Part 21 (1/2)
”Now, if you take a review of the whole history of the spirit of all religion, you will see that in its origin it has had no other author than the sensations and wants of man; that the idea of G.o.d has had no other type and model than those of physical powers, material beings, producing either good or evil, by impressions of pleasure or pain on sensitive beings; that in the formation of all these systems the spirit of religion has always followed the same course, and been uniform in its proceedings; that in all of them the dogma has never failed to represent, under the name of G.o.ds, the operations of nature, and pa.s.sions and prejudices of men; that the moral of them all has had for its object the desire of happiness and the aversion to pain; but that the people, and the greater part of legislators, not knowing the route to be pursued, have formed false, and therefore discordant, ideas of virtue and vice of good and evil, that is to say, of what renders man happy or miserable; that in every instance, the means and the causes of propagating and establis.h.i.+ng systems have exhibited the same scenes of pa.s.sion and the same events; everywhere disputes about words, pretexts for zeal, revolutions and wars excited by the ambition of princes, the knavery of apostles, the credulity of proselytes, the ignorance of the vulgar, the exclusive cupidity and intolerant arrogance of all. Indeed, you will see that the whole history of the spirit of religion is only the history of the errors of the human mind, which, placed in a world that it does not comprehend, endeavors nevertheless to solve the enigma; and which, beholding with astonishment this mysterious and visible prodigy, imagines causes, supposes reasons, builds systems; then, finding one defective, destroys it for another not less so; hates the error that it abandons, misconceives the one that it embraces, rejects the truth that it is seeking, composes chimeras of discordant beings; and thus, while always dreaming of wisdom and happiness, wanders blindly in a labyrinth of illusion and doubt.”
CHAPTER XXIII.
ALL RELIGIONS HAVE THE SAME OBJECT.
Thus spoke the orator in the name of those men who had studied the origin and succession of religious ideas.
The theologians of various systems, reasoning on this discourse: ”It is an impious representation,” said some, ”whose tendency is nothing less than to overturn all belief, to destroy subordination in the minds of men, and annihilate our ministry and power.” ”It is a romance,” said others, ”a tissue of conjectures, composed with art, but without foundation.” The moderate and prudent men added: ”Supposing all this to be true, why reveal these mysteries? Doubtless our opinions are full of errors; but these errors are a necessary restraint on the mult.i.tude. The world has gone thus for two thousand years; why change it now?”
A murmur of disapprobation, which never fails to rise at every innovation, now began to increase; when a numerous group of the common cla.s.ses of people, and of untaught men of all countries and of every nation, without prophets, without doctors, and without doctrine, advancing in the circle, drew the attention of the whole a.s.sembly; and one of them, in the name of all, thus addressed the mult.i.tude:
”Mediators and arbiters of nations! the strange relations which have occupied the present debate were unknown to us until this day. Our understanding, confounded and amazed at so many statements, some of them learned, others absurd and all incomprehensible, remains in uncertainty and doubt. One only reflection has struck us: on reviewing so many prodigious facts, so many contradictory a.s.sertions, we ask ourselves: What are all these discussions to us? What need have we of knowing what pa.s.sed five or six thousand years ago, in countries we never heard of, and among men who will ever be unknown to us? True or false, what interest have we in knowing whether the world has existed six thousand, or twenty-five thousand years? Whether it was made of nothing, or of something; by itself, or by a maker, who in his turn would require another maker? What! we are not sure of what happens near us, and shall we answer for what happens in the sun, in the moon, or in imaginary regions of s.p.a.ce? We have forgotten our own infancy, and shall we know the infancy of the world? And who will attest what no one has seen? who will certify what no man comprehends?
”Besides, what addition or diminution will it make to our existence, to answer yes or no to all these chimeras? Hitherto neither our fathers nor ourselves have had the least knowledge or notion of them, and we do not perceive that we have had on this account either more or less of the sun, more or less of subsistence, more or less of good or of evil.
”If the knowledge of these things is so necessary, why have we lived as well without it as those who have taken so much trouble concerning it?
If this knowledge is superfluous, why should we burden ourselves with it to-day?”
Then addressing himself to the doctors and theologians:
”What!” said he, ”is it necessary that we, poor and ignorant men, whose every moment is scarcely sufficient for the cares of life, and the labors of which you take the profit,--is it necessary for us to learn the numberless histories that you have recounted, to read the quant.i.ty of books that you have cited, and to study the various languages in which they are composed! A thousand years of life would not suffice--”
”It is not necessary,” replied the doctors, ”that you should acquire all this science; we have it for you--”
”But even you,” replied the simple men, ”with all your science, you are not agreed; of what advantage, then, is your science? Besides, how can you answer for us? If the faith of one man is applicable to many, what need have even you to believe? your fathers may have believed for you; and this would be reasonable, since they have seen for you.
”Farther, what is believing, if believing influences no action? And what action is influenced by believing, for instance, that the world is or is not eternal?”
”The latter would be offensive to G.o.d,” said the doctors.
”How prove you that?” replied the simple men.
”In our books,” answered the doctors.
”We do not understand them,” returned the simple men.
”We understand them for you,” said the doctors.
”That is the difficulty,” replied the simple men. ”By what right do you const.i.tute yourselves mediators between G.o.d and us?”
”By his orders,” said the doctors.
”Where is the proof of these orders?” said the simple men.
”In our books,” said the doctors.
”We understand them not,” said the simple men; ”and how came this just G.o.d to give you this privilege over us? Why did this common father oblige us to believe on a less degree of evidence than you? He has spoken to you; be it so; he is infallible, and deceives you not. But it is you who speak to us! And who shall a.s.sure us that you are not in error yourselves, or that you will not lead us into error? And if we should be deceived, how will that just G.o.d save us contrary to law, or condemn us on a law which we have not known?”
”He has given you the natural law,” said the doctors.