideas1 men

 imagine that they can obtain from the  
,king of ,heaven1 as well as from the   
kings of the earth1 permission to be    
unjust and wicked1 or at least pardon   
for the evil which they might commit4   
,morality is founded upon the relations1
 the needs1 and the constant interests  
of the inhabitants of the earth2 the    
relations which subsist between men and 
,god are either entirely unknown or     
imaginary4 ,the religion associating    
,god with men has visibly weakened or   
destroyed the ties which unite men4     
,mortals imagine that they can1 with    
impunity1 injure each other by making a 
suitable reparation to the ,almighty    
,being1 who is supposed to have the     
right to remit all the injuries done to 
,his creatures4 ,is there anything more 
liable to encourage wickedness and to   
embolden to crime1 than to persuade men 
that there exists an invisible being who
 has the right to pardon injustice1     
rapine1 perfidy1 and all the outrages   
they can inflict upon society8          

,encouraged by these fatal ideas1 we see
 the most perverse men abandon          
themselves to the greatest crimes1 and  
expect to repair them by imploring      
,divine mercy2 their conscience rests in
 peace when a priest assures them that  
,heaven is quieted by sincere           
repentance1 which is very useless to the
 world2 this priest consoles them in the
 name of ,deity1 if they consent in     
reparation of their faults to divide    
with ,his ministers the fruits of their 
plunderings1 of their frauds1 and of    
their wickedness4 ,morality united to   
religion1 becomes necessarily           
subordinate to it4 ,in the mind of a    
religious person1 ,god must be preferred
 to ,his creatures2 ,it is better to    
obey ,him than men6 ,the interests of   
the ,celestial ,monarch must be above   
those of weak mortals4 ,but the         
interests of ,heaven are evidently the  
interests of the ministers of ,heaven2  
from which it follows evidently1 that in
 all religions1 the priests1 under      

pretext of ,heaven's interest's1 or of  
,god's glory1 will be able to dispense  
with the duties of human morals when    
they do not agree with the duties which 
,god is entitled to impose4  ,besides1  
,he who has the power to pardon crimes1 
has ,he not the right to order them     
committed8     ,,clxxi4--,,the          
,,supposition ,,of ,,the ,,existence    
,,of ,a ,,god ,,is ,,not ,,necessary    
,,to ,,morality4  ,we are constantly    
told that without a ,god1 there can be  
no moral obligation2 that it is         
necessary for men and for the sovereigns
 themselves to have a lawgiver          
sufficiently powerful to compel them to 
be moral2 moral obligation implies a    
law2 but this law arises from the       
eternal and necessary relations of      
things among themselves1 which have     
nothing in common with the existence of 
a ,god4 ,the rules which govern men's   
conduct spring from their own nature1   
which they are supposed to know1 and not
 from the ,divine nature1 of which they 

have no conception2 these rules compel  
us to render ourselves estimable or     
contemptible1 amiable or hateful1 worthy
 of reward or of punishments1 happy or  
unhappy1 according to the extent to     
which we observe them4 ,the law that    
compels man not to harm himself1 is     
inherent in the nature of a sensible    
being1 who1 no matter how he came into  
this world1 or what can be his fate in  
another1 is compelled by his very nature
 to seek his welfare and to shun evil1  
to love pleasure and to fear pain4 ,the 
law which compels a man not to harm     
others and to do good1 is inherent in   
the nature of sensible beings living in 
society1 who1 by their nature1 are      
compelled to despise those who do them  
no good1 and to detest those who oppose 
their happiness4 ,whether there exists a
 ,god or not1 whether this ,god has     
spoken or not1 men's moral duties will  
always be the same so long as they      
possess their own nature2 that is to    
say1 so long as they are sensible       

beings4 ,do men need a ,god whom they do
 not know1 or an invisible lawgiver1 or 
a mysterious religion1 or chimerical    
fears in order to comprehend that all   
excess tends ultimately to destroy them1
 and that in order to preserve          
themselves they must abstain from it2   
that in order to be loved by others1    
they must do good2 that doing evil is a 
sure means of incurring their hatred and
 vengeance8 ,before the law there was no
 sin4 ,nothing is more false than this  
maxim4 ,it is enough for a man to be    
what he is1 to be a sensible being in   
order to distinguish that which pleases 
or displeases him4 ,it is enough that a 
man knows that another man is a sensible
 being like himself1 in order for him to
 know what is useful or injurious to    
him4 ,it is enough that man needs his   
fellow-creature1 in order that he should
 fear that he might produce unfavorable 
impressions upon him4 ,thus a sentient  
and thinking being needs but to feel and
 to think1 in order to discover that    

which is due to him and to others4 ,i   
feel1 and another feels1 like myself2   
this is the foundation of all morality4 
,,clxxii4--,,religion ,,and ,,its       
,,supernatural ,,morality ,,are ,,fatal 
,,to ,,the ,,people1 ,,and ,,opposed    
,,to ,,man',s ,,nature4  ,we can judge  
of the merit of a system of morals but  
by its conformity with man's nature4    
,according to this comparison1 we have a
 right to reject it1 if we find it      
detrimental to the welfare of mankind4  
,whoever has seriously meditated upon   
religion and its supernatural morality1 
whoever has weighed its advantages and  
disadvantages1 will become convinced    
that they are both injurious to the     
interests of the human race1 or directly
 opposed to man's nature4  ,people1 to  
arms6 ,your ,god's cause is at stake6   
,heaven is outraged6 ,faith is in       
danger6 ,down upon infidelity1          
blasphemy1 and heresy6  ,by the magical 
power of these valiant words1 which the 
people never understand1 the priests in 

all ages were the leaders in the revolts
 of nations1 in dethroning kings1 in    
kindling civil wars1 and in imprisoning 
men4 ,when we chance to examine the     
important objects which have excited the
 ,celestial wrath and produced so many  
ravages upon the earth1 it is found that
 the foolish reveries and the strange   
conjectures of some theologian who did  
not understand himself1 or1 the         
pretensions of the clergy1 have severed 
all ties of society and inundated the   
human race in its own blood and tears4  
,,clxxiii4--,,how ,,the ,,union ,,of    
,,religion ,,and ,,politics ,,is ,,fatal
 ,,to ,,the ,,people ,,and ,,to ,,the   
,,kings4  ,the sovereigns of this world 
in associating the ,deity in the        
government of their realms1 in          
pretending to be ,his lieutenants and   
,his representatives upon earth1 in     
admitting that they hold their power    
from ,him1 must necessarily accept ,his 
ministers as rivals or as masters4 ,is  
it1 then1 astonishing that the priests  

have often made the kings feel the      
superiority of the ,celestial ,monarch8 
,have they not more than once made the  
temporal princes understand that the    
greatest physical power is compelled to 
surrender to the spiritual power of     
opinion8 ,nothing is more difficult than
 to serve two masters1 especially when  
they do not agree upon what they demand 
of their subjects4 ,the union of        
religion with politics has necessarily  
caused a double legislation in the      
,states4 ,the law of ,god1 interpreted  
by ,his priests1 is often contrary to   
the law of the sovereign or to the      
interest of the ,state4 ,when the       
princes are firm1 and sure of the love  
of their subjects1 ,god's law is        
sometimes obliged to comply with the    
wise intentions of the temporal         
sovereign2 but more often the sovereign 
authority is obliged to retreat before  
the ,divine authority1 that is to say1  
before the interests of the clergy4     
,nothing is more dangerous for a prince1

 than to meddle with ecclesiastical     
affairs 7to put his hands into the      
holy-water pot71 that is to say1 to     
attempt the reform of abuses consecrated
 by religion4 ,god is never more angry  
than when the ,divine rights1 the       
privileges1 the possessions1 and the    
immunities of ,his priests are          
interfered with4  ,metaphysical         
speculations or the religious opinions  
of men1 never influence their conduct   
except when they believe them conformed 
to their interests4 ,nothing proves this
 truth more forcibly than the conduct of
 a great number of princes in regard to 
the spiritual power1 which we see them  
very often resist4 ,should not a        
sovereign who is persuaded of the       
importance and the rights of religion1  
conscientiously feel himself obliged to 
receive with respect the orders of his  
priests1 and consider them as           
commandments of the ,deity8 ,there was a
 time when the kings and the people1    
more conformable1 and convinced of the  

rights of the spiritual power1 became   
its slaves1 surrendered to it on all    
occasions1 and were but docile          
instruments in its hands2 this happy    
time is no more4 ,by a strange          
inconsistency1 we sometimes see the most
 religious monarchs oppose the          
enterprises of those whom they regard as
 ,god's ministers4 ,a sovereign who is  
filled with religion or respect for his 
,god1 ought to be constantly prostrate  
before his priests1 and regard them as  
his true sovereigns4 ,is there a power  
upon the earth which has the right to   
measure itself with that of the ,most   
,high8     ,,clxxiv4--,,creeds ,,are    
,,burdensome ,,and ,,ruinous ,,to ,,the 
,,majority ,,of ,,nations4  ,have the   
princes who believe themselves          
interested in propagating the prejudices
 of their subjects1 reflected well upon 
the effects which are produced by       
privileged demagogues1 who have the     
right to speak when they choose1 and    
excite in the name of ,heaven the       

passions of many millions of their      
subjects8 ,what ravages would not these 
holy haranguers cause should they       
conspire to disturb a ,state1 as they   
have so often done8  ,nothing is more   
onerous and more ruinous for the        
greatest part of the nations than the   
worship of their ,gods6 ,everywhere     
their ministers not only rank as the    
first order in the ,state1 but also     
enjoy the greater portion of society's  
benefits1 and have the right to levy    
continual taxes upon their              
fellow-citizens4 ,what real advantages  
do these organs of the ,most ,high      
procure for the people in exchange for  
the immense profits which they draw from
 them8 ,do they give them in exchange   
for their wealth and their courtesies   
anything but mysteries1 hypotheses1     
ceremonies1 subtle questions1           
interminable quarrels1 which very often 
their ,states must pay for with their   
blood8     ,,clxxv4--,,religion         
,,paralyzes ,,morality4  ,religion1     

which claims to be the firmest support  
of morality1 evidently deprives it of   
its true motor1 to substitute imaginary 
motors1 inconceivable chimeras1 which1  
being obviously contrary to common      
sense1 can not be firmly believed by any
 one4 ,everybody assures us that he     
believes firmly in a ,god who rewards   
and punishes2 everybody claims to be    
persuaded of the existence of a hell and
 of a ,paradise2 however1 do we see that
 these ideas render men better or       
counterbalance in the minds of the      
greatest number of them the slightest   
interest8 ,each one assures us that he  
is afraid of ,god's judgments1 although 
each one gives vent to his passions when
 he believes himself sure of escaping   
the judgments of men4 ,the fear of      
invisible powers is rarely as great as  
the fear of visible powers4 ,unknown or 
distant sufferings make less impression 
upon people than the erected gallows1 or
 the example of a hanged man4 ,there is 
scarcely any courtier who fears ,god's  

anger more than the displeasure of his  
master4 ,a pension1 a title1 a ribbon1  
are sufficient to make one forget the   
torments of hell and the pleasures of   
the celestial court4 ,a woman's caresses
 expose him every day to the displeasure
 of the ,most ,high4 ,a joke1 a banter1 
a bon-mot1 make more impression upon the
 man of the world than all the grave    
notions of his religion4 ,are we not    
assured that a true repentance is       
sufficient to appease ,divinity8        
,however1 we do not see that this true  
repentance is sincerely expressed2 at   
least1 we very rarely see great thieves1
 even in the hour of death1 restore the 
goods which they know they have unjustly
 acquired4 ,men persuade themselves1 no 
doubt1 that they will submit to the     
eternal fire1 if they can not guarantee 
themselves against it4 ,but as          
settlements can be made with ,heaven by 
giving the ,church a portion of their   
fortunes1 there are very few religious  
thieves who do not die perfectly quieted

 about the manner in which they gained  
their riches in this world4             
,,clxxvi4--,,fatal ,,consequences ,,of  
,,piety4  ,even by the confession of the
 most ardent defenders of religion and  
of its usefulness1 nothing is more rare 
than sincere conversions2 to which we   
might add1 nothing is more useless to   
society4 ,men do not become disgusted   
with the world until the world is       
disgusted with them2 a woman gives      
herself to ,god only when the world no  
longer wants her4 ,her vanity finds in  
religious devotion a role which occupies
 her and consoles her for the ruin of   
her charms4 ,she passes her time in the 
most trifling practices1 parties1       
intrigues1 invectives1 and slander2 zeal
 furnishes her the means of             
distinguishing herself and becoming an  
object of consideration in the religious
 circle4 ,if the bigots have the talent 
to please ,god and ,his priests1 they   
rarely possess that of pleasing society 
or of rendering themselves useful to it4

 ,religion for a devotee is a veil which
 covers and justifies all his passions1 
his pride1 his bad humor1 his anger1 his
 vengeance1 his impatience1 his         
bitterness4 ,religion arrogates to      
itself a tyrannical superiority which   
banishes from commerce all gentleness1  
gaiety1 and joy2 it gives the right to  
censure others2 to capture and to       
exterminate the infidels for the glory  
of ,god2 it is very common to be        
religious and to have none of the       
virtues or the qualities necessary to   
social life4     ,,clxxvii4--,,the      
,,supposition ,,of ,,another ,,life ,,is
 ,,neither ,,consoling ,,to ,,man ,,nor 
,,necessary ,,to ,,morality4  ,we are   
assured that the dogma of another life  
is of the greatest importance to the    
peace of society2 it is imagined that   
without it men would have no motives for
 doing good4 ,why do we need terrors and
 fables to teach any reasonable man how 
he ought to conduct himself upon earth8 
,does not each one of us see that he has

 the greatest interest in deserving the 
approbation1 esteem1 and kindness of the
 beings which surround him1 and in      
avoiding all that can cause the censure1
 the contempt1 and the resentment of    
society8 ,no matter how short the       
duration of a festival1 of a            
conversation1 or of a visit may be1 does
 not each one of us wish to act a       
befitting part in it1 agreeable to      
himself and to others8 ,if life is but a
 passage1 let us try to make it easy2 it
 can not be so if we lack the regards of
 those who travel with us4  ,religion1  
which is so sadly occupied with its     
gloomy reveries1 represents man to us as
 but a pilgrim upon earth2 it concludes 
that in order to travel with more       
safety1 he should travel alone2 renounce
 the pleasures which he meets and       
deprive himself of the amusements which 
could console him for the fatigues and  
the weariness of the road4 ,a stoical   
and morose philosophy sometimes gives us
 counsels as senseless as religion2 but 

a more rational philosophy inspires us  
to strew flowers on life's pathway2 to  
dispel melancholy and panic terrors2 to 
link our interests with those of our    
traveling companions2 to divert         
ourselves by gaiety and honest pleasures
 from the pains and the crosses to which
 we are so often exposed4 ,we are made  
to feel1 that in order to travel        
pleasantly1 we should abstain from that 
which could become injurious to         
ourselves1 and to avoid with great care 
that which could make us odious to our  
associates4     ,,clxxviii4--,,an       
,,atheist ,,has ,,more ,,motives ,,for  
,,acting ,,uprightly1 ,,more            
,,conscience1 ,,than ,a ,,religious     
,,person4  ,it is asked what motives has
 an atheist for doing right4 ,he can    
have the motive of pleasing himself and 
his fellow-creatures2 of living happily 
and tranquilly2 of making himself loved 
and respected by men1 whose existence   
and whose dispositions are better known 
than those of a being impossible to     

understand4 ,can he who fears not the   
,gods1 fear anything8 ,he can fear men1 
their contempt1 their disrespect1 and   
the punishments which the laws inflict2 
finally1 he can fear himself2 he can be 
afraid of the remorse that all those    
experience whose conscience reproaches  
them for having deserved the hatred of  
their fellow-beings4 ,conscience is the 
inward testimony which we render to     
ourselves for having acted in such a    
manner as to deserve the esteem or the  
censure of those with whom we associate4
 ,this conscience is based upon the     
knowledge which we have of men1 and of  
the sentiments which our actions must   
awaken in them4 ,a religious person's   
conscience persuades him that he has    
pleased or displeased his ,god1 of whom 
he has no idea1 and whose obscure and   
doubtful intentions are explained to him
 only by suspicious men1 who know no    
more of the essence of ,divinity than he
 does1 and who do not agree upon what   
can please or displease ,god4 ,in a     

word1 the conscience of a credulous man 
is guided by men whose own conscience is
 in error1 or whose interest            
extinguishes intelligence4     ,can an  
atheist have conscience8 ,what are his  
motives for abstaining from secret vices
 and crimes of which other men are      
ignorant1 and which are beyond the reach
 of laws8 ,he can be assured by constant
 experience that there is no vice which1
 in the nature of things1 does not bring
 its own punishment4 ,if he wishes to   
preserve himself1 he will avoid all     
those excesses which can be injurious to
 his health2 he would not desire to live
 and linger1 thus becoming a burden to  
himself and others4 ,in regard to secret
 crimes1 he would avoid them through    
fear of being ashamed of himself1 from  
whom he can not hide4 ,if he has reason1
 he will know the price of the esteem   
that an honest man should have for      
himself4 ,he will know1 besides1 that   
unexpected circumstances can unveil to  
the eyes of others the conduct which he 

feels interested in concealing4 ,the    
other world gives no motive for doing   
well to him who finds no motive for it  
here4     ,,clxxix4--,,an ,,atheistical 
,,king ,,would ,,be ,,preferable ,,to   
,,one ,,who ,,is ,,religious ,,and      
,,wicked1 ,,as ,,we ,,often ,,see       
,,them4  ,the speculating atheist1 the  
theist will tell us1 may be an honest   
man1 but his writings will cause atheism
 in politics4 ,princes and ministers1   
being no longer restrained by the fear  
of ,god1 will give themselves up without
 scruple to the most frightful excesses4
 ,but no matter what we can suppose of  
the depravity of an atheist on a throne1
 can it ever be any greater or more     
injurious than that of so many          
conquerors1 tyrants1 persecutors1 of    
ambitious and perverse courtiers1 who1  
without being atheists1 but who1 being  
very often religious1 do not cease to   
make humanity groan under the weight of 
their crimes8 ,can an atheistical king  
inflict more evil on the world than a   

,louis ,,xi41 a ,philip ,,ii41 a        
,richelieu1 who have all allied religion
 with crime8 ,nothing is rarer than     
atheistical princes1 and nothing more   
common than very bad and very religious 
tyrants4     ,,clxxx4--,,the ,,morality 
,,acquired ,,by ,,philosophy ,,is       
,,sufficient ,,to ,,virtue4  ,any man   
who reflects can not fail of knowing his
 duties1 of discovering the relations   
which subsist between men1 of meditating
 upon his own nature1 of discerning his 
needs1 his inclinations1 and his        
desires1 and of perceiving what he owes 
to the beings necessary to his own      
happiness4 ,these reflections naturally 
lead to the knowledge of the morality   
which is the most essential for society4
 ,every man who loves to retire within  
himself in order to study and seek for  
the principles of things1 has no very   
dangerous passions2 his greatest passion
 will be to know the truth1 and his     
greatest ambition to show it to others4 
,philosophy is beneficial in cultivating

 the heart and the mind4 ,in regard to  
morals1 has not he who reflects and     
reasons the advantage over him who does 
not reason8  ,if ignorance is useful to 
priests and to the oppressors of        
humanity1 it is very fatal to society4  
,man1 deprived of intelligence1 does not
 enjoy the use of his reason2 man1      
deprived of reason and intelligence1 is 
a savage1 who is liable at any moment to
 be led into crime4 ,morality1 or the   
science of moral duties1 is acquired but
 by the study of man and his relations4 
,he who does not reflect for himself    
does not know true morals1 and can not  
walk the road of virtue4 ,the less men  
reason1 the more wicked they are4 ,the  
barbarians1 the princes1 the great1 and 
the dregs of society1 are generally the 
most wicked because they are those who  
reason the least4 ,the religious man    
never reflects1 and avoids reasoning2 he
 fears examination2 he follows          
authority2 and very often an erroneous  
conscience makes him consider it a holy 

duty to commit evil4 ,the incredulous   
man reasons1 consults experience1 and   
prefers it to prejudice4 ,if he has     
reasoned justly1 his conscience becomes 
clear2 he finds more real motives for   
right-doing than the religious man1 who 
has no motives but his chimeras1 and who
 never listens to reason4 ,are not the  
motives of the incredulous man strong   
enough to counterbalance his passions8  
,is he blind enough not to recognize the
 interests which should restrain him8   
,well6 he will be vicious and wicked2   
but even then he will be no worse and no
 better than many credulous men who1    
notwithstanding religion and its sublime
 precepts1 continue to lead a life which
 this very religion condemns4 ,is a     
credulous murderer less to be feared    
than a murderer who does not believe    
anything8 ,is a religious tyrant any    
less a tyrant than an irreligious one8  
,,clxxxi4--,,opinions ,,rarely          
,,influence ,,conduct4  ,there is       
nothing more rare in the world than     

consistent men4 ,their opinions do not  
influence their conduct1 except when    
they conform to their temperament1 their
 passions1 and to their interests4      
,religious opinions1 according to daily 
experience1 produce much more evil than 
good2 they are injurious1 because they  
very often agree with the passions of   
tyrants1 fanatics1 and priests2 they    
produce no effect1 because they have not
 the power to balance the present       
interests of the majority of men4       
,religious principles are always put    
aside when they are opposed to ardent   
desires2 without being incredulous1 they
 act as if they believed nothing4 ,we   
risk being deceived when we judge the   
opinions of men by their conduct or     
their conduct by their opinions4 ,a very
 religious man1 notwithstanding the     
austere and cruel principles of a bloody
 religion1 will sometimes be1 by a      
fortunate inconsistency1 humane1        
tolerant1 moderate2 in this case the    
principles of his religion do not agree 

with the mildness of his disposition4 ,a
 libertine1 a debauchee1 a hypocrite1 an
 adulterer1 or a thief will often show  
us that he has the clearest ideas of    
morals4 ,why do they not practice them8 
,it is because neither their            
temperament1 their interests1 nor their 
habits agree with their sublime         
theories4 ,the rigid principles of      
,christian morality1 which so many      
attempt to pass off as ,divine1 have but
 very little influence upon the conduct 
of those who preach them to others4 ,do 
they not tell us every day to do what   
they preach1 and not what they practice8
  ,the religious partisans generally    
designate the incredulous as libertines4
 ,it may be that many incredulous people
 are immoral2 this immorality is due to 
their temperament1 and not to their     
opinions4 ,but what has their conduct to
 do with these opinions8 ,can not an    
immoral man be a good physician1 a good 
architect1 a good geometer1 a good      
logician1 a good metaphysician8 ,with an

 irreproachable conduct1 one can be     
ignorant upon many things1 and reason   
very badly4 ,when truth is presented1 it
 matters not from whom it comes4 ,let us
 not judge men by their opinions1 or    
opinions by men2 let us judge men by    
their conduct2 and their opinions by    
their conformity with experience1       
reason1 and their usefulness for        
mankind4     ,,clxxxii4---,,reason      
,,leads ,,men ,,to ,,irreligion ,,and   
,,to ,,atheism1 ,,because ,,religion    
,,is ,,absurd1 ,,and ,,the ,,god ,,of   
,,the ,,priests ,,is ,a ,,malicious     
,,and ,,ferocious ,,being4  ,every man  
who reasons soon becomes incredulous1   
because reasoning proves to him that    
theology is but a tissue of falsehoods2 
that religion is contrary to all        
principles of common sense2 that it     
gives a false color to all human        
knowledge4 ,the rational man becomes    
incredulous1 because he sees that       
religion1 far from rendering men        
happier1 is the first cause of the      

greatest disorders1 and of the permanent
 calamities with which the human race is
 afflicted4 ,the man who seeks his      
well-being and his own tranquillity1    
examines his religion and is undeceived1
 because he finds it inconvenient and   
useless to pass his life in trembling at
 phantoms which are made but to         
intimidate silly women or children4 ,if1
 sometimes1 libertinage1 which reasons  
but little1 leads to irreligion1 the man
 who is regular in his morals can have  
very legitimate motives for examining   
his religion1 and for banishing it from 
his mind4 ,too weak to intimidate the   
wicked1 in whom vice has become deeply  
rooted1 religious terrors afflict1      
torment1 and burden imaginative minds4  
,if souls have courage and elasticity1  
they shake off a yoke which they bear   
unwillingly4 ,if weak or timorous1 they 
wear the yoke during their whole life1  
and they grow old1 trembling1 or at     
least they live under burdensome        
uncertainty4  ,the priests have made of 

