Sarah Haskins' Discussion Questions for 10/16-10/19
***Be sure to note Dr. Pasley's clarification on the Enlightenment reader assignment posted on the blog.***
For this week's blog discussion I want you to focus on the introduction in the reader (ix-xxiii)and Voltaire's "Reflections on Religion" (pg. 115-131). What are the important themes/messages in Voltaire's piece? How does he compare to other Enlightenment thinkers as described in the introduction? with the Puritans of New England? the Quakers? What are the noticeable differences and similarities?
For this week's blog discussion I want you to focus on the introduction in the reader (ix-xxiii)and Voltaire's "Reflections on Religion" (pg. 115-131). What are the important themes/messages in Voltaire's piece? How does he compare to other Enlightenment thinkers as described in the introduction? with the Puritans of New England? the Quakers? What are the noticeable differences and similarities?
posted by shask at 3:52 PM
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Basically what Voltaire states throughout his “Reflections on Religion” is that religion is merely an institution “only to keep mankind in order.” The institution itself and the clergy have no supernatural powers that can change anything on this earth. Voltaire does believe that there is a God: “’One must be blind not to be dazzled by this spectacle; one must be stupid not to recognize the author of it; one must be mad not to worship Him.’” He does believe in this God because all minds it seems to agree that one must worship a God as there were no sects which felt otherwise. But being that there are sects of different religions, which is right? Perhaps none are exactly right but all believe in a God.
Comparing to other Enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire is similar in some ways but different than others. Both agree that there is nothing supernatural about religion, and that the world is governed by rational natural laws. They also agree that God does exist. Voltaire, however, differs. He says, “I admired still more the intelligence which directs these vast forces.” This hints somewhat toward that he believed God had a little more to do with nature than other Enlightenment thinkers might have. Other Enlightenment thinkers seem to condemn the different sects of religion and religion as a whole for that matter, but Voltaire welcomes the numerous sects because with them peace is much easier to be a reality whereas with less sects, persecution and violence tend to be the outcomes.
Puritans probably would have been distraught to think that anyone could believe such things about religion the way Enlightenment thinkers did. Voltaire and the Puritans would have agreed on there being one God, but the Puritans would have liked to hear Voltaire say, well maybe you’re wrong, as the Puritans thought they were God’s chosen. Also, Voltaire welcomed diversity to bring peace. This is something the Puritans worked to keep out of their colonies in New England.
The Quakers in early Pennsylvania would probably have been more receptive since they more welcomed diversity than did the Puritans. The Quakers felt more that God acted on earth as well as through humans with an “inner light.” This is something Voltaire probably would not have agreed with, but not as completely as other Enlightenment thinkers. Voltaire also welcomed diversity. Diversity was something that Pennsylvania prided itself on.
Voltaire writes very graphically on the extremities of fanatics and their unlawful acts towards people with different beliefs. The fanatics view their religion is above the law and because of this, the laws don’t apply to them. Voltaire states we are taught, “how different God’s judgments were from our own, and how a good action is preferable to an argument.” He exemplifies the harsh facts of treatment among the ‘brotherhood,’ by showing how men have ruthlessly killed each other and all due to the fight amongst different beliefs and religions. Voltaire also labeled the harsh actions priests and judges made and questions the dominating religion. Enlightenment was an era of observation, experience and experiment; the approach was towards a more literal description of how the universe worked. As compared to other Enlightenment writers, Voltaire had an extremely direct approach towards his topic. He deeply used reasoning to reinforce his thoughts into arguments and explanations. Voltaire had a more anti-Catholic view when compared to the other Enlightenment writers. He thought of the bad actions Catholics were able to get away with (without punishment) solely because of their strong Catholicism; all they had to say was, ‘I was doing it for God.’
When being compared to Puritans, Voltaire also attacked the Catholic doctrines and opposed to most Catholic rituals and celebrations. Voltaire had bad thoughts about both judges and priests and their level of authority among the community.
If comparing Voltaire’s writings to the actions of the Quakers, you notice both similarities and differences. Similarities in the aspect of finding something you yourself believe in, and not just conforming with the formalities of the majority. Voltaire doesn’t pray, just like the Quakers and doesn’t necessarily believe in violence either. Government was also questioned among the Quakers and Voltaire, in the aspect of government versus religion. When Voltaire was asked if he wanted to teach a new religion, he promptly stated, “Not at all. Love God with all your heart and your fellow creature as yourself, for that is man’s whole duty.” The Quakers also believed to love God, but felt it was their duty to convince others to follow their beliefs and that with ‘no cross’ there is ‘no crown.’