,god such a malicious1 ferocious being1 
so ready to be vexed1 that there are few
 men in the world who do not wish at the
 bottom of their hearts that this ,god  
did not exist4 ,we can not live happy if
 we are always in fear4 ,you worship a  
terrible ,god1 ,o religious people6     
,alas6 ,and yet you hate ,him2 you wish 
that ,he was not4 ,can we avoid wishing 
the absence or the destruction of a     
master1 the idea of whom can but torment
 the mind8 ,it is the dark colors in    
which the priests paint the ,deity which
 revolt men1 moving them to hate and    
reject ,him4     ,,clxxxiii4--,,fear    
,,alone ,,creates ,,theists ,,and       
,,bigots4  ,if fear has created the     
,gods1 fear still holds their empire in 
the mind of mortals2 they have been so  
early accustomed to tremble even at the 
name of the ,deity1 that it has become  
for them a specter1 a goblin1 a         
were-wolf which torments them1 and whose
 idea deprives them even of the courage 
to attempt to reassure themselves4 ,they

 are afraid that this invisible specter 
will strike them if they cease to be    
afraid4 ,the religious people fear their
 ,god too much to love ,him sincerely2  
they serve ,him as slaves1 who can not  
escape ,his power1 and take the part of 
flattering their ,master2 and who1 by   
continually lying1 persuade themselves  
that they love ,him4 ,they make a virtue
 of necessity4 ,the love of religious   
bigots for their ,god1 and of slaves for
 their despots1 is but a servile and    
simulated homage which they render by   
compulsion1 in which the heart has no   
part4     ,,clxxxiv4--,,can ,,we1 ,,or  
,,should ,,we1 ,,love ,,or ,,not ,,love 
,,god8  ,the ,christian ,doctors have   
made their ,god so little worthy of     
love1 that several among them have      
thought it their duty not to love ,him2 
this is a blasphemy which makes less    
sincere doctors tremble4 ,saint ,thomas1
 having asserted that we are under      
obligation to love ,god as soon as we   
can use our reason1 the ,jesuit ,sirmond

 replied to him that that was very soon2
 the ,jesuit ,vasquez claims that it is 
sufficient to love ,god in the hour of  
death2 ,hurtado says that we should love
 ,god at all times2 ,henriquez is       
content with loving ,him every five     
years2 ,sotus1 every ,sunday4 ,upon what
 shall we rely8 asks ,father ,sirmond1  
who adds3 that ,suarez desires that we  
should love ,god sometimes4 ,but at what
 time8 ,he allows you to judge of it2 he
 knows nothing about it himself2 for he 
adds3 ',what a learned doctor does not  
know1 who can know8' ,the same ,jesuit  
,sirmond continues1 by saying3 that ,god
 does not command us to love ,him with  
human affection1 and does not promise us
 salvation but on condition of giving   
,him our hearts2 it is enough to obey   
,him and to love ,him1 by fulfilling    
,his commandments2 that this is the only
 love which we owe ,him1 and ,he has not
 commanded so much to love ,him as not  
to hate ,him4 ,see ,apology1 ,des       
,lettres ,provinciales1 ,tome ,,ii4     

,this doctrine appears heretical1       
ungodly1 and abominable to the          
,jansenists1 who1 by the revolting      
severity which they attribute to their  
,god1 render ,him still less lovable    
than their adversaries1 the ,jesuits4   
,the latter1 in order to make converts1 
represent ,god in such a light as to    
give confidence to the most perverse    
mortals4 ,thus1 nothing is less         
established among the ,christians than  
the important question1 whether we can  
or should love or not love ,god4 ,among 
their spiritual guides some pretend that
 we must love ,god with all the heart1  
notwithstanding all ,his severity2      
others1 like the ,father ,daniel1 think 
that an act of pure love of ,god is the 
most heroic act of ,christian virtue1   
and that human weakness can scarcely    
reach so high4 ,the ,jesuit ,pintereau  
goes still further2 he says3 ,the       
deliverance from the grievous yoke of   
,divine love is a privilege of the new  
alliance4     ,,clxxxv4--,,the ,,various

 ,,and ,,contradictory ,,ideas ,,which  
,,exist ,,everywhere ,,upon ,,god ,,and 
,,religion1 ,,prove ,,that ,,they ,,are 
,,but ,,idle ,,fancies4  ,it is always  
the character of man which decides upon 
the character of his ,god2 each one     
creates a ,god for himself1 and in his  
own image4 ,the cheerful man who        
indulges in pleasures and dissipation1  
can not imagine ,god to be an austere   
and rebukeful being2 he requires a      
facile ,god with whom he can make an    
agreement4 ,the severe1 sour1 bilious   
man wants a ,god like himself2 one who  
inspires fear2 and regards as perverse  
those that accept only a ,god who is    
yielding and easily won over4 ,heresies1
 quarrels1 and schisms are necessary4   
,can men differently organized and      
modified by diverse circumstances1 agree
 in regard to an imaginary being which  
exists but in their own brains8 ,the    
cruel and interminable disputes         
continually arising among the ministers 
of the ,lord1 have not a tendency to    

attract the confidence of those who take
 an impartial view of them4 ,how can we 
help our incredulity1 when we see       
principles about which those who teach  
them to others1 never agree8 ,how can we
 avoid doubting the existence of a ,god1
 the idea of whom varies in such a      
remarkable way in the mind of ,his      
ministers8 ,how can we avoid rejecting  
totally a ,god who is full of           
contradictions8 ,how can we rely upon   
priests whom we see continually         
contending1 accusing each other of being
 infidels and heretics1 rending and     
persecuting each other without mercy1   
about the way in which they understand  
the pretended truths which they reveal  
to the world8     ,,clxxxvi4--,,the     
,,existence ,,of ,,god1 ,,which ,,is    
,,the ,,basis ,,of ,,all ,,religion1    
,,has ,,not ,,yet ,,been ,,demonstrated4
  ,however1 so far1 this important truth
 has not yet been demonstrated1 not only
 to the incredulous1 but in a           
satisfactory way to theologians         

themselves4 ,in all times1 we have seen 
profound thinkers who thought they had  
new proofs of the truth most important  
to men4 ,what have been the fruits of   
their meditations and of their          
arguments8 ,they left the thing at the  
same point2 they have demonstrated      
nothing2 nearly always they have excited
 the clamors of their colleagues1 who   
accuse them of having badly defended the
 best of causes4                        
,,clxxxvii4--,,priests1 ,,more ,,than   
,,unbelievers1 ,,act ,,from ,,interest4 
,the apologists of religion repeat to us
 every day that the passions alone      
create unbelievers4 ,it is1 they say1   
pride1 and a desire to distinguish      
themselves1 that make atheists2 they    
seek also to efface the idea of ,god    
from their minds1 because they have     
reason to fear ,his rigorous judgments4 
,whatever may be the motives which cause
 men to be irreligious1 the thing in    
question is whether they have found     
truth4 ,no man acts without motives2 let

 us first examine the arguments--we     
shall examine the motives afterward--and
 we shall find that they are more       
legitimate1 and more sensible1 than     
those of many credulous devotees who    
allow themselves to be guided by masters
 little worthy of men's confidence4     
,you say1 ,o priests of the ,lord6 that 
the passions cause unbelievers2 you     
pretend that they renounce religion     
through interest1 or because it         
interferes with their irregular         
inclinations2 you assert that they      
attack your ,gods because they fear     
their punishments4 ,ah6 yourselves in   
defending this religion and its         
chimeras1 are you1 then1 really exempt  
from passions and interests8 ,who       
receive the fees of this religion1 on   
whose behalf the priests are so zealous8
 ,it is the priests4 ,to whom does      
religion procure power1 credit1 honors1 
wealth8 ,to the priests6 ,in all        
countries1 who make war upon reason1    
science1 truth1 and philosophy and      

render them odious to the sovereigns and
 to the people8 ,who profit by the      
ignorance of men and their vain         
prejudices8 ,the priests6 ,you are1 ,o  
priests1 rewarded1 honored1 and paid for
 deceiving mortals1 and you punish those
 who undeceive them4 ,the follies of men
 procure you blessings1 offerings1      
expiations2 the most useful truths bring
 to those who announce them1 chains1    
sufferings1 stakes4 ,let the world judge
 between us4     ,,clxxxviii4--,,pride1 
,,presumption1 ,,and ,,corruption ,,of  
,,the ,,heart ,,are ,,more ,,often      
,,found ,,among ,,priests ,,than ,,among
 ,,atheists ,,and ,,unbelievers4  ,pride
 and vanity always were and always will 
be the inherent vices of the priesthood4
 ,is there anything that has a tendency 
to render men haughty and vain more than
 the assumption of exercising ,heavenly 
power1 of possessing a sacred character1
 of being the messengers of the ,most   
,high8 ,are not these dispositions      
continually increased by the credulity  

of the people1 by the deference and the 
respect of the sovereigns1 by the       
immunities1 the privileges1 and the     
distinctions which the clergy enjoy8    
,the common man is1 in every country1   
more devoted to his spiritual guides1   
whom he considers as ,divine men1 than  
to his temporal superiors1 whom he      
considers as ordinary men4 ,village     
priests enjoy more honor than the lord  
or the judge4 ,a ,christian priest      
believes himself far above a king or an 
emperor4 ,a ,spanish grandee having     
spoken hastily to a monk1 the latter    
said to him1 arrogantly1 ,learn to      
respect a man who has every day your    
,god in his hands and your queen at his 
feet4  ,have the priests any right to   
accuse the unbelievers of pride8 ,do    
they distinguish themselves by a rare   
modesty or profound humility8 ,is it not
 evident that the desire to domineer    
over men is the essence of their        
profession8 ,if the ,lord's ministers   
were truly modest1 would we see them so 

greedy of respect1 so easily irritated  
by contradictions1 so prompt and so     
cruel in revenging themselves upon those
 whose opinions offend them8 ,does not  
modest science impress us with the      
difficulty of unraveling truth8 ,what   
other passion than frenzied pride can   
render men so ferocious1 so vindictive1 
so devoid of toleration and gentleness8 
,what is more presumptuous than to arm  
nations and cause rivers of blood1 in   
order to establish or to defend futile  
conjectures8  ,you say1 ,o ,doctors of  
,divinity6 that it is presumption alone 
which makes atheists4 ,teach them1 then1
 what your ,god is2 instruct them about 
,his essence2 speak of ,him in an       
intelligible way2 tell of ,him          
reasonable things1 which are not        
contradictory or impossible6 ,if you are
 not in the condition to satisfy them2  
if1 so far1 none of you have been able  
to demonstrate the existence of a ,god  
in a clear and convincing way2 if1      
according to your own confession1 ,his  

essence is as much hidden from you as   
from the rest of mortals1 pardon those  
who can not admit that which they can   
neither understand nor reconcile4 ,do   
not accuse of presumption and vanity    
those who have the sincerity to confess 
their ignorance2 accuse not of folly    
those who find it impossible to believe 
in contradictions4 ,you should blush at 
the thought of exciting the hatred of   
the people and the vengeance of the     
sovereigns against men who do not think 
as you do upon a ,being of whom you have
 no idea yourselves4 ,is there anything 
more audacious and more extravagant than
 to reason about an object which it is  
impossible to conceive of8  ,you tell us
 it is corruption of the heart which    
produces atheists2 that they shake off  
the yoke of the ,deity because they fear
 ,his terrible judgments4 ,but why do   
you paint your ,god in such black       
colors8 ,why does this powerful ,god    
permit that such corrupt hearts should  
exist8 ,why should we not make efforts  

to break the yoke of a ,tyrant who1     
being able to make of the hearts of men 
what ,he pleases1 allows them to become 
perverted and hardened2 blinds them2    
refuses them ,his grace1 in order to    
have the satisfaction of punishing them 
eternally for having been hardened1     
blinded1 and not having received the    
grace which ,he refused them8 ,the      
theologians and the priests must feel   
themselves very sure of ,heaven's grace 
and of a happy future1 in order not to  
detest a ,master so capricious as the   
,god whom they announce to us4 ,a ,god  
who damns eternally must be the most    
odious ,being that the human mind could 
imagine4     ,,clxxxix4--,,prejudices   
,,are ,,but ,,for ,a ,,time1 ,,and ,,no 
,,power ,,is ,,durable ,,except ,,it    
,,is ,,based ,,upon ,,truth1 ,,reason1  
,,and ,,equity4  ,no man on earth is    
truly interested in sustaining error2   
sooner or later it is compelled to      
surrender to truth4 ,general interest   
tends to the enlightenment of mortals2  

even the passions sometimes contribute  
to the breaking of some of the chains of
 prejudice4 ,have not the passions of   
some sovereigns destroyed1 within the   
past two centuries in some countries of 
,europe1 the tyrannical power which a   
haughty ,pontiff formerly exercised over
 all the princes of his sect8 ,politics1
 becoming more enlightened1 has         
despoiled the clergy of an immense      
amount of property which credulity had  
accumulated in their hands4 ,should not 
this memorable example make even the    
priests realize that prejudices are but 
for a time1 and that truth alone is     
capable of assuring a substantial       
well-being8  ,have not the ministers of 
the ,lord seen that in pampering the    
sovereigns1 in forging ,divine rights   
for them1 and in delivering to them the 
people1 bound hand and foot1 they were  
making tyrants of them8 ,have they not  
reason to fear that these gigantic      
idols1 whom they have raised to the     
skies1 will crush them also some day8   

,do not a thousand examples prove that  
they ought to fear that these unchained 
lions1 after having devoured nations1   
will in turn devour them8  ,we will     
respect the priests when they become    
citizens4 ,let them make use1 if they   
can1 of ,heaven's authority to create   
fear in those princes who incessantly   
desolate the earth2 let them deprive    
them of the right of being unjust2 let  
them recognize that no subject of a     
,state enjoys living under tyranny2 let 
them make the sovereigns feel that they 
themselves are not interested in        
exercising a power which1 rendering them
 odious1 injures their own safety1 their
 own power1 their own grandeur2 finally1
 let the priests and the undeceived     
kings recognize that no power is safe   
that is not based upon truth1 reason1   
and equity4     ,,cxc4--,,how ,,much    
,,power ,,and ,,consideration ,,the     
,,ministers ,,of ,,the ,,gods ,,would   
,,have1 ,,if ,,they ,,became ,,the      
,,apostles ,,of ,,reason ,,and ,,the    

,,defenders ,,of ,,liberty6  ,the       
ministers of the ,gods1 in warring      
against human reason1 which they ought  
to develop1 act against their own       
interest4 ,what would be their power1   
their consideration1 their empire over  
the wisest men2 what would be the       
gratitude of the people toward them if1 
instead of occupying themselves with    
their vain quarrels1 they had applied   
themselves to the useful sciences2 if   
they had sought the true principles of  
physics1 of government1 and of morals4  
,who would dare reproach the opulence   
and credit of a corporation which1      
consecrating its leisure and its        
authority to the public good1 should use
 the one for studying and meditating1   
and the other for enlightening equally  
the minds of the sovereigns and the     
subjects8  ,priests6 lay aside your idle
 fancies1 your unintelligible dogmas1   
your despicable quarrels2 banish to     
imaginary regions these phantoms1 which 
could be of use to you only in the      

infancy of nations2 take the tone of    
reason1 instead of sounding the tocsin  
of persecution against your adversaries2
 instead of entertaining the people with
 foolish disputes1 of preaching useless 
and fanatical virtues1 preach to them   
humane and social morality2 preach to   
them virtues which are really useful to 
the world2 become the apostles of       
reason1 the lights of the nations1 the  
defenders of liberty1 reformers of      
abuses1 the friends of truth1 and we    
will bless you1 we will honor you1 we   
will love you1 and you will be sure of  
holding an eternal empire over the      
hearts of your fellow-beings4           
,,cxci4--,,what ,a ,,happy ,,and ,,great
 ,,revolution ,,would ,,take ,,place    
,,in ,,the ,,universe1 ,,if ,,philosophy
 ,,was ,,substituted ,,for ,,religion6  
,philosophers1 in all ages1 have taken  
the part that seemed destined for the   
ministers of religion4 ,the hatred of   
the latter for philosophy was never more
 than professional jealousy4 ,all men   

accustomed to think1 instead of seeking 
to injure each other1 should unite their
 efforts in combating errors1 in seeking
 truth1 and especially in dispelling the
 prejudices from which the sovereigns   
and subjects suffer alike1 and whose    
upholders themselves finish1 sooner or  
later1 by becoming the victims4  ,in the
 hands of an enlightened government the 
priests would become the most useful of 
citizens4 ,could men with rich stipends 
from the ,state1 and relieved of the    
care of providing for their own         
subsistence1 do anything better than to 
instruct themselves in order to be able 
to instruct others8 ,would not their    
minds be better satisfied in discovering
 truth than in wandering in the         
labyrinths of darkness8 ,would it be any
 more difficult to unravel the          
principles of man's morals1 than the    
imaginary principles of ,divine and     
theological morals8 ,would ordinary men 
have as much trouble in understanding   
the simple notions of their duties1 as  

in charging their memories with         
mysteries1 unintelligible words1 and    
obscure definitions which are impossible
 for them to understand8 ,how much time 
and trouble is lost in trying to teach  
men things which are of no use to them4 
,what resources for the public benefit1 
for encouraging the progress of the     
sciences and the advancement of         
knowledge1 for the education of youth1  
are presented to well-meaning sovereigns
 through so many monasteries1 which1 in 
a great number of countries devour the  
people's substance without an           
equivalent4 ,but superstition1 jealous  
of its exclusive empire1 seems to have  
formed but useless beings4 ,what        
advantage could not be drawn from a     
multitude of cenobites of both sexes    
whom we see in so many countries1 and   
who are so well paid to do nothing4     
,instead of occupying them with sterile 
contemplations1 with mechanical prayers1
 with monotonous practices2 instead of  
burdening them with fasts and           

austerities1 let there be excited among 
them a salutary emulation that would    
inspire them to seek the means of       
serving usefully the world1 which their 
fatal vows oblige them to renounce4     
,instead of filling the youthful minds  
of their pupils with fables1 dogmas1 and
 puerilities1 why not invite or oblige  
the priests to teach them true things1  
and so make of them citizens useful to  
their country8 ,the way in which men are
 brought up makes them useful but to the
 clergy1 who blind them1 and to the     
tyrants1 who plunder them4              
,,cxcii4--,,the ,,retraction ,,of ,,an  
,,unbeliever ,,at ,,the ,,hour ,,of     
,,death1 ,,proves ,,nothing ,,against   
,,incredulity4  ,the adherents of       
credulity often accuse the unbelievers  
of bad faith because they sometimes     
waver in their principles1 changing     
opinions during sickness1 and retracting
 them at the hour of death4 ,when the   
body is diseased1 the faculty of        
reasoning is generally disturbed also4  

,the infirm and decrepit man1 in        
approaching his end1 sometimes perceives
 himself that reason is leaving him1 he 
feels that prejudice returns4 ,there are
 diseases which have a tendency to      
lessen courage1 to make pusillanimous1  
and to enfeeble the brain2 there are    
others which1 in destroying the body1 do
 not affect the reason4 ,however1 an    
unbeliever who retracts in sickness1 is 
not more rare or more extraordinary than
 a devotionist who permits himself1     
while in health1 to neglect the duties  
that his religion prescribes for him in 
the most formal manner4  ,cleomenes1    
,king of ,sparta1 having shown little   
respect for the ,gods during his reign1 
became superstitious in his last days2  
with the view of interesting ,heaven in 
his favor1 he called around him a       
multitude of sacrificing priests4 ,one  
of his friends expressing his surprise1 
,cleomenes said3 ,what are you          
astonished at8 ,i am no longer what ,i  
was1 and not being the same1 ,i can not 

think in the same way4  ,the ministers  
of religion in their daily conduct1     
often belie the rigorous principles     
which they teach to others1 so that the 
unbelievers in their turn think they    
have a right to accuse them of bad      
faith4 ,if some unbelievers contradict1 
in sight of death or during sickness1   
the opinions which they entertained in  
health1 do not the priests in health    
belie opinions of the religion which    
they hold8 ,do we see a great multitude 
of humble1 generous prelates devoid of  
ambition1 enemies of pomp and grandeur1 
the friends of poverty8 ,in short1 do we
 see the conduct of many ,christian     
priests corresponding with the austere  
morality of ,christ1 their ,god and     
their model8     ,,cxciii4--,,it ,,is   
,,not ,,true ,,that ,,atheism ,,sunders 
,,all ,,the ,,ties ,,of ,,society4      
,atheism1 we are told1 breaks all social
 ties4 ,without belief in ,god1 what    
becomes of the sacredness of the oath8  
,how can we bind an atheist who can not 

seriously attest the ,deity8 ,but does  
the oath place us under stronger        
obligations to the engagements which we 
make8 ,whoever dares to lie1 will he not
 dare to perjure himself8 ,he who is    
base enough to violate his word1 or     
unjust enough to break his promises in  
contempt of the esteem of men1 will not 
be more faithful for having taken all   
the ,gods as witnesses to his oaths4    
,those who rank themselves above the    
judgments of men1 will soon put         
themselves above the judgments of ,god4 
,are not princes1 of all mortals1 the   
most prompt in taking oaths1 and the    
most prompt in violating them8          
,,cxciv4--,,refutation ,,of ,,the       
,,assertion ,,that ,,religion ,,is      
,,necessary ,,for ,,the ,,masses4       
,religion1 they tell us1 is necessary   
for the masses2 that though enlightened 
persons may not need restraint upon     
their opinions1 it is necessary at least
 for the common people1 in whom         
education has not developed reason4 ,is 

it true1 then1 that religion is a       
restraint for the people8 ,do we see    
that this religion prevents them from   
intemperance1 drunkenness1 brutality1   
violence1 frauds1 and all kinds of      
excesses8  ,could a people who had no   
idea of the ,deity1 conduct itself in a 
more detestable manner than many        
believing people in whom we see         
dissolute habits1 and the vices most    
unworthy of rational beings8 ,do we not 
see the artisan or the man of the people
 go from his church and plunge headlong 
into his usual excesses1 persuading     
himself all the while that his          
periodical homage to ,god gives him the 
right to follow without remorse his     
vicious practices and habitual          
inclinations8 ,if the people are gross  
and ignorant1 is not their stupidity due
 to the negligence of the princes who do
 not attend to the public education1 or 
who oppose the instruction of their     
subjects8 ,finally1 is not the          
irrationality of the people plainly the 

work of the priests1 who1 instead of    
interesting them in a rational morality1
 do nothing but entertain them with     
fables1 phantoms1 intrigues1            
observances1 idle fancies1 and false    
virtues1 upon which they claim that     
everything depends8  ,religion is1 for  
the people1 but a vain attendance upon  
ceremonies1 to which they cling from    
habit1 which amuses their eyes1 which   
enlivens temporarily their sleepy minds1
 without influencing the conduct1 and   
without correcting their morals4 ,by the
 confession even of the ministers at the
 altars1 nothing is more rare than the  
interior and spiritual religion1 which  
is alone capable of regulating the life 
of man1 and of triumphing over his      
inclinations4 ,in good faith1 among the 
most numerous and the most devotional   
people1 are there many capable of       
understanding the principles of their   
religious system1 and who find them of  
sufficient strength to stifle their     
perverse inclinations8  ,many people    

will tell us that it is better to have  
some kind of a restraint than none at   
all4 ,they will pretend that if religion
 does not control the great mass1 it    
serves at least to restrain some        
individuals1 who1 without it1 would     
abandon themselves to crime without     
remorse4 ,no doubt it is necessary for  
men to have a restraint2 but they do not
 need an imaginary one2 they need true  
and visible restraints2 they need real  
fears1 which are much better to restrain
 them than panic terrors and idle       
fancies4 ,religion frightens but a few  
pusillanimous minds1 whose weakness of  
character already renders them little to
 be dreaded by their fellow-citizens4   
,an equitable government1 severe laws1 a
 sound morality1 will apply equally to  
everybody2 every one would be forced to 
believe in it1 and would feel the danger
 of not conforming to it4               
,,cxcv4--,,every ,,rational ,,system    
,,is ,,not ,,made ,,for ,,the           
,,multitude4  ,we may be asked if       

atheism can suit the multitude8 ,i      
reply1 that every system which demands  
discussion is not for the multitude4    
,what use is there1 then1 in preaching  
atheism8 ,it can at least make those who
 reason1 feel that nothing is more      
extravagant than to make ourselves      
uneasy1 and nothing more unjust than to 
cause anxiety to others on account of   
conjectures1 destitute of all           
foundation4 ,as to the common man1 who  
never reasons1 the arguments of an      
atheist are no better suited to him than
 a philosopher's hypothesis1 an         
astronomer's observations1 a chemist's  
experiments1 a geometer's calculations1 
a physician's examinations1 an          
architect's designs1 or a lawyer's      
pleadings1 who all labor for the people 
without their knowledge4  ,the          
metaphysical arguments of theology1 and 
the religious disputes which have       
occupied for so long many profound      
visionists1 are they made any more for  
the common man than the arguments of an 

atheist8 ,more than this1 the principles
 of atheism1 founded upon common sense1 
are they not more intelligible than     
those of a theology which we see        
bristling with insolvable difficulties1 
even for the most active minds8 ,the    
people in every country have a religion 
which they do not understand1 which they
 do not examine1 and which they follow  
but by routine2 their priests alone     
occupy themselves with the theology     
which is too sublime for them4 ,if1 by  
accident1 the people should lose this   
unknown theology1 they could console    
them selves for the loss of a thing     
which is not only entirely useless1 but 
which produces among them very dangerous
 ebullitions4  ,it would be very foolish
 to write for the common man or to      
attempt to cure his prejudices all at   
once4 ,we write but for those who read  
and reason2 the people read but little1 
and reason less4 ,sensible and peaceable
 people enlighten themselves2 their     
light spreads itself gradually1 and in  

time reaches the people4 ,on the other  
hand1 those who deceive men1 do they not
 often take the trouble themselves of   
undeceiving them8                       
,,cxcvi4--,,futility ,,and ,,danger ,,of
 ,,theology4 ,,wise ,,counsels ,,to     
,,princes4  ,if theology is a branch of 
commerce useful to theologians1 it has  
been demonstrated to be superfluous and 
injurious to the rest of society4 ,the  
interests of men will succeed in opening
 their eyes sooner or later4 ,the       
sovereigns and the people will some day 
discover the indifference and the       
contempt that a futile science deserves 
which serves but to trouble men without 
making them better4 ,they will feel the 
uselessness of many expensive practices1
 which do not at all contribute to      
public welfare2 they will blush at many 
pitiful quarrels1 which will cease to   
disturb the tranquillity of the ,states 
as soon as they cease to attach any     
importance to them4  ,princes6 instead  
of taking part in the senseless         

contentions of your priests1 instead of 
espousing foolishly their impertinent   
quarrels1 instead of striving to bring  
all your subjects to uniform opinions1  
occupy yourselves with their happiness  
in this world1 and do not trouble       
yourselves about the fate which awaits  
them in another4 ,govern them justly1   
give them good laws1 respect their      
liberty and their property1 superintend 
their education1 encourage them in their
 labors1 reward their talents and their 
virtues1 repress their licentiousness1  
and do not trouble yourselves upon what 
they think about objects useless to them
 and to you4 ,then you will no longer   
need fictions to make yourselves obeyed2
 you will become the only guides of your
 subjects2 their ideas will be uniform  
about the feelings of love and respect  
which will be your due4 ,theological    
fables are useful but to tyrants1 who do
 not understand the art of ruling over  
reasonable beings4                      
,,cxcvii4--,,fatal ,,effects ,,of       

,,religion ,,upon ,,the ,,people ,,and  
,,the ,,princes4  ,does it require the  
efforts of genius to comprehend that    
what is beyond man1 is not made for men2
 that what is supernatural1 is not made 
for natural beings2 that impenetrable   
mysteries are not made for limited      
minds8 ,if theologians are foolish      
enough to dispute about subjects which  
they acknowledge to be unintelligible to
 themselves1 should society take a part 
in their foolish quarrels8 ,must human  
blood flow in order to give value to the
 conjectures of a few obstinate         
visionists8 ,if it is very difficult to 
cure the theologians of their mania and 
the people of their prejudices1 it is at
 least very easy to prevent the         
extravagances of the one and the folly  
of the other from producing pernicious  
effects4 ,let each one be allowed to    
think as he chooses1 but let him not be 
allowed to annoy others for their mode  
of thinking4 ,if the chiefs of nations  
were more just and more sensible1       

theological opinions would not disturb  
the public tranquillity any more than   
the disputes of philosophers1           
physicians1 grammarians1 and of critics4
 ,it is the tyranny of princes which    
makes theological quarrels have serious 
consequences4 ,when kings shall cease to
 meddle with theology1 theological      
quarrels will no longer be a thing to   
fear4  ,those who boast so much upon the
 importance and usefulness of religion1 
ought to show us its beneficial results1
 and the advantages that the disputes   
and abstract speculations of theology   
can bring to porters1 to artisans1 to   
farmers1 to fishmongers1 to women1 and  
to so many depraved servants1 with whom 
the large cities are filled4 ,people of 
this kind are all religious1 they have  
implicit faith2 their priests believe   
for them2 they accept a faith unknown to
 their guides2 they listen assiduously  
to sermons2 they assist regularly in    
ceremonies2 they think it a great crime 
to transgress the ordinances to which   

from childhood they have been taught to 
conform4 ,what good to morality results 
from all this8 ,none whatever2 they have
 no idea of morality1 and you see them  
indulge in all kinds of rogueries1      
frauds1 rapine1 and excesses which the  
law does not punish4 ,the masses1 in    
truth1 have no idea of religion2 what is
 called religion1 is but a blind        
attachment to unknown opinions and      
mysterious dealings4 ,in fact1 to       
deprive the people of religion1 is      
depriving them of nothing4 ,if we should
 succeed in destroying their prejudices1
 we would but diminish or annihilate the
 dangerous confidence which they have in
 self-interested guides1 and teach them 
to beware of those who1 under the       
pretext of religion1 very often lead    
them into fatal excesses4               
,,cxcviii4--,,continuation4  ,under     
pretext of instructing and enlightening 
men1 religion really holds them in      
ignorance1 and deprives them even of the
 desire of understanding the objects    

which interest them the most4 ,there    
exists for the people no other rule of  
conduct than that which their priests   
indicate to them4 ,religion takes the   
place of everything2 but being in       
darkness itself1 it has a greater       
tendency to misguide mortals1 than to   
guide them in the way of science and    
happiness4 ,philosophy1 morality1       
legislation1 and politics are to them   
enigmas4 ,man1 blinded by religious     
prejudices1 finds it impossible to      
understand his own nature1 to cultivate 
his reason1 to make experiments2 he     
fears truth as soon as it does not agree
 with his opinions4 ,everything tends to
 render the people devout1 but all is   
opposed to their being humane1          
reasonable1 and virtuous4 ,religion     
seems to have for its object only to    
blunt the feeling and to dull the       
intelligence of men4  ,the war which    
always existed between the priests and  
the best minds of all ages1 comes from  
this1 that the wise men perceived the   

fetters which superstition wished to    
place upon the human mind1 which it fain
 would keep in eternal infancy1 that it 
might be occupied with fables1 burdened 
with terrors1 and frightened by phantoms
 which would prevent it from            
progressing4 ,incapable of perfecting   
itself1 theology opposed insurmountable 
barriers to the progress of true        
knowledge2 it seemed to be occupied but 
with the care to keep the nations and   
their chiefs in the most profound       
ignorance of their true interests1 of   
their relations1 of their duties1 of the
 real motives which can lead them to    
prosperity2 it does but obscure         
morality2 renders its principles        
arbitrary1 subjects it to the caprices  
of the ,gods1 or of their ministers2 it 
converts the art of governing men into a
 mysterious tyranny which becomes the   
scourge of nations2 it changes the      
princes into unjust and licentious      
despots1 and the people into ignorant   
slaves1 who corrupt themselves in order 

to obtain the favor of their masters4   
,,cxcix4--,,history ,,teaches ,,us      
,,that ,,all ,,religions ,,were         
,,established ,,by ,,the ,,aid ,,of     
,,ignorance1 ,,and ,,by ,,men ,,who     
,,had ,,thu ,,effrontery ,,to ,,style   
,,themselves ,,the ,,envoys ,,of        
,,divinity4  ,if we take the trouble to 
follow the history of the human mind1 we
 will discover that theology took care  
not to extend its limits4 ,it began by  
repeating fables1 which it claimed to be
 sacred truths2 it gave birth to poesy1 
which filled the people's imagination   
with puerile fictions2 it entertained   
them but with its ,gods and their       
incredible feats2 in a word1 religion   
always treated men like children1 whom  
they put to sleep with tales that their 
ministers would like still to pass as   
incontestable truths4 ,if the ministers 
of the ,gods sometimes made useful      
discoveries1 they always took care to   
hide them in enigmas and to envelope    
them in shadows of mystery4 ,the        

,pythagorases and the ,platos1 in order 
to acquire some futile attainments1 were
 obliged to crawl to the feet of the    
priests1 to become initiated into their 
mysteries1 to submit to the tests which 
they desired to impose upon them2 it is 
at this cost that they were permitted to
 draw from the fountain-head their      
exalted ideas1 so seducing still to all 
those who admire what is unintelligible4
 ,it was among ,egyptian1 ,indian1      
,chaldean priests2 it was in the schools
 of these dreamers1 interested by       
profession in dethroning human reason1  
that philosophy was obliged to borrow   
its first rudiments4 ,obscure or false  
in its principles1 mingled with fictions
 and fables1 solely made to seduce      
imagination1 this philosophy progressed 
but waveringly1 and instead of          
enlightening the mind1 it blinded it1   
and turned it away from useful objects4 
,the theological speculations and       
mystical reveries of the ancients have1 
even in our days1 the making of the law 

in a great part of the philosophical    
world4 ,adopted by modern theology1 we  
can scarcely deviate from them without  
heresy2 they entertain us with aerial   
beings1 with spirits1 angels1 demons1   
genii1 and other phantoms1 which are the
 object of the meditations of our most  
profound thinkers1 and which serve as a 
basis to metaphysics1 an abstract and   
futile science1 upon which the greatest 
geniuses have vainly exercised          
themselves for thousands of years4 ,thus
 hypotheses1 invented by a few          
visionists of ,memphis and of ,babylon1 
continue to be the basis of a science   
revered for the obscurity which makes it
 pass as marvelous and ,divine4 ,the    
first legislators of nations were       
priests2 the first mythologists and     
poets were priests2 the first           
philosophers were priests2 the first    
physicians were priests4 ,in their hands
 science became a sacred thing1         
prohibited to the profane2 they spoke   
only by allegories1 emblems1 enigmas1   

and ambiguous oracles--means well-suited
 to excite curiosity1 to put to work the
 imagination1 and especially to inspire 
in the ignorant man a holy respect for  
those whom he believed instructed by    
,heaven1 capable of reading the         
destinies of earth1 and who boldly      
pretended to be the organs of ,divinity4
     ,,cc4--,,all ,,religions1 ,,ancient
 ,,and ,,modern1 ,,have ,,mutually      
,,borrowed ,,their ,,abstract ,,reveries
 ,,and ,,their ,,ridiculous ,,practices4
  ,the religions of these ancient       
priests have disappeared1 or1 rather1   
they have changed their form4 ,although 
our modern theologians regard the       
ancient priests as impostors1 they have 
taken care to gather up the scattered   
fragments of their religious systems1   
the whole of which does not exist any   
longer for us2 we will find in our      
modern religions1 not only the          
metaphysical dogmas which theology has  
but dressed in another form1 but we     
still find remarkable remains of their  

superstitious practices1 of their       
theurgy1 of their magic1 of their       
enchantments4  ,christians are still    
commanded to regard with respect the    
monuments of the legislators1 the       
priests1 and the prophets of the ,hebrew
 religion1 which1 according to          
appearances1 has borrowed from ,egypt   
the fantastic notions with which we see 
it filled4 ,thus the extravagances      
invented by frauds or idolatrous        
visionists1 are still regarded as sacred
 opinions by the ,christians6  ,if we   
but look at history1 we see striking    
resemblances in all religions4          
,everywhere on earth we find religious  
ideas periodically afflicting and       
rejoicing the people2 everywhere we see 
rites1 practices often abominable1 and  
formidable mysteries occupying the mind1
 and becoming objects of meditation4 ,we
 see the different superstitions        
borrowing from each other their abstract
 reveries and their ceremonies4         
,religions are generally unformed       

rhapsodies combined by new ,doctors of  
,divinity1 who1 in composing them1 have 
used the materials of their             
predecessors1 reserving the right of    
adding or subtracting what suits or does
 not suit their present views4 ,the     
religion of ,egypt served evidently as a
 basis for the religion of ,moses1 who  
expunged from it the worship of idols4  
,moses was but an ,egyptian schismatic1 
,christianity is but a reformed         
,judaism4 ,mohammedanism is composed of 
,judaism1 of ,christianity1 and of the  
ancient religion of ,arabia4            
,,cci4--,,theology ,,has ,,always       
,,turned ,,philosophy ,,from ,,its      
,,true ,,course4  ,from the most remote 
period theology alone regulated the     
march of philosophy4 ,what aid has it   
lent it8 ,it changed it into an         
unintelligible jargon1 which only had a 
tendency to render the clearest truth   
uncertain2 it converted the art of      
reasoning into a science of words2 it   
threw the human mind into the aerial    

regions of metaphysics1 where it        
unsuccessfully occupied itself in       
sounding useless and dangerous abysses4 
,for physical and simple causes1 this   
philosophy substituted supernatural     
causes1 or1 rather1 causes truly occult2
 it explained difficult phenomena by    
agents more inconceivable than these    
phenomena2 it filled discourse with     
words void of sense1 incapable of giving
 the reason of things1 better suited to 
obscure than to enlighten1 and which    
seem invented but to discourage man1 to 
guard him against the powers of his own 
mind1 to make him distrust the          
principles of reason and evidence1 and  
to surround the truth with an           
insurmountable barrier4                 
,,ccii4---,,theology ,,neither          
,,explains ,,nor ,,enlightens ,,anything
 ,,in ,,the ,,world ,,or ,,in ,,nature4 
,if we would believe the adherents of   
religion1 nothing could be explicable in
 the world without it2 nature would be a
 continual enigma2 it would be          

impossible for man to comprehend        
himself4 ,but1 at the bottom1 what does 
this religion explain to us8 ,the more  
we examine it1 the more we find that    
theological notions are fit but to      
perplex all our ideas2 they change all  
into mysteries2 they explain to us      
difficult things by impossible things4  
,is it1 then1 explaining things to      
attribute them to unknown agencies1 to  
invisible powers1 to immaterial causes8 
,is it really enlightening the human    
mind when1 in its embarrassment1 it is  
directed to the depths of the treasures 
of ,divine ,wisdom1 upon which they tell
 us it is in vain for us to turn our    
bold regards8 ,can the ,divine ,nature1 
which we know nothing about1 make us    
understand man's nature1 which we find  
so difficult to explain8  ,ask a        
,christian philosopher what is the      
origin of the world4 ,he will answer    
that ,god created the universe4 ,what is
 ,god8 ,we do not know anything about   
it4 ,what is it to create8 ,we have no  

idea of it6 ,what is the cause of       
pestilences1 famines1 wars1 sterility1  
inundations1 earthquakes8 ,it is ,god's 
wrath4 ,what remedies can prevent these 
calamities8 ,prayers1 sacrifices1       
processions1 offerings1 ceremonies1 are1
 we are told1 the true means to disarm  
,celestial fury4 ,but why is ,heaven    
angry8 ,because men are wicked4 ,why are
 men wicked8 ,because their nature is   
corrupt4 ,what is the cause of this     
corruption8 ,it is1 a theologian of     
enlightened ,europe will reply1 because 
the first man was seduced by the first  
woman to eat of an apple which his ,god 
had forbidden him to touch4 ,who induced
 this woman to do such a folly8 ,the    
,devil4 ,who created the ,devil8 ,god6  
,why did ,god create this ,devil        
destined to pervert the human race8 ,we 
know nothing about it2 it is a mystery  
hidden in the bosom of the ,deity4      
,does the earth revolve around the sun8 
,two centuries ago a devout philosopher 
would have replied that such a thought  

was blasphemy1 because such a system    
could not agree with the ,holy ,book1   
which every ,christian reveres as       
inspired by the ,deity ,himself4 ,what  
is the opinion to-day about it8         
,notwithstanding ,divine ,inspiration1  
the ,christian philosophers finally     
concluded to rely upon evidence rather  
than upon the testimony of their        
inspired books4  ,what is the hidden    
principle of the actions and of the     
motions of the human body8 ,it is the   
soul4 ,what is a soul8 ,it is a spirit4 
,what is a spirit8 ,it is a substance   
which has neither form1 color1          
expansion1 nor parts4 ,how can we       
conceive of such a substance8 ,how can  
it move a body8 ,we know nothing about  
it4 ,have brutes souls8 ,the ,carthusian
 assures you that they are machines4    
,but do we not see them act1 feel1 and  
think in a manner which resembles that  
of men8 ,this is a pure illusion1 you   
say4 ,but why do you deprive the brutes 
of souls1 which1 without understanding  

it1 you attribute to men8 ,it is that   
the souls of the brutes would embarrass 
our theologians1 who1 content with the  
power of frightening and damning the    
immortal souls of men1 do not take the  
same interest in damning those of the   
brutes4 ,such are the puerile solutions 
which philosophy1 always guided by the  
leading-strings of theology1 was obliged
 to bring forth to explain the problems 
of the physical and moral world4        
,,cciii4--,,how ,,theology ,,has        
,,fettered ,,human ,,morals ,,and       
,,retarded ,,the ,,progress ,,of        
,,enlightenment1 ,,of ,,reason1 ,,and   
,,of ,,truth4  ,how many subterfuges and
 mental gymnastics all the ancient and  
modern thinkers have employed1 in order 
to avoid falling out with the ministers 
of the ,gods1 who in all ages were the  
true tyrants of thought6 ,how           
,descartes1 ,malebranche1 ,leibnitz1 and
 many others have been compelled to     
invent hypotheses and evasions in order 
to reconcile their discoveries with the 

reveries and the blunders which religion
 had rendered sacred6 ,with what        
prevarications have not the greatest    
philosophers guarded themselves even at 
the risk of being absurd1 inconsistent1 
and unintelligible whenever their ideas 
did not correspond with the principles  
of theology6 ,vigilant priests were     
always ready to extinguish systems which
 could not be made to tally with their  
interests4 ,theology in every age has   
been the bed of ,procrustes upon which  
this brigand extended his victims2 he   
cut off the limbs when they were too    
long1 or stretched them by horses when  
they were shorter than the bed upon     
which he placed them4  ,what sensible   
man who has a love for science1 and is  
interested in the welfare of humanity1  
can reflect without sorrow and pain upon
 the loss of so many profound1          
laborious1 and subtle heads1 who1 for   
many centuries1 have foolishly exhausted
 themselves upon idle fancies that      
proved to be injurious to our race8     