The main themes of Voltaire's writings are the follies of religion. Voltaire sees religion as means of keeping men virtuous throughout their lives. He sees the importance of religion, therefor, but views the directions in which people take their own religion as problematic. First we see him tackle the idea of fanaticism, or as he sees it, the first corrupting force in religion. "Once fanaticism has corrupted a mind, the malady is almost incurable." Voltaire examines the dangers of a mind run mad with upholding one's religion. Secondly he also analyzes the idea of sects, and the division of religion. Sects are yet another problem in religion, because if there was one truth discovered, he claims that religion would not be so divided. Finally, he attacks superstition as a set of falsehoods and fake "magic" that lead to fanaticism. "the superstitious man is governed by the fanatic and becomes a fanatic...superstition was born in paganism."
The difference between Voltaire and the majority of the enlightenment thinkers, is that in spite of all the problems Voltaire spots within different faiths, he still sees the importance of God. Many of the Enlightenment thinkers saw God as unnecessary and saw the only importance of life was to make oneself happy. Voltaire sees God as a guiding force in men's lives. The Puritans of New England also saw God as a force, but rather than a guide, they viewed him almost as a dictator. The Puritans believed that one must follow the exact rules laid down by their faith in order to achieve eternal happiness. To Voltaire, it seems as if one must find the truth of God for themselves and hope that what they find is the absolute truth without fault. He is far more tolerant than the Puritans of other people's faiths. The Quakers are more similar to Voltaire in that they to believed in a more diverse culture. The difference between Quaker views is that they believed the way to God was through Christianity, and were mainly tolerant to just Christians. Voltaire does not even stress the absolute truth of a particular religion but rather just believes in searching for the truth of God through any means possible.
In Voltaire’s “Reflection on Religion”, he portrays several messages about religion. He says, “Religion exists only to make men merit the goodness of God by virtue.” Voltaire takes a closer look into religion and discovers it is just a group of people who do what they are told in hopes that they will receive blessings from God and make it to heaven. Voltaire is skeptical of religion and feels that more people should think more about religion before they start believing and acting on those beliefs. Voltaire is very similar to the other enlightenment thinkers discussed in the introduction. The thinkers in the introduction believe all political and religious authority is subject to criticism. They encourage everyday people to be skeptical of the government and religions in much the same way Voltaire is skeptical. Religious superstition is also discussed by the other enlightenment thinkers and Voltaire. The other enlightenment thinkers vary from Voltaire because they are very interested in science and Voltaire never mentions science in his piece.The Puritans varied from Voltaire’s beliefs about being skeptical about religion. In the new world, the Puritan got caught up in their beliefs and did not think things through. The Puritans would threaten to shoot Native Americans if they did not convert to Christianity. They were also very strict with fellow members of their church and even persecuted some parishioners for taking the Puritan religion too far. The Puritans do relate to Voltaire in the way that they questioned the Catholic religion and broke away from it. The Quaker religion was more reformed for its time. There was no liturgy, ritual, or sermons. Members of the Quaker faith sat in a silent meeting until someone was inspired by the inner light. The Quakers attacked the double standards of other religions which is something Voltaire would have agreed with. In conclusion, Voltaire promoted a side of religion most people did not want to hear but without realizing it the Puritans and Quakers were following in some of Voltaire’s beliefs.
Voltaire’s main message included religion and the existence of God. Voltaire believed the organization of religion and clergy did not have divine right. He believed that there was a God. “One must be blind not to be dazzled by this spectacle; one must be stupid not to recognize the author of it; one must be mad not to worship Him.” The main difference between Enlightenment thinkers and Voltaire is the respect of religion. Voltaire thought religion was useful in keeping society in check. Enlightenment thinkers do agree that there is a God as well. The Puritans of New England believed in God like Voltaire. They would have disagreed with his thoughts of dissimilating themselves from religion. Puritans wanted everyone to convert and be like them. The Quakers were like Voltaire because they were open to other religions. They also believed in God. I think they would have disagreed on “holy conversations” though.
The theme of the Enlightenment was that unassisted human reason, not faith or tradition, was the principal guide to human conduct. This is the belief in man’s interdependence to himself. He should not have to look to his government, religion, or doctor for his well being but rather to himself. Science was a huge proponent of the Enlightenment. “Science and technology were the engines of progress enabling modern men and women to force nature to serve their well-being and further their happiness.” It promoted the idea that you could always think of something new and endless improvement. This was a very true concept because to this day, over three hundred years later, we have still not mastered science. Scientific innovations are made every day and will continue to be made.
Rationally, the Enlightenment viewpoint put man as the center of meaning, truth, and reality. Simply put, a man did not have to believe in anything but himself. This humanistic view has endured our world society for hundreds of years. If it’s a good concept is debatable, but clearly this is where we are as a country and world society. When the original theorists of the Enlightenment came to the public with their ideologies, they came as a minority. The main idea then was that men were inherently evil and were ultimately always wrong. Obviously, the Enlightenment movement caused much discussion. Inner joy and contentment were huge components of the new movement because it promoted “individualism and the legitimacy of self interest.”