,what light could have been thrown into 
the minds of many famous thinkers1 if1  
instead of occupying themselves with a  
useless theology1 and its impertinent   
disputes1 they had turned their         
attention upon intelligible and truly   
important objects4 ,half of the efforts 
that it cost the genius that was able to
 forge their religious opinions1 half of
 the expense which their frivolous      
worship cost the nations1 would have    
sufficed to enlighten them perfectly    
upon morality1 politics1 philosophy1    
medicine1 agriculture1 etc4             
,superstition nearly always absorbs the 
attention1 the admiration1 and the      
treasures of the people2 they have a    
very expensive religion2 but they have  
for their money1 neither light1 virtue1 
nor happiness4                          
,,cciv4--,,continuation4  ,some ancient 
and modern philosophers have had the    
courage to accept experience and reason 
as their guides1 and to shake off the   
chains of superstition4 ,lucippe1       

,democritus1 ,epicurus1 ,straton1 and   
some other ,greeks1 dared to tear away  
the thick veil of prejudice1 and to     
deliver philosophy from theological     
fetters4 ,but their systems1 too simple1
 too sensible1 and too stripped of      
wonders for the lovers of fancy1 were   
obliged to surrender to the fabulous    
conjectures of ,plato1 ,socrates1 and   
,zeno4 ,among the moderns1 ,hobbes1     
,spinoza1 ,bayle1 and others have       
followed the path of ,epicurus1 but     
their doctrine found but few votaries in
 a world still too much infatuated with 
fables to listen to reason4  ,in all    
ages one could not1 without imminent    
danger1 lay aside the prejudices which  
opinion had rendered sacred4 ,no one was
 permitted to make discoveries of any   
kind2 all that the most enlightened men 
could do was to speak and write with    
hidden meaning2 and often1 by a cowardly
 complaisance1 to shamefully ally       
falsehood with truth4 ,a few of them had
 a double doctrine--one public and the  

other secret4 ,the key of this last     
having been lost1 their true sentiments 
often became unintelligible and1        
consequently1 useless to us4 ,how could 
modern philosophers who1 being          
threatened with the most cruel          
persecution1 were called upon to        
renounce reason and to submit to        
faith--that is to say1 to priestly      
authority--,i say1 how could men thus   
fettered give free flight to their      
genius1 perfect reason1 or hasten human 
progress8 ,it was but in fear and       
trembling that the greatest men obtained
 glimpses of truth2 they rarely had the 
courage to announce it2 those who dared 
to do it have generally been punished   
for their temerity4 ,thanks to religion1
 it was never permitted to think aloud  
or to combat the prejudices of which man
 is everywhere the victim or the dupe4  
,,ccv4--,,we ,,could ,,not ,,repeat     
,,too ,,often ,,how ,,extravagant ,,and 
,,fatal ,,religion ,,is4  ,every man who
 has the boldness to announce truths to 

the world1 is sure to receive the hatred
 of the priests2 the latter loudly call 
upon the powers that be1 for assistance2
 they need the assistance of kings to   
sustain their arguments and their ,gods4
 ,these clamors show the weakness of    
their cause4  ,they are in embarrassment
 when they cry for help4  ,it is not    
permitted to err in the matter of       
religion2 on every other subject we can 
be deceived with impunity2 we pity those
 who go astray1 and we have some liking 
for the persons who discover truths new 
to us4 ,but as soon as theology supposes
 itself concerned1 be it in errors or   
discoveries1 a holy zeal is kindled2 the
 sovereigns exterminate2 the people fly 
into frenzy2 and the nations are all    
stirred up without knowing why4 ,is     
there anything more afflicting than to  
see public and individual welfare depend
 upon a futile science1 which is void of
 principles1 which has no standing      
ground but imagination1 and which       
presents to the mind but words void of  

sense8 ,what good is a religion which no
 one understands2 which continually     
torments those who trouble themselves   
about it2 which is incapable of         
rendering men better2 and which often   
gives them the credit of being unjust   
and wicked8 ,is there a more deplorable 
folly1 and one that ought more to be    
abated1 than that which1 far from doing 
any good to the human race1 does but    
blind it1 cause transports1 and render  
it miserable1 depriving it of truth1    
which alone can soften the rigor of     
fate8     ,,ccvi4--,,religion ,,is      
,,pandora',s ,,box1 ,,and ,,this ,,fatal
 ,,box ,,is ,,open4  ,religion has in   
every age kept the human mind in        
darkness and held it in ignorance of its
 true relations1 of its real duties and 
its true interests4 ,it is but in       
removing its clouds and phantoms that we
 may find the sources of truth1 reason1 
morality1 and the actual motives which  
inspire virtue4 ,this religion puts us  
on the wrong track for the causes of our

 evils1 and the natural remedies which  
we can apply4 ,far from curing them1 it 
can but multiply them and render them   
more durable4  ,let us1 then1 say1 with 
the celebrated ,lord ,bolingbroke1 in   
his posthumous works3 ,theology is the  
,box of ,pandora2 and if it is          
impossible to close it1 it is at least  
useful to give warning that this fatal  
box is open4  9999999999  ,i believe1 my
 dear friends1 that ,i have given you a 
sufficient preventative against all     
these follies4 ,your reason will do more
 than my discourses1 and ,i sincerely   
wish that we had only to complain of    
being deceived6 ,but human blood has    
flowed since the time of ,constantine   
for the establishment of these horrible 
impositions4 ,the ,roman1 the ,greek1   
and the ,protestant churches by vain1   
ambitious1 and hypocritical disputes    
have ravaged ,europe1 ,asia1 and        
,africa4 ,add to these men1 whom these  
quarrels murdered1 the multitudes of    
monks and of nuns1 who became sterile by

 their profession1 and you will perceive
 that the ,christian religion has       
destroyed half of the human race4  ,i   
conclude with the desire that we may    
return to ,nature1 whose declared enemy 
the ,christian religion is1 and which   
necessarily instructs us to do unto     
others as we would wish them to do unto 
us4 ,then the universe will be composed 
of good citizens1 just fathers1 obedient
 children1 tender friends4 ,nature has  
given us this ,religion1 in giving us   
,reason4 ,may fanaticism pervert it no  
more6 ,i die filled with these desires  
more than with hope4  ,,etrepigny1      
,march #ae1 #agcb  ,,john ,,meslier     
,,abstract ,,of ,,the ,,testament ,,of  
,,john ,,meslier  ,by ,voltaire2  ,,or1 
,,sentiments ,,of ,,the ,,curate ,,of   
,,etrepigny ,,addressed ,,to ,,his      
,,parishioners4     ,i4--,,of           
,,religions4  ,as there is no one       
religious denomination which does not   
pretend to be truly founded upon the    
authority of ,god1 and entirely exempt  

from all the errors and impositions     
which are found in the others1 it is for
 those who purpose to establish the     
truth of the faith of their sect1 to    
show1 by clear and convincing proofs1   
that it is of ,divine origin2 as this is
 lacking1 we must conclude that it is   
but of human invention1 and full of     
errors and deceptions2 for it is        
incredible that an ,omnipotent and      
,infinitely good ,god would have desired
 to give laws and ordinances to men1 and
 not have wished them to bear better    
authenticated marks of truth1 than those
 of the numerous impostors4 ,moreover1  
there is not one of our                 
,christ-worshipers1 of whatever sect he 
may be1 who can make us see1 by         
convincing proofs1 that his religion is 
exclusively of ,divine origin2 and for  
want of such proof they have been for   
many centuries contesting this subject  
among themselves1 even to persecuting   
each other by fire and sword to maintain
 their opinions2 there is1 however1 not 

one sect of them all which could        
convince and persuade the others by such
 witnesses of truth2 this certainly     
would not be1 if they had1 on one side  
or the other1 convincing proofs of      
,divine origin4 ,for1 as no one of any  
religious sect1 enlightened and of good 
faith1 pretends to hold and to favor    
error and falsehood2 and as1 on the     
contrary1 each1 on his side1 pretends to
 sustain truth1 the true means of       
banishing all errors1 and of uniting all
 men in peace in the same sentiments and
 in the same form of religion1 would be 
to produce convincing proofs and        
testimonies of the truth2 and thus show 
that such religion is of ,divine origin1
 and not any of the others2 then each   
one would accept this truth2 and no     
person would dare to question these     
testimonies1 or sustain the side of     
error and imposition1 lest he should be1
 at the same time1 confounded by        
contrary proofs3 but1 as these proofs   
are not found in any religion1 it gives 

to impostors occasion to invent and     
boldly sustain all kinds of falsehoods4 
,here are still other proofs1 which will
 not be less evident1 of the falsity of 
human religions1 and especially of the  
falsity of our own4 ,every religion     
which relies upon mysteries as its      
foundation1 and which takes1 as a rule  
of its doctrine and its morals1 a       
principle of errors1 and which is at the
 same time a source of trouble and      
eternal divisions among men1 can not be 
a true religion1 nor a ,divine          
,institution4 ,now1 human religions1    
especially the ,catholic1 establish as  
the basis of their doctrine and of their
 morals1 a principle of errors2 then1 it
 follows that these religions can not be
 true1 or of ,divine origin4 ,i do not  
see that we can deny the first          
proposition of this argument2 it is too 
clear and too evident to admit of a     
doubt4 ,i pass to the proof of the      
second proposition1 which is1 that the  
,christian religion takes for the rule  

of its doctrine and its morals what they
 call faith1 a blind trust1 but yet     
firm1 and secured by some laws or       
revelations of some ,deity4 ,we must    
necessarily suppose that it is thus1    
because it is this belief in some ,deity
 and in some ,divine ,revelations1 which
 gives all the credit and all the       
authority that it has in the world1 and 
without which we could make no use of   
what it prescribes4 ,this is why there  
is no religion which does not expressly 
recommend its votaries to be firm in    
their faith4 ,estate fortes in fide6    
,this is the reason that all ,christians
 accept as a maxim1 that faith is the   
commencement and the basis of salvation1
 that it is the root of all justice and 
of all sanctification1 as it is         
expressed at the ,council of            
,trent4--,sess4 #f1 ,ch4 ,,viii4  ,now  
it is evident that a blind faith in all 
which is proposed in the name and       
authority of ,god1 is a principle of    
errors and falsehoods4 ,as a proof1 we  

see that there is no impostor in the    
matter of religion1 who does not pretend
 to be clothed with the name and the    
authority of ,god1 and who does  not    
claim to be especially inspired and sent
 by ,god4 ,not only is this faith and   
blind belief which they accept as a     
basis of their doctrine1 a principle of 
errors1 etc41 but it is also a source of
 trouble and division among men for the 
maintenance of their religion4 ,there is
 no cruelty which they do not practice  
upon each other under this specious     
pretext4  ,now then1 it is not credible 
that an ,almighty1 ,all-,kind1 and      
,all-,wise ,god desired to use such     
means or such a deceitful way to inform 
men of ,his wishes2 for this would be   
manifestly desiring to lead them into   
error and to lay snares in their way1 in
 order to make them accept the side of  
falsehood4 ,it is impossible to believe 
that a ,god who loved unity and peace1  
the welfare and the happiness of men1   
would ever have established as the basis

 of ,his religion1 such a fatal source  
of trouble and of eternal divisions     
among them4 ,such religions can not be  
true1 neither could they have been      
instituted by ,god4 ,but ,i see that our
 ,christ-worshipers will not fail to    
have recourse to their pretended motives
 for credulity1 and that they will say1 
that although their faith and belief may
 be blind in one sense1 they are        
nevertheless supported by such clear and
 convincing testimonies of truth1 that  
it would be not only imprudence1 but    
temerity and folly not to surrender     
one's self4 ,they generally reduce these
 pretended motives to three or four     
leading features4 ,the first1 they draw 
from the pretended holiness of their    
religion1 which condemns vice1 and which
 recommends the practice of virtue4 ,its
 doctrine is so pure1 so simple1        
according to what they say1 that it is  
evident it could spring but from the    
sanctity of an infinitely good and wise 
,god4  ,the second motive for credulity1

 they draw from the innocence and the   
holiness of life in those who embraced  
it with love1 and defended it by        
suffering death and the most cruel      
torments1 rather than forsake it3 it not
 being credible that such great         
personages would allow themselves to be 
deceived in their belief1 that they     
would renounce all the advantages of    
life1 and expose themselves to such     
cruel torments and persecutions1 in     
order to maintain errors and            
impositions4 ,their third motive for    
credulity1 they draw from the oracles   
and prophecies which have so long been  
rendered in their favor1 and which they 
pretend have been accomplished in a     
manner which permits no doubt4 ,finally1
 their fourth motive for credulity1     
which is the most important of all1 is  
drawn from the grandeur and the         
multitude of the miracles performed1 in 
all ages1 and in every place1 in favor  
of their religion4  ,but it is easy to  
refute all these useless reasonings and 

to show the falsity of all these        
evidences4 ,for1 firstly1 the arguments 
which our ,christ-worshipers draw from  
their pretended motives for credulity   
can serve to establish and confirm      
falsehood as well as truth2 for we see  
that there is no religion1 no matter how
 false it may be1 which does not pretend
 to have a sound and true doctrine1 and 
which1 in its way1 does not condemn all 
vices and recommend the practice of all 
virtues2 there is not one which has not 
had firm and zealous defenders who have 
suffered persecution in order to        
maintain their religion2 and1 finally1  
there is none which does not pretend to 
have wonders and miracles that have been
 performed in their favor4 ,the         
,mohammedans1 the ,indians1 the heathen1
 as well as the ,christians1 claim      
miracles in their religions4 ,if our    
,christ-worshipers make use of their    
miracles and their prophecies1 they are 
found no less in the ,pagan religions   
than in theirs4 ,thus the advantage we  

might draw from all these motives for   
credulity1 is found about the same in   
all sorts of religions4 ,this being     
established1 as the history and practice
 of all religions demonstrate1 it       
evidently follows that all these        
pretended motives for credulity1 upon   
which our ,christ-worshipers place so   
much value1 are found equally in all    
religions2 and1 consequently1 can not   
serve as reliable evidences of the truth
 of their religion more than of the     
truth of any other4 ,the result is      
clear4  ,secondly4 ,in order to give an 
idea of the resemblance of the miracles 
of ,paganism to those of ,christianity1 
could we not say1 for example1 that     
there would be more reason to believe   
,philostratus in what he recites of the 
life of ,apollonius than to believe all 
the evangelists in what they say of the 
miracles of ,jesus ,christ2 because we  
know1 at least that ,philostratus was a 
man of intelligence1 eloquence1 and     
fluency2 that he was the secretary of   

the ,empress ,julia1 wife of the        
,emperor ,severus1 and that he was      
requested by this empress to write the  
life and the wonderful acts of          
,apollonius8 ,it is evident that        
,apollonius rendered himself famous by  
great and extraordinary deeds1 since an 
empress was sufficiently interested in  
them to desire a history of his life4   
,this is what can not be said of ,jesus 
,christ1 nor of those who have furnished
 us ,his biography1 for they were but   
ignorant men of the common people1 poor 
workmen1 fishermen1 who had not even the
 sense to relate consistently the facts 
which they speak of1 and which they     
mutually contradict very often4 ,in     
regard to the ,one whose life and       
actions they describe1 if ,he had really
 performed the miracles attributed to   
,him1 ,he would have rendered ,himself  
notable by ,his beautiful acts2 every   
one would have admired ,him1 and there  
would be statues erected to ,him as was 
done for the ,gods2 but instead of that1

 ,he was regarded as a man of no        
consequence1 as a fanatic1 etc4         
,josephus1 the historian1 after having  
spoken of the great miracles performed  
in favor of his nation and his religion1
 immediately diminishes their           
credibility and renders it suspicious by
 saying that he leaves to each one the  
liberty of believing what he chooses2   
this evidently shows that he had not    
much faith in them4 ,it also gives      
occasion to the more judicious to regard
 the histories which speak of this kind 
of things as fabulous narrations4 ,see  
,montaigne1 and the author of the       
,apology for ,great ,men4 ,all that can 
be said upon this subject shows us      
clearly that pretended miracles can be  
invented to favor vice and falsehood as 
well as justice and truth4  ,i prove it 
by the evidence of what even our        
,christ-worshipers call the ,word of    
,god1 and by the evidence of the ,one   
they adore2 for their books1 which they 
claim contain the ,word of ,god1 and    

,christ ,himself1 whom they adore as a  
,god-made man1 show us explicitly that  
there are not only false prophets--that 
is to say1 impostors--who claim to be   
sent by ,god1 and who speak in ,his     
name1 but which show as explicitly that 
these false prophets can perform such   
great and prodigious miracles as shall  
deceive the very elect4 ,see ,matthew1  
chapter xxiv41 verses #e1 #ba-bg4 ,more 
than this1 all these pretended          
performers of miracles wish us to put   
faith only in them1 and not in those who
 belong to an opposite party4  ,on one  
occasion one of these pretended         
prophets1 named ,sedecias1 being        
contradicted by another1 named ,michea1 
the former struck the latter and said to
 him1 pleasantly1 ,by what way did the  
,spirit of ,god pass from me to you8    
,but how can these pretended miracles be
 the evidences of truth8 for it is clear
 that they were not performed4 ,for it  
would be necessary to know3 ,firstly1   
,if those who are said to be the first  

authors of these narrations truly are   
such4 ,secondly1 ,if they were honest   
men1 worthy of confidence1 wise and     
enlightened2 and to know if they were   
not prejudiced in favor of those of whom
 they speak so favorably4 ,thirdly1 ,if 
they have examined all the circumstances
 of the facts which they relate2 if they
 know them well2 and if they make a     
faithful report of them4 ,fourthly1 ,if 
the books or the ancient histories which
 relate all these great miracles have   
not been falsified and changed in course
 of time1 as many others have been8  ,if
 we consult ,tacitus and many other     
celebrated historians1 in regard to     
,moses and his nation1 we shall see that
 they are considered as a horde of      
thieves and bandits4 ,magic and         
astrology were in those days the only   
fashionable sciences2 and as ,moses was1
 it is said1 instructed in the wisdom of
 the ,egyptians1 it was not difficult   
for him to inspire veneration and       
attachment for himself in the rustic and

 ignorant children of ,jacob1 and to    
induce them to accept1 in their misery1 
the discipline he wished to give them4  
,that is very different from what the   
,jews and our ,christ-worshipers wish to
 make us believe4 ,by what certain rule 
can we know that we should put faith in 
these rather than in the others8 ,there 
is no sound reason for it4 ,there is as 
little of certainty and even of         
probability in the miracles of the ,new 
,testament as in those of the ,old4  ,it
 will serve no purpose to say that the  
histories which relate the facts        
contained in the ,gospels have been     
regarded as true and sacred2 that they  
have always been faithfully preserved   
without any alteration of the truths    
which they contain2 since this is       
perhaps the very reason why they should 
be the more suspected1 having been      
corrupted by those who drew profit from 
them1 or who feared that they were not  
sufficiently favorable to them4         
,generally1 authors who transcribe this 

kind of histories1 take the right to    
enlarge or to retrench all they please1 
in order to serve their own interests4  
,this is what even our                  
,christ-worshipers can not deny2 for1   
without mentioning several other        
important personages who recognized the 
additions1 the retrenchments1 and the   
falsifications which have been made at  
different times in their ,holy          
,scriptures1 their saint ,jerome1 a     
famous philosopher among them1 formally 
said in several passages of his         
,prologues1 that they had been corrupted
 and falsified2 being1 even in his day1 
in the hands of all kinds of persons1   
who added and suppressed whatever they  
pleased2 so1 ,thus there were1 said he1 
as many different models as different   
copies of the ,gospels4  ,in regard to  
the books of the ,old ,testament1       
,esdras1 a priest of the law1 testifies 
himself to having corrected and         
completed wholly the pretended sacred   
books of his law1 which had partly been 

lost and partly corrupted4 ,he divided  
them into twenty-two books1 according to
 the number of the ,hebraic letters1 and
 wrote several other books1 whose       
doctrine was to be revealed to the      
learned men alone4 ,if these books have 
been partly lost and partly corrupted1  
as ,esdras and ,st4 ,jerome testify in  
so many passages1 there is then no      
certainty in regard to what they        
contain2 and as for ,esdras saying he   
had corrected and compiled them by the  
inspiration of ,god ,himself there is no
 certainty of that1 since there is no   
impostor who would not make the same    
claim4 ,all the books of the law of     
,moses and of the prophets which could  
be found1 were burned in the days of    
,antiochus4 ,the ,talmud1 considered by 
the ,jews as a holy and sacred book1 and
 which contains all the ,divine laws1   
with the sentences and notable sayings  
of the ,rabbins1 of their interpretation
 of the ,divine and of the human laws1  
and a prodigious number of other secrets

 and mysteries in the ,hebraic language1
 is considered by the ,christians as a  
book made up of reveries1 fables1       
impositions1 and ungodliness4 ,in the   
year #aeei they burned in ,rome1        
according to the command of the         
inquisitors of the faith1 twelve hundred
 of these ,talmuds1 which were found in 
a library in the city of ,cremona4 ,the 
,pharisees1 a famous sect among the     
,jews1 accepted but the five books of   
,moses1 and rejected all the prophets4  
,among the ,christians1 ,marcion and his
 votaries rejected the books of ,moses  
and the prophets1 and introduced other  
fashionable ,scriptures4 ,carpocrates   
and his followers did the same1 and     
rejected the whole of the ,old          
,testament1 and contended that ,jesus   
,christ was but a man like all others4  
,the ,marcionites repudiated as bad1 the
 whole of the ,old ,testament1 and      
rejected the greater part of the four   
,gospels and the ,epistles of ,st4      
,paul4 ,the ,ebionites accepted but the 

,gospel of ,st4 ,matthew1 rejecting the 
three others1 and the ,epistles of ,st4 
,paul4 ,the ,marcionites published a    
,gospel under the name of ,st4          
,matthias1 in order to confirm their    
doctrine4 ,the apostles introduced other
 ,scriptures in order to maintain their 
errors2 and to carry out this1 they made
 use of certain ,acts1 which they       
attributed to ,st4 ,andrew and to ,st4  
,thomas4  ,the ,manicheans wrote a      
gospel of their own style1 and rejected 
the ,scriptures of the prophets and the 
apostles4 ,the ,etzaites sold a certain 
book which they claimed to have come    
from ,heaven2 they cut up the other     
,scriptures according to their fancy4   
,origen himself1 with all his great     
mind1 corrupted the ,scriptures and     
forged changes in the allegories which  
did not suit him1 thus corrupting the   
sense of the prophets and apostles1 and 
even some of the principal points of    
doctrine4 ,his books are now mutilated  
and falsified2 they are but fragments   

collected by others who have appeared   
since4 ,the ,ellogians attributed to the
 heretic ,corinthus the ,gospel and the 
,apocalypse of ,st4 ,john2 this is why  
they reject them4 ,the heretics of our  
last centuries reject as apocryphal     
several books which the ,roman          
,catholics consider as true and         
sacred--such as the books of ,tobias1   
,judith1 ,esther1 ,baruch1 the ,song of 
the ,three ,children in the ,furnace1   
the ,history of ,susannah1 and that of  
the ,idol ,bel1 the ,wisdom of ,solomon1
 ,ecclesiasticus1 the first and second  
book of ,maccabees2 to which uncertain  
and doubtful books we could add several 
others that have been attributed to the 
other apostles2 as1 for example1 the    
,acts of ,st4 ,thomas1 his ,circuits1   
his ,gospel1 and his ,apocalypse2 the   
,gospel of ,st4 ,bartholomew1 that of   
,st4 ,matthias1 of ,st4 ,jacques1 of    
,st4 ,peter and of the ,apostles1 as    
also the ,deeds of ,st4 ,peter1 his book
 on ,preaching1 and that of his         

,apocalypse2 that of the ,judgment1 that
 of the ,childhood of the ,saviour1 and 
several others of the same kind1 which  
are all rejected as apocryphal by the   
,roman ,catholics1 even by the ,pope    
,gelasee1 and by the ,s4 ,s4 ,f4 ,f4 of 
the ,romish ,communion4 ,that which most
 confirms that there is no foundation of
 truth in regard to the authority given 
to these books1 is that those who       
maintain their ,divinity are compelled  
to acknowledge that they have no        
certainty as a basis1 if their faith did
 not assure them and oblige them to     
believe it4 ,now1 as faith is but a     
principle of error and imposture1 how   
can faith1 that is to say1 a blind      
belief1 render the books reliable which 
are themselves the foundation of this   
blind belief8 ,what a pity and what     
insanity6 ,but let us see if these books
 have of themselves any feature of      
truth2 as1 for example1 of erudition1 of
 wisdom1 and of holiness1 or some other 
perfections which are suited only to a  

,god2 and if the miracles which are     
cited agree with what we ought to think 
of the grandeur1 goodness1 justice1 and 
infinite wisdom of an ,omnipotent ,god4 
,there is no erudition1 no sublime      
thought1 nor any production which       
surpasses the ordinary capacities of the
 human mind4 ,on the contrary1 we shall 
see on one side fabulous tales similar  
to that of a woman formed of a man's    
rib2 of the pretended terrestrial       
,paradise2 of a serpent which spoke1    
which reasoned1 and which was more      
cunning than man2 of an ass which spoke1
 and reprimanded its master for         
ill-treating it2 of a universal deluge1 
and of an ark where animals of all kinds
 were inclosed2 of the confusion of     
languages and of the division of the    
nations1 without speaking of numerous   
other useless narrations upon low and   
frivolous subjects which important      
authors would scorn to relate4 ,all     
these narrations appear to be fables1 as
 much as those invented about the       

industry of ,prometheus1 the box of     
,pandora1 the war of the ,giants against
 the ,gods1 and similar others which the
 poets have invented to amuse the men of
 their time4  ,on the other hand we will
 see a mixture of laws and ordinances1  
or superstitious practices concerning   
sacrifices1 the purifications of the old
 law1 the senseless distinctions in     
regard to animals1 of which it supposes 
some to be pure and others to be impure4
 ,these laws are no more respectable    
than those of the most idolatrous       
nations4 ,we shall see but simple       
stories1 true or false1 of several      
kings1 princes1 or individuals1 who     
lived right or wrong1 or who performed  
noble or mean actions1 with other low   
and frivolous things also related4      
,from all this1 it is evident that no   
great genius was required1 nor ,divine  
,revelations to produce these things4   
,it would not be creditable to a ,god4  
,finally1 we see in these books but the 
discourses1 the conduct1 and the actions

 of those renowned prophets who         
proclaimed themselves especially        
inspired by ,god4 ,we will see their way
 of acting and speaking1 their dreams1  
their illusions1 their reveries2 and it 
will be easy to judge whether they do   
not resemble visionaries and fanatics   
much more than wise and enlightened     
persons4  ,there are1 however1 in a few 
of these books1 several good teachings  
and beautiful maxims of morals1 as in   
the ,proverbs attributed to ,solomon1 in
 the book of ,wisdom and of             
,ecclesiastes2 but this same ,solomon1  
the wisest of their writers1 is also the
 most incredulous2 he doubts even the   
immortality of the soul1 and concludes  
his works by saying that there is       
nothing good but to enjoy in peace the  
fruits of one's labor1 and to live with 
those whom we love4  ,how superior are  
the authors who are called profane1 such
 as ,xenophon1 ,plato1 ,cicero1 the     
,emperor ,antoninus1 the ,emperor       
,julian1 ,virgil1 etc41 to the books    

which we are told are inspired of ,god4 
,i can truly say that the fables of     
,aesop1 for example1 are certainly more 
ingenious and more instructive than all 
these rough and poor parables which are 
related in the ,gospels4  ,but what     
shows us that this kind of books is not 
of ,divine ,inspiration1 is1 that aside 
from the low order1 coarseness of style1
 and the lack of system in the          
narrations of the different facts1 which
 are very badly arranged1 we do not see 
that the authors agree2 they contradict 
each other in several things2 they had  
not even sufficient enlightenment or    
natural talents to write a history4     
,here are some examples of the          
contradictions which are found among    
them4 ,the ,evangelist ,matthew claims  
that ,jesus ,christ descended from king 
,david by his son ,solomon through      
,joseph1 reputed to be ,his father2 and 
,luke claims that ,he is descended from 
the same ,david by his son ,nathan      
through ,joseph4  ,matthew says1 in     

speaking of ,jesus1 that1 it being      
reported in ,jerusalem that a new king  
of the ,jews was born1 and that the wise
 men had come to adore ,him1 the king   
,herod1 fearing that this pretended new 
king would rob him of his crown some    
day1 caused the murder of all the       
new-born children under two years1 in   
all the neighborhood of ,bethlehem1     
where he had been told that this new    
king was born2 and that ,joseph and the 
mother of ,jesus1 having been warned in 
a dream by an angel1 of this wicked     
intention1 took flight immediately to   
,egypt1 where they stayed until the     
death of ,herod1 which happened many    
years afterward4  ,on the contrary1     
,luke asserts that ,joseph and the      
mother of ,jesus lived peaceably during 
six weeks in the place where their child
 ,jesus was born2 that ,he was          
circumcised according to the law of the 
,jews1 eight days after ,his birth2 and 
when the time prescribed by the law for 
the purification of ,his mother had     

arrived1 she and ,joseph1 her husband1  
carried ,him to ,jerusalem in order to  
present ,him to ,god in ,his temple1 and
 to offer at the same time a sacrifice  
which was ordained by ,god's law2 after 
which they returned to ,galilee1 into   
their town of ,nazareth1 where their    
child ,jesus grew every day in grace and
 in wisdom4 ,luke goes on to say that   
,his father and ,his mother went every  
year to ,jerusalem on the solemn days of
 their ,easter feast1 but makes no      
mention of their flight into ,egypt1 nor
 of the cruelty of ,herod toward the    
children of the province of ,bethlehem4 
,in regard to the cruelty of ,herod1 as 
neither the historians of that time     
speak of it1 nor ,josephus1 the         
historian who wrote the life of this    
,herod1 and as the other ,evangelists do
 not mention it1 it is evident that the 
journey of those wise men1 guided by a  
star1 this massacre of little children1 
and this flight to ,egypt1 were but     
absurd falsehoods4 ,for it is not       

credible that ,josephus1 who blamed the 
vices of this king1 could have been     
silent on such a dark and detestable    
action1 if what the ,evangelist said had
 been true4  ,in regard to the duration 
of the public life of ,jesus ,christ1   
according to what the first three       
,evangelists say1 there could be        
scarcely more than three months from the
 time of ,his baptism until ,his death1 
supposing ,he was thirty years old when 
,he was baptized by ,john1 according to 
,luke1 and that ,he was born on the     
#beth of ,december4 ,for1 from this     
baptism1 which was in the year #ae of   
,tiberius ,caesar1 and in the year when 
,anne and ,caiaphas were high-priests1  
to the first ,easter following1 which   
was in the month of ,march1 there was   
but about three months2 according to    
what the first three ,evangelists say1  
,he was crucified on the eve of the     
first ,easter following ,his baptism1   
and the first time ,he went to          
,jerusalem with ,his disciples2 because 

all that they say of ,his baptism1 of   
,his travels1 of ,his miracles1 of ,his 
preaching1 of ,his death and passion1   
must have taken place in the same year  
of ,his baptism1 for the ,evangelists   
speak of no other year following1 and it
 appears even by the narration of ,his  
acts that ,he performed them            
consecutively immediately after ,his    
baptism1 and in a very short time1      
during which we see but an interval of  
six days before his ,transfiguration2   
during these six days we do not see that
 ,he did anything4 ,we see by this that 
,he lived but about three months after  
,his baptism1 from which1 if we subtract
 the forty days and forty nights which  
,he passed in the desert immediately    
after ,his baptism1 it would follow that
 the length of ,his public life from    
,his first preaching till ,his death1   
would have lasted but about six weeks2  
and according to what ,john says1 it    
would have lasted at least three years  
and three months1 because it appears by 

the ,gospel of this apostle1 that1      
during the course of ,his public life   
,he might have been three or four times 
at ,jerusalem at the ,easter feast which
 happened but once a year4  ,now if it  
is true that ,he had been there three or
 four times after ,his baptism1 as ,john
 testifies1 it is false that ,he lived  
but three months after ,his baptism1 and
 that ,he was crucified the first time  
,he went to ,jerusalem4  ,if it is said 
that these first three ,evangelists     
really mean but one year1 but that they 
do not indicate distinctly the others   
which elapsed since ,his baptism2 or    
that ,john understood that there was but
 one ,easter1 although he speaks of     
several1 and that he only anticipated   
the time when he repeatedly tells us    
that the ,easter feast of the ,jews was 
near at hand1 and that ,jesus went to   
,jerusalem1 and1 consequently1 that     
there is but an apparent contradiction  
upon this subject between the           
,evangelists1 ,i am willing to accept   

this2 but it is certain that this       
apparent contradiction springs from the 
fact1 that they do not explain          
themselves in all the circumstances that
 are noted in the narration which they  
make4 ,be that as it may1 there will    
always be this inference made1 that they
 were not inspired by ,god when they    
wrote their biographies of ,christ4     
,here is another contradiction in regard
 to the first thing which ,jesus        
,christ did immediately after ,his      
baptism2 for the first three            
,evangelists state1 that ,he was        
transported immediately by the ,spirit  
into the desert1 where ,he fasted forty 
days and forty nights1 and where ,he was
 several times tempted by the ,devil2   
and1 according to what ,john says1 ,he  
departed two days after ,his baptism to 
go into ,galilee1 where ,he performed   
,his first miracle by changing water    
into wine at the wedding of ,cana1 where
 ,he found ,himself three days after    
,his arrival in ,galilee1 more than     

thirty leagues from the place in which  
,he had been4  ,in regard to the place  
of ,his first retreat after ,his        
departure from the desert1 ,matthew says
 that ,he returned to ,galilee1 and that
 leaving the city of ,nazareth1 ,he went
 to live at ,capernaum1 a maritime city2
 and ,luke says1 that ,he came at first 
to ,nazareth1 and afterward went to     
,capernaum4  ,they contradict each other
 in regard to the time and manner in    
which the apostles followed ,him2 for   
the first three say that ,jesus1 passing
 on the shore of the ,sea of ,galilee1  
saw ,simon and ,andrew his brother1 and 
that ,he saw at a little distance ,james
 and his brother ,john with their       
father1 ,zebedee4 ,john1 on the         
contrary1 says that it was ,andrew1     
brother of ,simon ,peter1 who first     
followed ,jesus with another disciple of
 ,john the ,baptist1 having seen ,him   
pass before them1 when they were with   
their ,master on the shores of the      
,jordan4  ,in regard to the ,lord's     

,supper1 the first three ,evangelists   
note that ,jesus ,christ instituted the 
,sacrament of ,his body and ,his blood1 
in the form of bread and wine1 the same 
as our ,roman ,christ-worshipers say2   
and ,john does not mention this         
mysterious sacrament4 ,john says that   
after this supper1 ,jesus washed ,his   
apostles' feet1 and commanded them to do
 the same thing to each other1 and      
relates a long discourse which ,he      
delivered then4 ,but the other          
,evangelists do not speak of the washing
 of the feet1 nor of the long discourse 
,he gave them then4 ,on the contrary1   
they testify that immediately after this
 supper1 ,he went with ,his apostles    
upon the ,mount of ,olives1 where ,he   
gave up ,his ,spirit to sadness1 and was
 in anguish while ,his apostles slept1  
at a short distance4 ,they contradict   
each other upon the day on which they   
say the ,lord's ,supper took place2     
because on one side1 they note that it  
took place ,easter-eve1 that is1 the    

evening of the first day of ,azymes1 or 
of the feast of unleavened bread2 as it 
is noted 7#a7 in ,exodus1 7#b7 in       
,leviticus1 and 7#c7 in ,numbers2 and1  
on the other hand1 they say that ,he was
 crucified the day following the ,lord's
 ,supper1 about midday after the ,jews  
had ,his trial during the whole night   
and morning4 ,now1 according to what    
they say1 the day after this supper took
 place1 ought not to be ,easter-eve4    
,therefore1 if ,he died on the eve of   
,easter1 toward midday1 it was not on   
the eve of this feast that this supper  
took place4 ,there is consequently a    
manifest error4  ,they contradict each  
other1 also1 in regard to the women who 
followed ,jesus from ,galilee1 for the  
first three ,evangelists say that these 
women1 and those who knew ,him1 among   
whom were ,mary ,magdalene1 and ,mary1  
mother of ,james and ,joseph1 and the   
mother of ,zebedee's children1 were     
looking on at a distance when ,he was   
hanged and nailed upon the cross4 ,john 

says1 on the contrary1 that the mother  
of ,jesus and ,his mother's sister1 and 
,mary ,magdalene were standing near ,his
 cross with ,john1 ,his apostle4 ,the   
contradiction is manifest1 for1 if these
 women and this disciple were near ,him1
 they were not at a distance1 as the    
others say they were4  ,they contradict 
each other upon the pretended           
apparitions which they relate that      
,jesus made after ,his pretended        
resurrection2 for ,matthew speaks of but
 two apparitions3 the one when ,he      
appeared to ,mary ,magdalene and to     
another woman1 also named ,mary1 and    
when ,he appeared to ,his eleven        
disciples who had returned to ,galilee  
upon the mountain where ,he had         
appointed to meet them4 ,mark speaks of 
three apparitions3 ,the first1 when ,he 
appeared to ,mary ,magdalene2 the       
second1 when ,he appeared to ,his two   
disciples1 who went to ,emmaus2 and the 
third1 when ,he appeared to ,his eleven 
disciples1 whom ,he reproaches for their

 incredulity4 ,luke speaks of but two   
apparitions the same as ,matthew2 and   
,john the ,evangelist speaks of four    
apparitions1 and adds to ,mark's three1 
the one which ,he made to seven or eight
 of ,his disciples who were fishing upon
 the shores of the ,tiberian ,sea4      
,they contradict each other1 also1 in   
regard to the place of these            
apparitions2 for ,matthew says that it  
was in ,galilee1 upon a mountain2 ,mark 
says that it was when they were at      
table2 ,luke says that ,he brought them 
out of ,jerusalem as far as ,bethany1   
where ,he left them by rising to        
,heaven2 and ,john says that it was in  
the city of ,jerusalem1 in a house of   
which they had closed the doors1 and    
another time upon the borders of the    
,tiberian ,sea4  ,thus is much          
contradiction in the report of these    
pretended apparitions4 ,they contradict 
each other in regard to ,his pretended  
ascension to heaven2 for ,luke and ,mark
 say positively that ,he went to heaven 

in presence of the eleven apostles1 but 
neither ,matthew nor ,john mentions at  
all this pretended ascension4 ,more than
 this1 ,matthew testifies sufficiently  
that ,he did not ascend to heaven2 for  
he said positively that ,jesus ,christ  
assured ,his apostles that ,he would be 
and remain always with them until the   
end of the world4 ,go ye1 ,he said to   
them1 in this pretended apparition1 and 
teach all nations1 and be assured that  
,i am with you always1 even unto the end
 of the world4 ,luke contradicts himself
 upon the subject2 for in his ,gospel he
 says that it was in ,bethany where ,he 
ascended to heaven in the presence of   
,his apostles1 and in his ,acts of the  
,apostles 7supposing him to have been   
the author7 he says that it was upon the
 ,mount of ,olives4 ,he contradicts     
himself again about this ascension2 for 
he notes in his ,gospel that it was the 
very day of ,his resurrection1 or the   
first night following1 that ,he ascended
 to heaven2 and in the ,acts of the     

,apostles he says that it was forty days
 after ,his resurrection2 this certainly
 does not correspond4 ,if all the       
apostles had really seen their ,master  
gloriously rise to heaven1 how could it 
be possible that ,matthew and ,john1 who
 would have seen it as well as the      
others1 passed in silence such a        
glorious mystery1 and which was so      
advantageous to their ,master1          
considering that they relate many other 
circumstances of ,his life and of ,his  
actions which are much less important   
than this one8 ,how is it that ,matthew 
does not mention this ascension8 ,and   
why does ,christ not explain clearly how
 ,he would live with them always1       
although ,he left them visibly to ascend
 to heaven8 ,it is not easy to          
comprehend by what secret ,he could live
 with those whom ,he left4  ,i pass in  
silence many other contradictions2 what 
,i have said is sufficient to show that 
these books are not of ,divine          
,inspiration1 nor even of human wisdom1 

and1 consequently1 do not deserve that  
we should put any faith in them4        
,,ii4--,,of ,,miracles4  ,but by what   
privilege do these four ,gospels1 and   
some other similar books1 pass for ,holy
 and ,divine more than several others1  
which bear no less the title of         
,gospels1 and which have been published 
under the name of some other apostles8  
,if it is said that the reputed ,gospels
 are falsely attributed to the apostles1
 we can say the same of the first ones2 
if we suppose the first ones to be      
falsified and changed1 we can think the 
same of the others4 ,thus there is no   
positive proof to make us discern the   
one from the other2 in spite of the     
,church1 which assumes to deride the    
matter1 it is not credible4  ,in regard 
to the pretended miracles related in the
 ,old ,testament1 they could have been  
performed but to indicate on the part of
 ,god an unjust and odious              
discrimination between nations and      
between individuals2 purposely injuring 

the one in order to especially favor the
 other4 ,the vocation and the choice    
which ,god made of the ,patriarchs1     
,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob1 in order  
to make for ,himself of their posterity 
a people which ,he would sanctify and   
bless above all other peoples of the    
earth1 is a proof of it4 ,but it will be
 said ,god is the absolute master of    
,his favors and of ,his benefits2 ,he   
can grant them to whomsoever ,he        
pleases1 without any one having the     
right to complain or to accuse ,him of  
injustice4 ,this reason is useless2 for 
,god1 the ,author of nature1 the ,father
 of all men1 ought to love them all     
alike as ,his own work1 and1            
consequently1 ,he ought to be equally   
their protector and their benefactor2   
giving them life1 ,he ought to give all 
that is necessary for the well-being of 
,his creatures4  ,if all these pretended
 miracles of the ,old and of the ,new   
,testament were true1 we could say that 
,god would have had more care in        

providing for the least good of men than
 for their greatest and principal good2 
that ,he would have punished more       
severely trifling faults in certain     
persons than ,he would have punished    
great crimes in others2 and1 finally1   
that ,he would not have desired to show 
,himself as beneficent in the most      
pressing needs as in the least4 ,this is
 easy enough to show as much by the     
miracles which it is pretended that ,he 
performed1 as by those which ,he did not
 perform1 and which ,he would have      
performed rather than any other1 if it  
is true that ,he performed any at all4  
,for example1 it is claimed that ,god   
had the kindness to send an angel to    
console and to assist a simple maid1    
while ,he left1 and still leaves every  
day1 a countless number of innocents to 
languish and starve to death2 it is     
claimed that ,he miraculously preserved 
during forty years the clothes and the  
shoes of a few people1 while ,he will   
not watch over the natural preservation 

of the vast quantities of goods which   
are useful and necessary for the        
subsistence of great nations1 and that  
are lost every day by different         
accidents4 ,it is claimed that ,he sent 
to the first beings of the human race1  
,adam and ,eve1 a devil1 or a simple    
serpent1 to seduce them1 and by this    
means ruin all men4 ,this is not        
credible6 ,it is claimed1 that by a     
special providence1 ,he prevented the   
,king of ,gerais1 a ,pagan1 from        
committing sin with a strange woman1    
although there would be no results to   
follow2 and yet ,he did not prevent     
,adam and ,eve from offending ,him and  
falling into the sin of disobedience--a 
sin which1 according to our             
,christ-worshipers was to be fatal1 and 
cause the destruction of the human race4
 ,this is not credible6  ,let us come to
 the pretended miracles of the ,new     
,testament4 ,they consist1 as is        
pretended1 in this3 that ,jesus ,christ 
and ,his apostles cured1 through the    