Compared to other Enlightenment thinkers, Voltaire was similar in many ways. They both agreed that God does exist and the religion was not mystical. Voltaire was different compared to other Enlightenment readers in that Voltaire believes that God is a little more involved than other Enlightenment thinkers. Compared to the Quakers, Voltaire could be described as similar to them. Both believe that people should not conform to a religion or standards simply because of tradition but rather find their true inner peace.
In Voltaire's "Reflections on Religion" he talks about and explains his views on religion. He first states simply that religion is an institution. He says that there is a god, but that how you come to belive in the god that you do is more significant than just complying with society. This is where he formulates his idea that the many different sects of religion have some equality between them, because they all believe in a certain god. He isn't the one to say that one religion is better than another so he is simply just tolerant of all of them. He also says that all religions and the clergy do not possess supernatural powers, which to Voltaire is a common misconception. He also talks about the idea of fanaticism and expresses his negativity with it. Saying that one shouldn't ever obsess about his or her religion. Voltaire later says that the idea of superstitions tie into the idea of fanaticism, because if one is inclined to believe in superstitions then it increases the likilhood of blieveing in and showing fanaticism.
When compared to other Enlightenment thinkers of his day they share some common beliefs. First off they both agree that there is a god, and that the importnce lies in teh pursuit to the belief in that certain god and not just going with society or culture. Also that there should be no supernatural beliefs in religion. However, they disagree when it comes to the subject of the different sects of religion. Enlightenment thinkers weren't as tolerant as Voltaire was. They didn't believe that the different sects possessed equality.
When it came to the Puritians and their beliefs it was similar with the other enlightenment thinkers. Puritians believed that there was a god, but where they differed was the idea of religious diverstity. They thought that only Puritians were "chosen people" and that all other sects of religion weren't as superior.
When it came to the Quakers and Voltaire they seemed to be more like the Puritians than the Enlightenment thinkers. The Quakers welcomed the idea of religious diverstity more than the Puritians did but only when it came to the Christians. However, they did find some compromise with Voltaire when it came to the relationship between government and religion. Both sides believed that "there could be no cross without a crown."
Voltaire tells us a lot about religion. Religion was established mainly to keep men, or society, in order. One very important point that he talks about in his writing is fanaticism and how it corrupts the mind. He says this fanaticism is an "epidemic malady" and the only cure for it is the "philosophical spirit." The next big thing he talks about is actual religion. Most of the religions of this time (i.e. Puritans, Quakers, etc.) believed that there was one God. Voltaire is taken through many areas and learns a lot of things. He talks to several philosophers and other "high" people that did well in life. Voltaire also says that in a land of many sects (or many religions), that this land will live in peace more than one who has a couple of religions. He mentions truth and how so many people believe regardless of whether they personally have proof, "This is the character of truth: it is of all time, it is for all men, and it only has to show itself." Voltaire does not mention science in his writings much because he does not believe in it. That is different from the enlightenment thinkers in the introduction.
The Puritans were very hardcore in their thinking. They didn't bother to even take anyone else’s thoughts or ideas into consideration. Therefore, they did not accept the thought of Enlightenment really at all. However, as most religions did, they did believe in one God. The Puritans were not relaxed as the Enlightenment thinkers were, creating a somewhat big difference. Unlike the Puritans, Enlightenment thinkers could accept other religions.
The Quakers took on a different view than the Puritans. Obviously, it was in there part to at least listen to what those have to say. They didn't agree with most of it but one key thing they mostly agreed on was diversity. Overall, Enlightenment, like any other religion, had its good parts and bad.
Voltaire believes that the Church is an establishment used to keep people in line. He believes that God hasn't put faith only into the hands of preachers rather God is in the hands of everyone. Therefore, Voltaire believes the Church is an establishment used for power and to keep society in check. Fanatisism to Voltaire is just the Government's excuse for committing social and political injustices that would be deemed inexcusable. In other words Religion is used as a scare tactic rather to keep citizens in check rather then send the holy message of God because the holy message of God can be obtained through ones own soul.
His thoughts coincide with the other enligtentment thinkers because they all believe that religious persecution is unnessacary and that no one religion is better then the other. His thoughts coincide with the Quaker religion on some levels, but not all. The belief of not being persecuted for ones religion and not Voltaire's message for pacifism are evident in Quaker religion. However Voltaire's thoughts aren't necesarily the same as everyone elses. For instance he believes in logic and science over religion.
Voltaire criticized the institution of the church which was affected by political purpose. He also thought the bible was not divine, because that was just written by human beings and has lots of inconsistencies. But, he was not atheist. He thought there is god, but god just made us, not control us. He believed observable proof.
However, Puritans and Quakers had life of religion, especially from the Bible. They thought god know every thing, and has detail plans for human beings. Because of difference of thinking about god, puritans and Quakers didn’t like Enlightenment.
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