,deity1 all kinds of diseases and       
infirmities1 giving sight to the blind1 
hearing to the deaf1 speech to the dumb1
 making the lame to walk1 curing the    
paralytics1 driving the devils from     
those who were possessed1 and bringing  
the dead to life4  ,we find several of  
these miracles in the ,gospels1 but we  
see a good many more of them in the     
books that our ,christ-worshipers have  
written of the admirable lives of their 
saints2 for in these lives we nearly    
everywhere read that these pretended    
blessed ones cured diseases and         
infirmities1 expelled the devils        
wherever they encountered them1 solely  
in the name of ,jesus or by the sign of 
the cross2 that they controlled the     
elements2 that ,god favored them so much
 that ,he even preserved to them ,his   
,divine power after their death1 and    
that this ,divine power could be        
communicated even to the least of their 
clothing1 even to their shadows1 and    
even to the infamous instruments of     

their death4 ,it is said that the shoe  
of ,st4 ,honorius raised a dead man on  
the sixth of ,january2 that the staff of
 ,st4 ,peter1 that of ,st4 ,james1 and  
that of ,st4 ,bernard performed         
miracles4 ,the same is said of the cord 
of ,st4 ,francis1 of the staff of ,st4  
,john of ,god1 and of the girdle of ,st4
 ,melanie4 ,it is said that ,st4        
,gracilien was divinely instructed as to
 what he ought to believe and to teach1 
and that he1 by the influence of his    
prayer1 removed a mountain which        
prevented him from building a church2   
that from the sepulchre of ,st4 ,andrew 
flowed incessantly a liquor which cured 
all sorts of diseases2 that the soul of 
,st4 ,benedict was seen ascending to    
,heaven clothed with a precious cloak   
and surrounded by burning lamps2 that   
,st4 ,dominic said that ,god never      
refused him anything he asked2 that ,st4
 ,francis commanded the swallows1 swans1
 and other birds to obey him1 and that  
often the fishes1 rabbits1 and the hares

 came and placed themselves on his hands
 and on his lap2 that ,st4 ,paul and    
,st4 ,pantaleon1 having been beheaded1  
there flowed milk instead of blood2 that
 the blessed ,peter of ,luxembourg1 in  
the first two years after his death     
7#achh and #achi71 performed two        
thousand four hundred miracles1 among   
which forty-two dead were brought to    
life1 not including more than three     
thousand other miracles which he has    
performed since2 that the fifty         
philosophers whom ,st4 ,catherine       
converted1 having all been thrown into a
 great fire1 their whole bodies were    
afterward found and not a single hair   
was scorched2 that the body of ,st4     
,catherine was carried off by angels    
after her death1 and buried by them upon
 ,mount ,sinai2 that the day of the     
canonization of ,st4 ,antoine de ,padua1
 all the bells of the city of ,lisbon   
rang of themselves1 without any one     
knowing how it was done2 that this saint
 being once near the sea-shore1 and     

calling the fishes1 they came to him in 
a great multitude1 and raised their     
heads out of the water and listened to  
him attentively4 ,we should never come  
to an end if we had to report all this  
idle talk2 there is no subject1 however 
vain1 frivolous1 and even ridiculous1 on
 which the authors of these ,,lives ,,of
 ,,the ,,saints do not take pleasure in 
heaping miracles upon miracles1 for they
 are skillful in forging absurd         
falsehoods4  ,it is certainly not       
without reason that we consider these   
things as lies2 for it is easy to see   
that all these pretended miracles have  
been invented but by imitating the      
fables of the ,pagan poets4 ,this is    
sufficiently obvious by the resemblance 
which they bear one to another4         
,,iii4--,,similarity ,,between ,,ancient
 ,,and ,,modern ,,miracles4  ,if our    
,christ-worshipers claim that ,god      
endowed their saints with power to      
perform the miracles related in their   
lives1 some of the ,pagans claim also   

that the daughters of ,anius1           
high-priest of ,apollo1 had really      
received from the god ,bacchus the power
 to change all they desired into wheat1 
into wine1 or into oil1 etc42 that      
,jupiter gave to the nymphs who took    
care of his education1 a horn of the    
goat which nursed him in his infancy1   
with this virtue1 that it could give    
them an abundance of all they wished    
for4  ,if our ,christ-worshipers assert 
that their saints had the power of      
raising the dead1 and that they had     
,divine revelations1 the ,pagans had    
said before them that ,athalide1 son of 
,mercury1 had obtained from his father  
the gift of living1 dying1 and coming to
 life whenever he wished1 and that he   
had also the knowledge of all that      
transpired in this world as well as in  
the other2 and that ,esculapius1 son of 
,apollo1 had raised the dead1 and1 among
 others1 he brought to life ,hyppolites1
 son of ,theseus1 by ,diana's request2  
and that ,hercules1 also1 raised from   

the dead ,alceste1 wife of ,admetus1    
,king of ,thessalia1 to return her to   
her husband4  ,if our ,christ-worshipers
 say that ,christ was miraculously born 
of a virgin1 the ,pagans had said before
 them that ,remus and ,romulus1 the     
founders of ,rome1 were miraculously    
born of a vestal virgin named ,ilia1 or 
,silvia1 or ,rhea ,silvia2 they had     
already said that ,mars1 ,argus1        
,vulcan1 and others were born of the    
goddess ,juno without sexual union2 and1
 also1 that ,minerva1 goddess of the    
sciences1 sprang from ,jupiter's brain1 
and that she came out of it1 all armed1 
by means of a blow which this god gave  
to his own head4  ,if our               
,christ-worshipers claim that their     
saints made water gush from rocks1 the  
,pagans pretend also that ,minerva made 
a fountain of oil spring forth from a   
rock as a recompense for a temple which 
had been dedicated to her4  ,if our     
,christ-worshipers boast of having      
received images from ,heaven            

miraculously1 as1 for example1 those of 
,notre-,dame de ,loretto1 and of ,liesse
 and several other gifts from ,heaven1  
as the pretended ,holy ,vial of ,rheims1
 as the white ,chasuble which ,st4      
,ildefonse received from the ,virgin    
,mary1 and other similar things3 the    
,pagans boasted before them of having   
received a sacred shield as a mark of   
the preservation of their city of ,rome1
 and the ,trojans boasted before them of
 having received miraculously from      
,heaven their ,palladium1 or their ,idol
 of ,pallas1 which came1 they said1 to  
takes its place in the temple which they
 had erected in honor of this ,goddess4 
,if our ,christ-worshipers pretend that 
,jesus ,christ was seen by ,his apostles
 ascending to ,heaven1 and that several 
of their pretended saints were          
transported to ,heaven by angels1 the   
,roman ,pagans had said before them1    
that ,romulus1 their founder1 was seen  
after his death2 that ,ganymede1 son of 
,troas1 king of ,troy1 was transported  

to ,heaven by ,jupiter to serve him as  
cup-bearer that the hair of ,berenice1  
being consecrated to the temple of      
,venus1 was afterward carried to        
,heaven2 they say the same thing of     
,cassiope and ,andromedes1 and even of  
the ass of ,silenus4  ,if our           
,christ-worshipers pretend that several 
of their saints' bodies were            
miraculously saved from decomposition   
after death1 and that they were found by
 ,divine ,revelations1 after having been
 lost for a long time1 the ,pagans say  
the same of the holy of ,orestes1 which 
they pretend to have found through an   
oracle1 etc4  ,if our ,christ-worshipers
 say that the seven sleeping brothers   
slept during one hundred and            
seventy-seven years1 while they were    
shut up in a cave1 the ,pagans claim    
that ,epimenides1 the philosopher1 slept
 during fifty-seven years in a cave     
where he fell asleep4  ,if our          
,christ-worshipers claim that several of
 their saints continued to speak after  

losing the head1 or having the tongue   
cut out1 the ,pagans claim that the head
 of ,gambienus recited a long poem after
 separation from his body4  ,if our     
,christ-worshipers glorify themselves   
that their temples and churches are     
ornamented with several pictures and    
rich gifts which show miraculous cures  
performed by the intercession of their  
saints1 we also see1 or at least we     
formerly saw in the temple of           
,esculapius at ,epidaurus1 many         
paintings of miraculous cures which he  
had performed4  ,if our                 
,christ-worshipers claim that several of
 their saints have been miraculously    
preserved in the flames without having  
received any injury to their bodies or  
their clothing1 the ,pagans claim that  
the ,holy women of the temple of ,diana 
walked upon burning coals barefooted    
without burning or hurting their feet1  
and that the priests of the ,goddess    
,feronie and of ,hirpicus walked in the 
same way upon burning coals in the fires

 which were made in honor of ,apollo4   
,if the angels built a chapel for ,st4  
,clement at the bottom of the sea1 the  
little house of ,baucis and of ,philemon
 was miraculously changed into a superb 
temple as a reward of their piety4 ,if  
several of their saints1 as ,st4 ,james 
and ,st4 ,maurice1 appeared several     
times in their armies1 mounted and      
equipped in ancient style1 and fought   
for them1 ,castor and ,pollux appeared  
several times in battles and fought for 
the ,romans against their enemies2 if a 
ram was miraculously found to be offered
 as a sacrifice in the place of ,isaac1 
whom his father ,abraham was about to   
sacrifice1 the ,goddess ,vesta also sent
 a heifer to be sacrificed in the place 
of ,metella1 daughter of ,metellus3 the 
,goddess ,diana sent a hind in the place
 of ,iphigenie when she was at the stake
 to be sacrificed to her1 and by this   
means ,iphigenie was saved4  ,if ,st4   
,joseph went into ,egypt by the warning 
of an angel1 ,simonides1 the poet1      

avoided several great dangers by        
miraculous warnings which had been given
 to him4  ,if ,moses forced a stream of 
water to flow from a rock by striking it
 with his staff1 the horse ,pegasus did 
the same3 by striking a rock with his   
foot a fountain issued4  ,if ,st4       
,vincent ,ferrier brought to life a dead
 man hacked into pieces1 whose body was 
already half roasted and half broiled1  
,pelops1 son of ,tantalus king of       
,phrygia1 having been torn to pieces by 
his father to be sacrificed to the      
,gods1 they gathered all the pieces1    
joined them1 and brought them to life4  
,if several crucifixes and other images 
have miraculously spoken and answered1  
the ,pagans say that their oracles have 
spoken and given answers to those who   
consulted them1 and that the head of    
,orpheus and that of ,policrates gave   
oracles after their death4  ,if ,god    
revealed by a voice from ,heaven that   
,jesus ,christ was ,his ,son1 as the    
,evangelists say1 ,vulcan showed by the 

apparition of a miraculous flame1 that  
,coceculus was really his son4  ,if ,god
 has miraculously nourished some of ,his
 saints1 the ,pagan poets pretend that  
,triptolemus was miraculously nourished 
with ,divine milk by ,ceres1 who gave   
him also a chariot drawn by two dragons1
 and that ,phineus1 son of ,mars1 being 
born after his mother's death1 was      
nevertheless miraculously nourished by  
her milk4  ,if several saints           
miraculously tamed the ferocity of the  
most cruel beasts1 it is said that      
,orpheus attracted to him1 by the       
sweetness of his voice and by the       
harmony of his instruments1 lions1      
bears1 and tigers1 and softened the     
ferocity of their nature2 that he       
attracted rocks and trees1 and that even
 the rivers stopped their course to     
listen to his song4  ,finally1 to       
abbreviate1 because we could report many
 others1 if our ,christ-worshipers      
pretend that the walls of the city of   
,jericho fell by the sound of their     

trumpets1 the ,pagans say that the walls
 of the city of ,thebes were built by   
the sound of the musical instruments of 
,amphion2 the stones1 as the poets say1 
arranging themselves to the sweetness of
 his harmony2 this would be much more   
miraculous and more admirable than to   
see the walls demolished4  ,there is    
certainly a great similarity between the
 ,pagan miracles and our own4 ,as it    
would be great folly to give credence to
 these pretended miracles of ,paganism1 
it is not any the less so to have faith 
in those of ,christianity1 because they 
all come from the same source of error4 
,it was for this that the ,manicheans   
and the ,arians1 who existed at the     
commencement of the ,christian ,era1    
derided these pretended miracles        
performed by the invocation of saints1  
and blamed those who invoked them after 
death and honored their relics4  ,let us
 return at present to the principal end 
which ,god proposed to ,himself1 in     
sending ,his ,son into the world to     

become man2 it must have been1 as they  
say1 to redeem the world from sin and to
 destroy entirely the works of the      
pretended ,devil1 etc4 ,this is what our
 ,christ-worshipers claim also1 that    
,jesus ,christ died for them according  
to ,his ,father's intention1 which is   
plainly stated in all the pretended     
,holy ,books4 ,what6 an ,almighty ,god1 
who was willing to become a mortal man  
for the love of men1 and to shed ,his   
blood to the last drop1 to save them    
all1 would yet have limited ,his power  
to only curing a few diseases and       
physical infirmities of a few           
individuals who were brought to ,him2   
and would not have employed ,his ,divine
 goodness in curing the infirmities of  
the soul6 that is to say1 in curing all 
men of their vices and their            
depravities1 which are worse than the   
diseases of their bodies6 ,this is not  
credible4 ,what6 such a good ,god would 
desire to preserve dead corpses from    
decay and corruption2 and would not keep

 from the contagion and corruption of   
vice and sin the souls of a countless   
number of persons whom ,he sought to    
redeem at the price of ,his blood1 and  
to sanctify by ,his grace6 ,what a      
pitiful contradiction6     ,,iv4--,,of  
,,the ,,falsity ,,of ,,the ,,christian  
,,religion4  ,let us proceed to the     
pretended visions and ,divine           
,revelations1 upon which our            
,christ-worshipers establish the truth  
and the certainty of their religion4    
,in order to give a just idea of it1 ,i 
believe it is best to say in general1   
that they are such1 that if any one     
should dare now to boast of similar     
ones1 or wish to make them valued1 he   
would certainly be regarded as a fool or
 a fanatic4  ,here is what the pretended
 ,visions and ,divine ,revelations are3 
,god1 as these pretended ,holy ,books   
claim1 having appeared for the first    
time to ,abraham1 said to him3 ,get thee
 out of thy country1 and from thy       
kindred and from thy father's house1    

into a land that ,i will show thee4     
,abraham1 having gone there1 ,god1 says 
the ,bible1 appeared the second time to 
him1 and said1 ,unto thy seed will ,i   
give this land1 and there builded he an 
altar unto the ,lord1 who appeared unto 
him4 ,after the death of ,isaac1 his    
son1 ,jacob going one day to            
,mesopotamia to look for a wife that    
would suit him1 having walked all the   
day1 and being tired from the long      
distance1 desired to rest toward        
evening2 lying upon the ground1 with his
 head resting upon a few stones1 he fell
 asleep1 and during his sleep he saw a  
ladder set upon the earth1 and the top  
of it reached to ,heaven2 and beheld the
 angels of ,god ascending and descending
 on it4 ,and behold1 the ,lord stood    
above it1 and said3 ,i am the ,lord1    
,god of ,abraham thy father1 and the    
,god of ,isaac2 the land whereon thou   
liest1 to thee will ,i give it1 and to  
thy seed4 ,and thy seed shall be as the 
dust of the earth1 and thou shalt spread

 abroad to the west and to the east1 and
 to the north and to the south and in   
thee and in thy seed shall all the      
nations of the earth be blessed4 ,and   
behold1 ,i am with thee and will keep   
thee in all places whither thou goest1  
and will bring thee again into this     
land3 for ,i will not leave thee until  
,i have done that which ,i have spoken  
to thee of4 ,and ,jacob awaked out of   
his sleep1 and he said3 ,surely the     
,lord is in this place1 and ,i knew it  
not4 ,and he was afraid1 and said3 ,how 
dreadful is this place6 this is none    
other than the house of ,god1 and this  
is the gate of ,heaven4 ,and ,jacob rose
 up early in the morning1 and took the  
stone that he had put for his pillow1   
and set it up for a pillar1 and poured  
oil on the top of it1 and made at the   
same time a vow to ,god1 that if he     
should return safe and sound1 he would  
give ,him a tithe of all he might       
possess4  ,here is yet another vision4  
,watching the flocks of his             

father-in-law1 ,laban1 who had promised 
him that all the speckled lambs produced
 by his sheep should be his recompense1 
he dreamed one night that he saw all the
 males leap upon the females1 and all   
the lambs they brought forth were       
speckled4 ,in this beautiful dream1 ,god
 appeared to him1 and said3 ,lift up now
 thine eyes and see that the rams which 
leap upon the cattle are ring-streaked1 
speckled1 and grizzled2 for ,i have seen
 all that ,laban does unto thee4 ,now   
arise1 get thee out from this land1 and 
return unto the land of thy kindred4 ,as
 he was returning with his whole family1
 and with all he obtained from his      
father-in-law1 he had1 says the ,bible1 
a wrestle with an unknown man during the
 whole night1 until the breaking of the 
day1 and as this man had not been able  
to subdue him1 ,he asked him who he was4
 ,jacob told ,him his name2 and ,he     
said3 ,thy name shall be called no more 
,jacob1 but ,israel2 for as a prince    
hast thou power with ,god and with men1 

and hast prevailed4  ,this is a specimen
 of the first of these pretended        
,visions and ,divine ,revelations4 ,we  
can judge of the others by these4 ,now1 
what appearance of ,divinity is there in
 dreams so gross and illusions so vain8 
,as if some foreigners1 ,germans1 for   
instance1 should come into our ,france1 
and1 after seeing all the beautiful     
provinces of our kingdom1 should claim  
that ,god had appeared to them in their 
country1 that ,he had told them to go   
into ,france1 and that ,he would give to
 them and to their posterity all the    
beautiful lands1 domains1 and provinces 
of this kingdom which extend from the   
rivers ,rhine and ,rhone1 even to the   
sea2 that ,he would make an everlasting 
alliance with them1 that ,he would      
multiply their race1 that ,he would make
 their posterity as numerous as the     
stars of ,heaven and as the sands of the
 sea1 etc41 who would not laugh at such 
folly1 and consider these strangers as  
insane fools6  ,now there is no reason  

to think otherwise of all that has been 
said by these pretended ,holy           
,patriarchs1 ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and      
,jacob1 in regard to the ,divine        
,revelations which they claim to have   
had4 ,as to the institution of bloody   
sacrifices1 the ,holy ,scriptures       
attribute it to ,god4 ,as it would be   
too wearisome to go into the disgusting 
details of this kind of sacrifices1 ,i  
refer the reader to ,exodus4 ,see       
chapters xxv41 xxvii41 xxyiii41 and     
xxix4  ,were not men insane and blind to
 believe they were honoring ,god by     
tearing into pieces1 butchering1 and    
burning ,his own creatures1 under the   
pretext of offering them as sacrifices  
to ,him8 ,and even now1 how is it that  
our ,christ-worshipers are so           
extravagant as to expect to please ,god 
the ,father1 by offering up to ,him the 
sacrifice of ,his ,divine ,son1 in      
remembrance of ,his being shamefully    
nailed to a cross upon which ,he died8  
,certainly this can spring only from an 

obstinate blindness of mind4  ,in regard
 to the detail of the sacrifices of     
animals1 it consists but in colored     
clothing1 blood1 plucks1 livers1 birds' 
crops1 kidneys1 claws1 skins1 in the    
dung1 smoke1 cakes1 certain measures of 
oil and wine1 the whole being offered   
and infected by dirty ceremonies as     
filthy and contemptible as the most     
extravagant performances of magic4 ,what
 is most horrible of all this is1 that  
the law of this detestable ,jewish      
people commanded that even men should be
 offered up as sacrifices4 ,the         
barbarians1 whoever they were1 who      
introduced this horrible law1 commanded 
to put to death any man who had been    
consecrated to the ,god of the ,jews1   
whom they called ,adonai3 and it is     
according to this execrable precept that
 ,jephthah sacrificed his daughter1 and 
that ,saul wanted to sacrifice his son4 
,but here is yet another proof of the   
falsity of these revelations of which we
 have spoken4 ,it is the lack of the    

fulfillment of the great and magnificent
 promises by which they were            
accompanied1 for it is evident that     
these promises never have been          
fulfilled4  ,the proof of this consists 
in three principal points3  ,firstly4   
,their posterity was to be more numerous
 than all the other nations of the      
world4  ,secondly4 ,the people who      
should spring from their race were to be
 the happiest1 the holiest1 and the most
 victorious of all the people of the    
earth4  ,thirdly4 ,his covenant was to  
be everlasting1 and they should possess 
forever the country ,he should give     
them4 ,now it is plain that these       
promises-never were fulfilled4          
,firstly4 ,it is certain that the       
,jewish people1 or the people of        
,israel--which is the only one that can 
be regarded as having descended from the
 ,patriarchs ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and      
,jacob1 and the only ones to whom these 
promises should have been               
fulfilled--have never been so numerous  

that it could be compared with the other
 nations of the earth1 much less with   
the sands of the sea1 etc41 for we see  
that in the very time when it was the   
most numerous and the most flourishing1 
it never occupied more than the little  
sterile provinces of ,palestine and its 
environs1 which are almost nothing in   
comparison with the vast extent of a    
multitude of flourishing kingdoms which 
are on all sides of the earth4          
,secondly4 ,they have never been        
fulfilled concerning the great blessings
 with which they were to be favored2    
for1 although they won a few small      
victories over some poor nations whom   
they plundered1 this did not prevent    
them from being conquered and reduced to
 servitude2 their kingdom destroyed as  
well as their nation1 by the ,roman     
army2 and even now the remainder of this
 unfortunate nation is looked upon as   
the vilest and most contemptible of all 
the earth1 having no country1 no        
dominion1 no superiority4  ,finally1    

these promises have not been fulfilled  
in respect to this everlasting covenant1
 which ,god ought to have fulfilled to  
them2 because we do not see now1 and we 
have never seen1 any evidence of this   
covenant2 and1 on the contrary1 they    
have been for many centuries excluded   
from the possession of the small country
 they pretended ,god had promised that  
they should enjoy forever4 ,thus1 since 
these pretended promises were never     
fulfilled1 it is certain evidence of    
their falsity2 which proves1 plainly1   
that these pretended ,holy ,books which 
contain them were not of ,divine        
inspiration4 ,therefore it is useless   
for our ,christ-worshipers to pretend to
 make use of them as infallible         
testimony to prove the truth of their   
religion4     ,,the ,,holy ,,scriptures4
     ,v4--7#a7 ,,of ,,the ,,old         
,,testament4  ,our ,christ-worshipers   
add to their reasons for credulity and  
to the proofs of the truth of their     
testimony1 the prophecies which are1 as 

they pretend1 sure evidences of the     
truth of the revelations or inspirations
 of ,god1 there being no one but ,god   
who could predict future events so long 
before they came to pass1 as those which
 have been predicted by the prophets4   
,let us see1 then1 who these pretended  
prophets are1 and if we ought to        
consider them as important as our       
,christ-worshipers pretend they are4    
,these men were but visionaries and     
fanatics1 who acted and spoke according 
to the impulsions of their ruling       
passions1 and who imagined that it was  
the ,spirit of ,god by which they spoke 
and acted2 or they were impostors who   
feigned to be prophets1 and who1 in     
order to more easily deceive the        
ignorant and simple-minded1 boasted of  
acting and speaking by the ,spirit of   
,god4 ,i would like to know how an      
,ezekiel would be received who should   
say that ,god made him eat for his      
breakfast a roll of parchment2 commanded
 him to be tied like an insane man1 and 

lie three hundred and ninety days upon  
his right side1 and forty days upon his 
left1 and commanded him to eat man's    
dung upon his bread1 and afterward1 as  
an accommodation1 cow's dung8 ,i ask how
 such a filthy statement would be       
received by the most stupid people of   
our provinces8  ,what can be yet a      
greater proof of the falsity of these   
pretended prophecies1 than the violence 
with which these prophets reproach each 
other for speaking falsely in the name  
of ,god1 reproaches which they claim to 
make in behalf of ,god4 ,all of them    
say1 ,beware of the false prophets6 as  
the quacks say1 ,beware of the          
counterfeit pills6 ,how could these     
insane impostors tell the future8 ,no   
prophecy in favor of their ,jewish      
nation was ever fulfilled4 ,the number  
of prophecies which predict the         
prosperity and the greatness of         
,jerusalem is almost innumerable2 in    
explanation of this1 it will be said    
that it is very natural that a subdued  

and captive people should comfort       
themselves in their real afflictions by 
imaginary hopes--as a year after ,king  
,james was deposed1 the ,irish people of
 his party forged several prophecies in 
regard to him4  ,but if these promises  
made to the ,jews had been really true1 
the ,jewish nation long ago would have  
been1 and would still be1 the most      
numerous1 the most powerful1 the most   
blessed1 and the most victorious of all 
nations4     ,,vi4--7#b7 ,,the ,,new    
,,testament4  ,let us examine the       
pretended prophecies which are contained
 in the ,gospels4  ,firstly4 ,an angel  
having appeared in a dream to a man     
named ,joseph1 father1 or at least so   
reputed1 of ,jesus1 son of ,mary1 said  
unto him3  ,joseph1 thou son of ,david  
fear not to take unto thee ,mary thy    
wife1 for that which is conceived in her
 is of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and she shall 
bring forth a ,son1 and thou shalt call 
,his name ,,jesus2 for ,he shall save   
,his people from their sins4 ,this angel

 said also to ,mary3  ,fear not1 ,mary1 
for thou hast found favor with ,god4    
,and behold1 thou shalt conceive in thy 
womb and bring forth a ,son1 and shalt  
call ,his name ,jesus4 ,he shall be     
great1 and shall be called the ,son of  
the ,highest3 and the ,lord ,god shall  
give unto ,him the throne of ,his father
 ,david4 ,and ,he shall reign over the  
house of ,jacob forever2 and of ,his    
kingdom there shall be no end6 ,jesus   
began to preach and to say3  ,repent1   
for the kingdom of ,heaven is at hand4  
,take no thought for your life1 what ye 
shall eat1 or what ye shall drink1 nor  
yet for your body what ye shall put on4 
,is not the life more than meat1 and the
 body than raiment1 for your ,heavenly  
,father knoweth that ye have need of all
 these things4 ,but seek ye first the   
kingdom of ,god and ,his righteousness1 
and all these things shall be added unto
 you4  ,now1 let every man who has not  
lost common sense1 examine if this      
,jesus ever was a king1 or if ,his      

disciples had abundance of all things4  
,this ,jesus promised to deliver the    
world from sin4 ,is there any prophecy  
which is more false8 ,is not our age a  
striking proof of it8 ,it is said that  
,jesus came to save ,his people4 ,in    
what way did ,he save it8 ,it is the    
greatest number which rules any party4  
,for example1 one dozen or two of       
,spaniards or ,frenchmen do not         
constitute the ,french or ,spanish      
people2 and if an army of a hundred and 
twenty thousand men were taken prisoners
 of war by an army of enemies which was 
stronger1 and if the chief of this army 
should redeem only a few men1 as ten or 
twelve soldiers or officers1 by paying  
their ransom1 it could not be claimed   
that he had delivered or redeemed his   
army4 ,then1 who is this ,god who has   
been sacrificed1 who died to save the   
world1 and leaves so many nations       
damned8 ,what a pity6 and what horror6  
,jesus ,christ says that we have but to 
ask and we shall receive1 and to seek   

and we shall find4 ,he assures us that  
all we ask of ,god in ,his name shall be
 granted1 and that if we have faith as a
 grain of mustard-seed1 we could by one 
word remove mountains4 ,if this promise 
is true1 nothing appears impossible to  
our ,christ-worshipers who have faith in
 ,jesus4 ,however1 the contrary happens4
 ,if ,mohammed had made the promises to 
his votaries that ,christ made to ,his1 
without success1 what would not be said 
about it4 ,they would cry out1 ,ah1 the 
cheat6 ah1 the impostor6 ,these         
,christ-worshipers are in the same      
condition3 they have been blind1 and    
have not even yet recovered from their  
blindness2 on the contrary1 they are so 
ingenious in deceiving themselves1 that 
they pretend that these promises have   
been fulfilled from the beginning of    
,christianity2 that at that time it was 
necessary to have miracles1 in order to 
convince the incredulous of the truth of
 religion2 but that this religion being 
sufficiently established1 the miracles  

were no longer necessary4 ,where1 then1 
is their proof of all this8  ,besides1  
,he who made these promises did not     
limit them to a certain time1 or to     
certain places1 or to certain persons2  
but ,he made them generally to          
everybody4 ,the faith of those who      
believe1 says ,he1 shall be followed by 
these miracles2 ,they shall cast out    
devils in ,my name1 they shall speak in 
divers tongues1 they shall handle       
serpents1 etc4  ,in regard to the       
removal of mountains1 ,he positively    
says that whoever shall say to a        
mountain3 ',be thou removed1 and be thou
 cast into the sea2' it shall be done2  
provided that he does not doubt in his  
heart1 but believes all he commands will
 be done4 ,are not all these promises   
given in a general way1 without         
restriction as to time1 place1 or       
persons8  ,it is said that all the sects
 which are founded in errors and        
imposture will come to a shameful end4  
,but if ,jesus ,christ intends to say   

that ,he has established a society of   
followers who will not fall either into 
vice or error1 these words are          
absolutely false1 as there is in        
,christendom no sect1 no society1 and no
 church which is not full of errors and 
vices1 especially the ,roman ,church1   
although it claims to be the purest and 
the holiest of all4 ,it was born into   
error1 or rather it was conceived and   
formed in error2 and even now it is full
 of delusions which are contrary to the 
intentions1 the sentiments1 or the      
doctrine of its ,founder1 because it    
has1 contrary to ,his intention1        
abolished the laws of the ,jews1 which  
,he approved1 and which ,he came        
,himself1 as ,he said1 to fulfill and   
not to destroy4 ,it has fallen into the 
errors and idolatry of ,paganism1 as is 
seen by the idolatrous worship which is 
offered to its ,god of dough1 to its    
saints1 to their images1 and to their   
relics4  ,i know well that our          
,christ-worshipers consider it a lack of

 intelligence to accept literally the   
promises and prophecies as they are     
expressed2 they reject the literal and  
natural sense of the words1 to give them
 a mystical and spiritual sense which   
they call allegorical and figurative2   
claiming1 for example1 that the people  
of ,israel and ,judea1 to whom these    
promises were made1 were not understood 
as the ,israelites after the body1 but  
the ,israelites in spirit3 that is to   
say1 the ,christians which are the      
,israel of ,god1 the true chosen people 
that by the promise made to this        
enslaved people1 to deliver it from     
captivity1 it is understood to be not   
the corporal deliverance of a single    
captive people1 but the spiritual       
deliverance of all men from the         
servitude of the ,devil1 which was to be
 accomplished by their ,divine ,saviour2
 that by the abundance of riches1 and   
all the temporal blessings promised to  
this people1 is meant the abundance of  
spiritual graces2 and finally1 that by  

the city of ,jerusalem1 is meant not the
 terrestrial ,jerusalem1 but the        
spiritual ,jerusalem1 which is the      
,christian ,church4  ,but it is easy to 
see that these spiritual and allegorical
 meanings having only a strange1        
imaginary sense1 being a subterfuge of  
the interpreters1 can not serve to show 
the truth or the falsehood of a         
proposition1 or of any promises         
whatever4 ,it is ridiculous to forge    
such allegorical meanings1 since it is  
only by the relations of the natural and
 true sense that we can judge of their  
truth or falsehood4 ,a proposition1 a   
promise1 for example1 which is          
considered true in the proper and       
natural sense of the terms in which it  
is expressed1 will not become false in  
itself under cover of a strange sense1  
one which does not belong to it4 ,by the
 same reasoning1 that which is          
manifestly false in its proper and      
natural sense1 will not become true in  
itself1 although we give it a strange   

sense1 one foreign to the true4  ,we can
 say that the prophecies of the ,old    
,testament adjusted to the ,new1 would  
be very absurd and puerile things4 ,for 
example1 ,abraham had two wives1 of     
which the one1 who was but a servant1   
represented the synagogue1 and the other
 one1 his lawful wife1 represented the  
,christian ,church2 and that this       
,abraham had two sons1 of which the one 
born of ,hagar1 the servant1 represented
 the ,old ,testament2 and the other1    
born of ,sarah1 the wife1 represented   
the ,new ,testament4 ,who would not     
laugh at such a ridiculous doctrine8    
,is it not amusing that a piece of red  
cloth1 exhibited by a prostitute as a   
signal to spies1 in the ,old ,testament 
is made to represent the blood of ,jesus
 ,christ shed in the ,new8              
,if--according to this manner of        
interpreting allegorically all that is  
said1 done1 and practiced in the ancient
 law of the ,jews--we should interpret  
in the same allegorical way all the     

discourses1 the actions1 and the        
adventures of the famous ,don ,quixote  
de la ,mancha1 we would find the same   
sort of mysteries and ridiculous        
figures4  ,it is nevertheless upon this 
absurd foundation that the whole        
,christian religion rests4 ,thus it is  
that there is scarcely anything in this 
ancient law that the ,christ-worshiping 
doctors do not try to explain in a      
mystical way to build up their system4  
,the most false and the most ridiculous 
prophecy ever made is that of ,jesus1 in
 ,luke1 where it is pretended that there
 will be signs in the sun and in the    
moon1 and that the ,son of ,man will    
appear in a cloud to judge men2 and this
 is predicted for the generation living 
at that time4 ,has it come to pass8 ,did
 the ,son of ,man appear in a cloud8    
,,vii4--,,errors ,,of ,,doctrine ,,and  
,,of ,,morality4  ,the ,christian       
,apostolical ,roman ,religion teaches1  
and compels belief1 that there is but   
one ,god1 and1 at the same time1 that   

there are three ,divine persons1 each   
one being ,god4 ,this is absurd2 for if 
there are three who are truly ,god1 then
 there are three ,gods4 ,it is false1   
then1 to say that there is but one ,god2
 or if this is true1 it is false to say 
that there are really three who are     
,god1 for one and three can not be      
claimed to be one and the same number4  
,it is also said that the first of these
 pretended ,divine persons1 called the  
,father1 has brought forth the second   
person1 which is called the ,son1 and   
that these first two persons together   
have produced the third1 which is called
 the ,holy ,ghost1 and1 nevertheless1   
these three pretended ,divine persons do
 not depend the one upon the other1 and 
even that one is not older than the     
other4 ,this1 too1 is manifestly absurd2
 because one thing can not receive its  
existence from another thing without    
some dependence on this other2 and a    
thing must necessarily exist in order to
 give birth to another4 ,if1 then1 the  

,second and the ,third persons of       
,divinity have received their existence 
from the ,first person1 they must       
necessarily depend for their existence  
on this ,first person1 who gave them    
birth1 or who begot them1 and it is     
necessary also that the ,first person of
 the ,divinity1 who gave birth to the   
two other persons1 should have existed  
before them2 because that which does not
 exist can not beget anything4          
,nevertheless1 it is repugnant as well  
as absurd to claim that anything could  
be begotten or born without having had a
 beginning4 ,now1 according to our      
,christ-worshipers1 the ,second and     
,third persons of ,divinity were        
begotten and born2 then they had a      
beginning1 and the ,first person had    
none1 not being begotten by another2 it 
therefore follows necessarily that one  
existed before the other4  ,our         
,christ-worshipers1 who feel these      
absurdities and can not avoid them by   
any good reasoning1 have no other       

resource than to say that we must ignore
 human reason and humbly adore these    
sublime mysteries without wishing to    
understand them2 but that which they    
call faith is refuted when they tell us 
that we must submit2 it is telling us   
that we must blindly believe that which 
we do not believe4 ,our                 
,christ-worshipers condemn the blindness
 of the ancient ,pagans1 who worshiped  
several ,gods2 they deride the genealogy
 of those ,gods1 their birth1 their     
marriages1 and the generating of their  
children2 yet they do not observe that  
they themselves say things which are    
much more ridiculous and absurd4  ,if   
the ,pagans believed that there were    
,goddesses as well as ,gods1 that these 
,gods and ,goddesses married and begat  
children1 they thought of nothing1 then1
 but what is natural2 for they did not  
believe yet that the ,gods were without 
body or feeling2 they believed they were
 similar to men4 ,why should there not  
be females as well as males8 ,it is not 

more reasonable to deny or to recognize 
the one than the other2 and supposing   
there were ,gods and ,goddesses1 why    
should they not beget children in the   
ordinary way8 ,there would be certainly 
nothing ridiculous or absurd in this    
doctrine1 if it were true that their    
,gods existed4 ,but in the doctrine of  
our ,christ-worshipers there is         
something absolutely ridiculous and     
absurd2 for besides claiming that one   
,god forms ,three1 and that these ,three
 form but ,one1 they pretend that this  
,triple and ,unique ,god has neither    
body1 form1 nor face2 that the ,first   
person of this ,triple and ,unique ,god1
 whom they call the ,father1 begot of   
,himself a ,second person1 which they   
call the ,son1 and which is the same as 
,his ,father1 being1 like ,him1 without 
body1 form1 or face4 ,if this is true1  
why is it that the ,first one is called 
,father rather than mother1 or the      
,second called ,son rather than         
daughter8 ,for if the ,first one is     

really father instead of mother1 and if 
the ,second is son instead of daughter1 
there must be something in both of these
 two persons which causes the one to be 
father rather than mother1 and the other
 to be son rather than daughter4 ,now   
who can assert that they are males and  
not females8 ,but how should they be    
rather males than females1 as they have 
neither body1 form1 nor face8 ,that is  
not an imaginable thing1 and destroys   
itself4 ,no matter1 they claim chat     
these two ,persons1 without body1 form1 
or face1 and1 consequently1 without     
difference of sex1 are nevertheless     
,father and ,son1 and that they produced
 by their mutual love a third person1   
whom they called the ,holy ,ghost1 who  
has1 like the other two1 no body1 no    
form1 and no face4 ,what abominable     
nonsense6  ,as our ,christ-worshipers   
limit the power of ,god the ,father to  
begetting but one ,son1 why do they not 
desire that this ,second person1 and the
 ,third1 should have the same power to  

beget a ,son like themselves8  ,if this 
power to beget a son is perfection in   
the ,first person1 it is1 then1 a       
perfection and a power which does not   
exist in the ,second and in the ,third  
person4 ,thus these two ,persons1       
lacking a perfection and a power which  
is found in the ,first one1 they are    
consequently not equal with ,him4 ,if1  
on the contrary1 they say that this     
power to beget a son is no perfection1  
they should not attribute it1 then1 to  
the ,first person any more than to the  
other two2 for we should attribute      
perfections only to an absolutely       
perfect being4 ,besides1 they would not 
dare to say that the power to beget a   
,divine person is not a perfection2 and 
if they claim that this ,first person   
could have begotten several sons and    
daughters1 but that ,he desired but this
 only ,son1 and that the two other      
persons did not desire to beget any     
others1 we could ask them1 firstly1 from
 whence they know this1 for we do not   

see in their pretended ,holy ,scriptures
 that any ,one of these ,divine         
personages reveals any such assertions2 
how1 then1 can our ,christ-worshipers   
know anything about it8 ,they speak but 
according to their ideas and to their   
hollow imaginations4 ,secondly1 we could
 not avoid saying1 that if these        
pretended ,divine personages had the    
power of begetting several children1 and
 did not wish to make use of it1 the    
consequence would be that this ,divine  
power was ineffectual4 ,it would be     
entirely without effect in the ,third   
person1 who did not beget or produce    
any1 and would be almost without effect 
in the two others1 because they limited 
it4 ,then this power of begetting or    
producing an unlimited number of        
children would remain idle and useless2 
it would be inconsistent to suppose this
 of ,divine ,personages1 ,one of whom   
had already produced a ,son4  ,our      
,christ-worshipers blame and condemn the
 ,pagans because they attribute         

,divinity to mortal men1 and worship    
them as ,gods after their death2 they   
are right in doing this4 ,but these     
,pagans did only what our               
,christ-worshipers still do in          
attributing ,divinity to their ,christ2 
doing which1 they condemn themselves    
also1 because they are in the same error
 as these ,pagans1 in that they worship 
a man who was mortal1 and so very mortal
 that ,he died shamefully upon a cross4 
,it would be of no use for our          
,christ-worshipers to say that there was
 a great difference between their ,jesus
 ,christ and the ,pagan ,gods1 under the
 pretense that their ,christ was1 as    
they claim1 really ,god and man at the  
same time1 while the ,divinity was      
incarnated in ,him1 by means of which1  
the ,divine nature found itself united  
personally1 as they say1 with human     
nature2 these two natures would have    
made of ,jesus ,christ a true ,god and a
 true man2 this is what never happened1 
they claim1 in the ,pagan ,gods4  ,but  

it is easy to show the weakness of this 
reply2 for1 on the one hand1 was it not 
as easy to the ,pagans as to the        
,christians1 to say that the ,divinity  
was incarnated in the men whom they     
worshiped as ,gods8 ,on the other hand1 
if the ,divinity wanted to incarnate and
 unite in the human nature of their     
,jesus ,christ1 how did they know that  
this ,divinity would not wish to also   
incarnate and unite ,himself personally 
to the human nature of those great men  
and those admirable women1 who1 by their
 virtue1 by their good qualities1 or by 
their noble actions1 have excelled the  
generality of people1 and made          
themselves worshiped as ,gods and       
,goddesses8 ,and if our                 
,christ-worshipers do not wish to       
believe that ,divinity ever incarnated  
in these great personages1 why do they  
wish to persuade us that ,he was        
incarnated in their ,jesus8 ,where is   
the proof8 ,their faith and their       
belief2 but as the ,pagans rely on the  

same proof1 we conclude both to be      
equally in error4  ,but what is more    
ridiculous in ,christianity than in     
,paganism1 is that the ,pagans have     
generally attributed ,divinity but to   
great men1 authors of arts and sciences1
 and who excelled in virtues useful to  
their country4 ,but to whom do our      
,god-,christ-worshipers attribute       
,divinity8 ,to a nobody1 to a vile and  
contemptible man1 who had neither       
talent1 science1 nor ability2 born of   
poor parents1 and who1 while ,he figured
 in the world1 passed but for a         
monomaniac and a seditious fool1 who was
 disdained1 ridiculed1 persecuted1      
whipped1 and1 finally1 was hanged like  
most of those who desired to act the    
same part1 when they had neither the    
courage nor skill4 ,about that time     
there were several other impostors who  
claimed to be the true promised         
,messiah2 amongst others a certain      
,judas1 a ,galilean1 a ,theodorus1 a    
,barcon1 and others who1 under this vain

 pretext1 abused the people1 and tried  
to excite them1 in order to win them1   
but they all perished4  ,let us pass now
 to ,his discourses and to some of ,his 
actions1 which are the most singular of 
this kind3 ,repent1 said ,he to the     
people1 for the kingdom of ,heaven is at
 hand2 believe these good tidings4 ,and 
,he went all over ,galilee preaching    
this pretended approach of the kingdom  
of ,heaven4 ,as no one has seen the     
arrival of this kingdom of ,heaven1 it  
is evident that it was but imaginary4   
,but let us see other predictions1 the  
praise1 and the description of this     
beautiful kingdom4  ,behold what ,he    
said to the people3  ,the kingdom of    
,heaven is likened unto a man who sowed 
good seed in his field4 ,but while he   
slept1 his enemy came and sowed tares   
among the wheat1 and went his way4      
,again1 the kingdom of ,heaven is like  
unto treasure hidden in a field1 the    
which1 when a man has found1 he hideth  
again1 and for joy thereof goes and     

sells all that he has1 and buys that    
field4 ,again1 the kingdom of ,heaven is
 like unto a merchantman seeking goodly 
pearls1 who1 when he had found one pearl
 of great price1 went and sold all he   
had1 and bought it4 ,again1 the kingdom 
of ,heaven is like unto a net that was  
cast into the sea1 and gathered of every
 kind2 which1 when it was full1 they    
drew to shore1 and sat down and gathered
 the good into vessels1 but cast the bad
 away4 ,it is like a grain of           
mustard-seed1 which a man took and sowed
 in his field which1 indeed1 is the     
least of all seeds1 but when it is grown
 it is the greatest among herbs1 etc4   
,is this a language worthy of a ,god8   
,we will pass the same judgment upon    
,him if we examine ,his actions more    
closely4 ,because1 firstly1 ,he is      
represented as running all over a       
country preaching the approach of a     
pretended kingdom2 ,secondly1 as having 
been transported by the ,devil upon a   
high mountain1 from which ,he believed  

,he saw all the kingdoms of the world2  
this could only happen to a visionist2  
for it is certain1 there is no mountain 
upon the earth from which ,he could see 
even one entire kingdom1 unless it was  
the little kingdom of ,yvetot1 which is 
in ,france2 thus it was only in         
imagination that ,he saw all these      
kingdoms1 and was transported upon this 
mountain1 as well as upon the pinnacle  
of the temple4 ,thirdly1 when ,he cured 
the deaf-mute1 spoken of in ,st4 ,mark1 
it is said that ,he placed ,his fingers 
in the ears1 spit1 and touched his      
tongue1 then casting ,his eyes up to    
,heaven1 ,he sighed deeply1 and said    
unto him3 ,ephphatha6 ,finally1 let us  
read all that is related of ,him1 and we
 can judge whether there is anything in 
the world more ridiculous4  ,having     
considered some of the silly things     
attributed to ,god by our               
,christ-worshipers1 let us look a little
 further into their mysteries4 ,they    
worship one ,god in three persons1 or   

three persons in one ,god1 and they     
attribute to themselves the power of    
forming ,gods out of dough1 and of      
making as many as they want4 ,for1      
according to their principles1 they have
 only to say four words over a certain  
quantity of wine or over these little   
images of paste1 to make as many ,gods  
of them as they desire4 ,what folly6    
,with all the pretended power of their  
,christ1 they would not be able to make 
the smallest fly1 and yet they claim the
 ability to produce millions of ,gods4  
,one must be struck by a strange        
blindness to maintain such pitiable     
things1 and that upon such vain         
foundation as the equivocal words of a  
fanatic4 ,do not these blind theologians
 see that it means opening a wide door  
to all sorts of idolatries1 to adore    
these paste images under the pretext    
that the priests have the power of      
consecrating them and changing them into
 ,gods8  ,can not the priests of the    
idols boast of having a similar ability8

  ,do they not see1 also1 that the same 
reasoning which demonstrates the vanity 
of the gods or idols of wood1 of stone1 
etc41 which the ,pagans worshiped1 shows
 exactly the same vanity of the ,gods   
and idols of paste or of flour which our
 ,christ-worshipers adore8 ,by what     
right do they deride the falseness of   
the ,pagan ,gods8 ,is it not because    
they are but the work of human hands1   
mute and insensible images8 ,and what   
kind of ,gods are those which we        
preserve in boxes for fear of the mice8 
,what are these boasted resources of the
 ,christ-worshipers8 ,their morality8   
,it is the same as in all religions1 but
 their cruel dogmas produced and taught 
persecution and trouble4 ,their         
miracles8 ,but what people has not its  
own1 and what wise men do not disdain   
these fables8 ,their prophecies8 ,have  
we not shown their falsity8 ,their      
morals8 ,are they not often infamous8   
,the establishment of their religion8   
but did not fanaticism begin1 and has   

not intrigue visibly sustained this     
edifice8 ,the doctrine8 but is it not   
the height of absurdity8  ,end ,of ,the 
,abstract ,by ,voltaire4                
,,publisher',s ,,preface4  ,by          
translating into both the ,english and  
,german languages ,le ,bon ,sens1       
containing the ,last ,will and          
,testament of the ,french curate ,,jean 
,,meslier1 ,miss ,anna ,knoop has       
performed a most useful and meritorious 
task1 and in issuing a new edition of   
this work1 it is but justice to her     
memory ,miss ,knoop died ,jan4 #aa1     
#ahhi4 to state that her translation has
 received the endorsement of our most   
competent critics4  ,in a letter dated  
,newburyport1 ,mass41 ,sep4 #bc1 #ahgh1 
,mr4 ,james ,parton1 the celebrated     
author1 commends ,miss ,knoop for       
translating ,meslier's book so well1 and
 says that3  ,this work of the honest   
pastor is the most curious and the most 
powerful thing of the kind which the    
last century produced4 4 4 4 4 ,paine   

and ,voltaire had reserves1 but ,jean   
,meslier had none4 ,he keeps nothing    
back2 and yet1 after all1 the wonder is 
not that there should have been one     
priest who left that testimony at his   
death1 but that all priests do not4     
,true1 there is a great deal more to be 
said about religion1 which ,i believe to
 be an eternal necessity of human       
nature1 but no man has uttered the      
negative side of the matter with so much
 candor and completeness as ,jean       
,meslier4  ,the value of the testimony  
of a catholic priest1 who in his last   
moments recanted the errors of his faith
 and asked ,god's pardon for having     
taught the catholic religion1 was fully 
appreciated by ,voltaire1 who highly    
commended this grand work of ,meslier4  
,he voluntarily made every effort to    
increase its circulation1 and even      
complained to ,d' ,alembert that there  
were not as many copies in all ,paris as
 he himself had dispersed throughout the
 mountains of ,switzerland4 ,see ,letter

 #ejd1 ,voltaire to ,d',alembert ,he    
earnestly entreats his associates to    
print and distribute in ,paris an       
edition of at least four or five        
thousand copies1 and at the suggestion  
of ,d',alembert1 made an abstract or    
abridgment of ,the ,testament so small  
as to cost no more than five pence1 and 
thus to be fitted for the pocket and    
reading of every workman4 ,letter #adf1 
from ,d',alembert4  ,the ,abb ,barruel  
claims in his ,memoirs ,see ,history of 
,jacobinism by the ,abb ,barruel1 #d    
vols4 #h ,,vo1 translated by the ,hon4  
,robert ,clifford1 ,f4 ,r4 ,s41 and     
printed in ,london in #agih4 ,the       
learned ,abb defines ,jacobinism as the 
error of every man who1 judging of all  
things by the standard of his own       
reason1 rejects in religious matters    
every authority that is not derived from
 the light of nature4 ,it is the error  
of every man who denies the possibility 
of any mystery beyond the limits of his 
reason1 of every one who1 discarding    

revelation in defence of the pretended  
rights of ,reason1 ,equality1 and       
,liberty1 seeks to subvert the whole    
fabric of the ,christian religion4 ,b4  
#d4 to detect in the writings of        
,voltaire and of the leading            
,encyclopedists1 a conspiracy not only  
against the ,altar but also against the 
,throne4 ,he severely denounces the     
,last ,will of ,jean ,meslier1--that    
famous ,curate of ,etrepigni1--whose    
apostasy and blasphemies made so strong 
an impression on the minds of the       
populace1 and he styles the plan of     
,d',alembert for circulating a few      
thousand copies of the ,abstract of the 
,will1 as a base project against the    
doctrines of the ,gospel4 ,ibid1 page   
#ade ,he even asserts his belief that3  
,the ,jacobins will one day declare that
 all men are free1 that all men are     
equal2 and as a consequence of this     
,equality and ,liberty they will        
conclude that every man must be left to 
the light of reason4 ,that every        

religion subjecting man's reason to     
mysteries1 or to the authority of any   
revelation speaking in ,god's name1 is a
 religion of constraint and slavery2    
that as such it should be annihilated in
 order to reestablish the indefeasible  
rights of ,equality and ,liberty as to  
the belief or disbelief of all that the 
reason of man approves or disapproves3  
and they will call this ,equality and   
,liberty the reign of ,reason and the   
empire of ,philosophy4 ,history of      
,jacobinism1 page #ea4  ,the results    
which the ,abb ,barruel so clearly      
foresaw have at length been realized4   
,the labors of the ,jacobins have not   
been in vain1 and the ,revolution they  
incited has restored ,france to the     
government of the people6  ,with ardent 
hope for the future1 says ,president    
,carnot in his centennial address1 ,may 
#e1 #ahhi1 ,i greet in the palace of the
 monarchy the representatives of a      
nation that is now in complete          
possession of herself1 that is mistress 

of her destinies1 and that is in the    
full splendor and strength of liberty4  
,the first thoughts on this solemn      
meeting turn to our fathers4 ,the       
immortal generation  of #aghi1 by dint  
of courage and many sacrifices1 secured 
for us benefits which we must bequeath  
to our sons as a most precious          
inheritance4 ,never can our gratitude   
equal the grandeur of the services      
rendered by our fathers to ,france and  
to the human race4 4 4 4 ,the           
,revolution was based upon the rights of
 man4 ,it created a new era in history  
and founded modern society4  ,this is   
literally true4 ,the freethinkers of    
,france have taught mankind the         
doctrines of ,liberty1 ,equality1 and   
,fraternity4 ,they have taught the      
dignity of human reason1 and the        
sacredness of human rights4 ,they have  
broken the bondage of the altar1 and    
severed the shackles of the throne2 and 
it is to be regretted that at the       
centennial celebration held in this city

 on ,april #cjth1 #ahhi1 the appointed  
orator ,see the ,centennial ,address of 
the ,hon4 ,chauncey ,m4 ,depew4 did not 
realize the grandeur of the occasion1   
and did not1 like ,carnot1 pay a just   
tribute to our allies1 the reformers of 
,europe1 as well as to the fathers of   
the republic4 ,but the people of        
,america will remember what the         
politician has forgotten4 ,they will    
remember the names and deeds of their   
foreign benefactors as well as of the   
,american patriots of '#gf4 ,when they  
recall the illustrious ,europeans who   
fought for our liberties they will      
remember the name of ,lafayette2 when   
they think of the ,declaration of       
,independence they will not forget the  
name of ,thomas ,jefferson2 and when    
they speak of the times that tried men's
 souls they will recall with gratitude  
the name of ,thomas ,paine4  ,although  
the ecclesiastical conclave at ,rome    
claims the power of working miracles in 
defiance of ,nature's laws1 yet with or 

without miracles1 they have never       
answered the simple arguments advanced  
by ,jean ,meslier2 although they claim  
to hold the keys of ,paradise1 and bind 
on earth the souls that are to be bound 
in heaven1 yet year by year their waning
 power refutes their senseless boast2   
although they boldly assert the dogma of
 popish infallibility1 yet the loss of  
the temporal power once wielded by      
,rome1 and the death of each succeeding 
pontiff1 attest both the ,pope's        
fallibility and the ,pope's mortality4  
,indeed1 the successor of ,st4 ,peter is
 but human--the sacred college at ,rome 
is but mortal2 and faith and dogma      
cannot forever resist the influence of  
light and knowledge4 ,the power of      
,catholicism is surely declining        
throughout ,europe2 and if it has become
 aggressive in our ,american cities1 is 
it not because the friends of freedom   
have forgotten the well-known axiom that
 eternal vigilance is the price of      
liberty8  ,,peter ,,eckler4  ,new ,york1

 ,may #ba1 #ahhi4     ,,prefatory ,,note
 ,,by ,,the ,,translator  ,some years   
ago a copy of ,john ,meslier fell into  
my hands4 ,i was struck with the simple 
truthfulness of his arguments1 and the  
thought never left me of the happy      
change that would be produced all over  
the world when the religious prejudices 
should be dispelled1 and when all the   
different nations and sects would unite 
and lend each other a friendly hand4    
,since ,i had the opportunity of hearing
 the speeches and lectures of liberal   
men1 it has seemed to me that the time  
has come for this work of ,john ,meslier
 to be appreciated1 and ,i concluded to 
translate it into the language of my    
adopted country1 presuming that many    
would be happy to study it4  ,in this   
faith ,i offer it now to the public1 and
 ,i hope that the name of ,john ,meslier
 will be honored as one of the greatest 
benefactors of humanity4  ,,anna        
,,knoop4     ,,preface ,,of ,,the       
,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,french ,,edition  

,,of #ahcj4  ,it is said that truth is  
generally revealed by dying lips4 ,when 
men full of health and enjoying all the 
pleasures of life1 exert themselves     
without ceasing1 to excite minds and to 
take advantage of their fanaticism by   
wearing the mask of religion1 it will   
not be without interest or importance to
 know what other men1 invested with the 
same ministry1 have taught under the    
impulse of a conscience quickened by the
 approach of the final hour4 ,their     
confessions are more valuable because   
they carry with them the spirit of      
contrition4 ,it is then that the truth1 
which is no longer obscured by narrow   
passions and sordid interests1 presents 
itself in all its brilliancy1 and       
imposes upon him who has kept it hidden 
during his life1 the duty1 and even the 
necessity1 of unveiling it fully at his 
death4 ,it is then that human speech1   
losing in a measure its terrestrial     
nature1 becomes persuasive and          
convincing4  ,we know this fact of a    

celebrated preacher who in the beginning
 of the ,revolution stood in the same   
pulpit which we are pleased to call the 
pulpit of truth1 and with his hand upon 
his heart declared that till then he had
 taught only falsehood4 ,he did more2 he
 implored his parishioners to forgive   
him for the gross errors in which he had
 kept them1 and congratulated them upon 
having at last arrived at a period when 
it was permitted to establish the empire
 of reason upon the ruins of prejudice4 
,times have changed very much1 it is    
true2 however1 so long as the press     
shall be able to combat the fatal errors
 of religious fanaticism1 and perhaps   
even to some extent prevent its         
violence1 it will be the duty of every  
friend of humanity to reproduce         
continually the full retractions which  
opposed the sincerity and conscience of 
the dying to the bad faith and          
hypocritical avidity of the living4     
,guided by this intention1 and ashamed  
to see the human race1 in a land just   

freed from the yoke of prejudice1 give  
birth to a disgraceful juggling which   
will terminate in dominating authority1 
and associate itself with the           
persecutions of which our incredulous or
 dissenting ancestors were the sad      
victims1 we believe it useful to reprint
 the last lessons of a priest--an honest
 man--bequeathed to his fellow-citizens 
and to posterity4 ,the service we render
 to ,philosophy will be so much the     
greater when we can consider as         
immutable1 perpetual1 permanent1 and    
ready to appear in the hour of need1 the
 edition which we are preparing of      
,,common ,,sense1 ,,by ,,the ,,priest   
,,jean ,,meslier1 ,,and ,,his ,,dying   
,,confession4  ,to do justice to these  
two works1 to which we have added       
analytical notes1 which will greatly    
facilitate our researches1 we will limit
 ourselves by giving the imposing       
approbation of two philosophers of the  
eighteenth century--,voltaire and       
d',alembert4 ,they certainly understood 

much better the sublimity of evangelical
 morality1 and spoke of it in a manner  
more worthy of its author1 than did     
those who deified it to profit by its   
divinity1 and who abused so cruelly the 
ignorance and barbarity of the first    
centuries1 to establish1 in the interest
 of their fortunes and power1 so many   
base prejudices1 so many puerile and    
superstitious practices4  ,here is what 
,voltaire and d',alembert thought of the
 curate ,meslier and of his work4 ,their
 letters are presented here in order to 
excite curiosity and convince the       
judgment3   ,,voltaire ,,to             
,d',,alembert4  ,,ferney1 ,february1    
#agfb4  ,they have printed in ,holland  
the ,testament of ,jean ,meslier4 ,i    
trembled with horror in reading it4 ,the
 testimony of a priest1 who1 in dying1  
asks ,god's pardon for having taught    
,christianity1 must be a great weight in
 the balance of ,liberals4 ,i will send 
you a copy of this ,testament of the    
anti-,christ1 because you desire to     

refute it4 ,you have but to tell me by  
what manner it will reach you4 ,it is   
written with great simplicity1 which    
unfortunately resembles candor4         
,,voltaire ,,to ,,the ,,same4  ,,ferney1
 ,february #be1 #agfb4  ,meslier also   
has the wisdom of the serpent4 ,he sets 
an example for you2 the good grain was  
hidden in the chaff of his book4 ,a good
 ,swiss has made a faithful abstract and
 this abstract can do a great deal of   
good4 ,what an answer to the insolent   
fanatics who treat philosophers like    
libertines4 ,what an answer to you1     
wretches that you are1 this testimony of
 a priest1 who asks ,god's pardon for   
having been a ,christian6               
,d',,alembert',s ,,answer4  ,,paris1    
,march #ca1 #agfb4  ,a misunderstanding 
has been the cause1 my dear philosopher1
 that ,i received but a few days since  
the work of ,jean ,meslier1 which you   
had sent almost a month ago4 ,i waited  
till ,i received it to write to you4 ,it
 seems to me that we could inscribe upon

 the tombstone of this curate3 ,here    
lies a very honest priest1 curate of a  
village in ,champagne1 who1 in dying1   
asks ,god's pardon for having been a    
,christian1 and who has proved by this1 
that ninety-nine sheep and one native of
 ,champagne do not make a hundred       
beasts4 ,i suspect that the abstract of 
his work is written by a ,swiss1 who    
understands ,french very well1 though he
 affects to speak it badly4 ,this is    
neat1 earnest1 and concise1 and ,i bless
 the author of the abstract1 whoever he 
may be4 ,it is of the ,lord to cultivate
 the vine4 ,after all1 my dear          
philosopher1 a little longer1 and ,i do 
not know whether all these books will be
 necessary1 and whether man will not    
have enough sense to comprehend by      
himself that three do not make one1 and 
that bread is not ,god4 ,the enemies of 
reason are playing a very foolish part  
at this moment1 and ,i believe that we  
can say as in the song3  ,to destroy all
 these people ,you should let them      

alone4  ,i do not know what will become 
of the religion of ,christ1 but its     
professors are in false garb4 ,what     
,pascal1 ,nicole1 and ,arnaud could not 
do1 there is an appearance that three or
 four absurd and ignorant fanatics will 
accomplish4 ,the nation will give this  
vigorous blow within1 while she is doing
 so little outside1 and we will put in  
the abbreviated chronological pages of  
the year #agfb3 ,this year ,france lost 
all its colonies and expelled the       
,jesuits4 ,i know nothing but powder1   
which with so little apparent force1    
could produce such great results4       
,,voltaire ,,to ,d',,alembert4          
,,delices1 ,july #ab1 #agfb4  ,it       
appears to me that the ,testament of    
,jean ,meslier has a great effect2 all  
those who read it are convinced2 this   
man discusses and proves4 ,he speaks in 
the moment of death1 at the moment when 
even liars tell the truth fully4 ,this  
is the strongest of all arguments4 ,jean
 ,meslier is to convert the world4 ,why 

is his gospel in so few hands8 ,how     
lukewarm you are at ,paris6 ,you hide   
your light under a bushel6              
,d',,alembert',s ,,answer4  ,,paris1    
,july #ca1 #agfb4  ,you reproach us with
 lukewarmness1 but ,i believe ,i have   
told you already that the fear of the   
fagot is very cooling4 ,you would like  
us to print the ,testament of ,jean     
,meslier and distribute four or five    
thousand copies4 ,the infamous          
fanaticism1 for infamous it is1 would   
lose little or nothing1 and we should be
 treated as fools by those whom we would
 have converted4 ,man is so little      
enlightened to-day only because we had  
the precaution or the good fortune to   
enlighten him little by little4 ,if the 
sun should appear all of a sudden in a  
cave1 the inhabitants would perceive    
only the harm it would do their eyes4   
,the excess of light would result only  
in blinding them4   ,d',,alembert ,,to  
,,voltaire4  ,,paris1 ,july #i1 #agfd4  
,apropos1 they have lent me that work   

attributed to ,st4 ,evremont1 and which 
is said to be by ,dumarsais1 of which   
you spoke to me some time ago2 it is    
good1 but the ,testament of ,meslier is 
still better6   ,,voltaire ,,to         
,d',,alembert4  ,,ferney1 ,july #af1    
#agfd4  ,the ,testament of ,meslier     
ought to be in the pocket of all honest 
men2 a good priest1 full of candor1 who 
asks ,god's pardon for deceiving        
himself1 must enlighten those who       
deceive themselves4   ,,voltaire ,,to   
,,the ,,count ,d',,argental4  ,,aux     
,,delices1 ,february #f1 #agfb4  ,but no
 little bird told me of the infernal    
book of that curate1 ,jean ,meslier2 a  
very important work to the angels of    
darkness4 ,an excellent catechism for   
,beelzebub4 ,know that this book is very
 rare2 it is a treasure6   ,,voltaire   
,,to ,,the ,,same4  ,,aux ,,deuces1 ,may
 #ca1 #agfb4  ,it is just that ,i should
 send you a copy of the second edition  
of ,meslier4 ,in the first edition they 
forgot the preface1 which is very       

strange4 ,you have wise friends who     
would not be sorry to have this book in 
their secret cabinet4 ,it is excellent  
to form youthful minds4 ,the book1 which
 was sold in manuscript form for eight  
,louis-d'or1 is illegible4 ,this little 
abstract is very edifying4 ,let us thank
 the good souls who give it             
gratuitously1 and let us pray ,god to   
extend ,his benedictions upon this      
useful reading4   ,,voltaire ,,to       
,d',,amilaville4  ,,aux ,,deuces1       
,february #h1 #agfb4  ,my brother shall 
have a ,meslier soon as ,i shall have   
received the order2 it would seem that  
my brother has not the facts4 ,fifteen  
to twenty years ago the manuscript of   
this work sold for eight ,louis-d'or2 it
 was a very large quarto4 ,there are    
more than a hundred copies in ,paris4   
,brother ,thiriot understands the facts4
 ,it is not known who made the abstract1
 but it is taken wholly1 word for word1 
from the original4 ,there are still many
 persons who have seen the curate       

,meslier4 ,it would be very useful to   
make a new edition of this little work  
in ,paris2 it can be done easily in     
three or four days4   ,,voltaire ,,to   
,,the ,,same4  ,,ferney1 ,december #f1  
#agfb4  ,but ,i believe there will never
 be another impression of the little    
book of ,meslier4 ,think of the weight  
of the testimony of one dying1 of a     
priest1 of a good man4   ,,voltaire ,,to
 ,,the ,,same4  ,,ferney1 ,july #f1     
#agfd4  ,three hundred ,mesliers        
distributed in a province have caused   
many conversions4 ,ah1 if ,i was        
assisted6   ,,voltaire ,,to ,,the       
,,same4  ,,ferney1 ,september #bi1      
#agfd4  ,there are too few ,mesliers and
 too many swindlers4   ,,voltaire ,,to  
,,the ,,same4  ,,aux ,,delices1 ,october
 #h1 #agfd4  ,names injure the cause2   
they awaken prejudice4 ,only the name of
 ,jean ,meslier can do good1 because the
 repentance of a good priest in the hour
 of death must make a great impression4 
,this ,meslier should be in the hands of

 all the world4   ,,voltaire ,,to       
,,madam ,,de ,,florian4  ,,aux          
,,delices1 ,may #bj1 #agfb4  ,my dear   
niece1 it is very sad to be so far from 
you4 ,read and read again ,jean         
,meslier2 he is a good curate4          
,,voltaire ,,to ,,the ,,marquis         
,d',,argence4  ,march #b1 #agfc4  ,i    
have found a ,testament of ,jean        
,meslier1 which ,i send you4 ,the       
simplicity of this man1 the purity of   
his manners1 the pardon which he asks of
 ,god1 and the authenticity of his book1
 must produce a great effect4 ,i will   
send you as many copies as you want of  
the ,testament of this good curate4     
,,voltaire ,,to ,,helvetius4  ,,aux     
,,deuces1 ,may #a1 #agfc4  ,they have   
sent me the two abstracts of ,jean      
,meslier4 ,it is true that it is written
 in the style of a carriage-horse1 but  
it is well suited to the street4 ,and   
what testimony6 that of a priest who    
asks pardon in dying1 for having taught 
absurd and horrible things6 ,what an    

answer to the platitudes of fanatics who
 have the audacity to assert that       
philosophy is but the fruit of          
libertinage6