Voltaire verses Religion
IEP #22 John
Voltaire excessively discussed and criticized different religious orders in his
satirical book, Candide. He portrayed the clergymen and religious officials in
European countries and their colonies as lustful and mercenary hypocrite. Although it
seems like Voltaire was opposing all religions, he in fact was opposing certain aspect
of the Catholic Church and protestant orders. He pointed out the corrupt of the church
by presenting ill moral church official all over Candide’s adventure. Voltaire also
displayed the voice from monks and the insider’s view on church and monasteries. He
showed strong disagreement toward religious fanaticism and following persecutions.
Besides criticism, he also voiced his ideal religion during Candide’s journey in El
Dorado. Voltaire is not opposed to religion itself but against the excessiveness and
abuses of organized religions.
Voltaire despised the corruption of clergymen and their hypocritical
characteristics. In Candide, Voltaire portrayed the clergymen and church official as
greedy and sexually corrupted. Franciscan priest should help the poor, yet the
Franciscan in Candide steals the money and diamonds from Cunegonde in the inn
(P.37). An irony was made here that the respected fathers and priests, who are
supposed to give their fortune to the poor and bring others out of misery, are actually
the ones who bring misery upon people by taking necessity from the poor till “[not] a
penny” is left (P.37). On the other hand, the Grand Inquisitor of Spain should have a
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Voltaire verses Religion
IEP #22 John
high moral standard, yet the inquisitor “threaten[s] [the Jew merchant] with an
auto-da-fé” to chastise the Jew merchant to share Cunegonde with the inquisitor and
satisfy their sexual desires (P.32). The inquisitor has his desire overwhelm the duty
which Catholic Church assigns him. He has the authority to put those who commit
violation against Catholic belief to death, but his corruptive and abusive use of power
is also what enables him to commit the exact same violation in personal life. Voltaire
expressed his disdain on the hypocritical and corruptive churches and orders through
the events occur in Candide’s journey.
Voltaire unveiled the fact that some church officials were unwillingly working
with the church and the dark side of monasteries. With the insider’s view of Brother
Giroflée, Voltaire gave the readers a glimpse of the lives and internal conflicts of
some if not most monks in 18th century. Brother Giroflée claims that he was “forced
to put on this hateful robe” and become a monk (P.91). It is obvious that not all church
officials are willing to devote their life to religion under their consent. Brother
Giroflée also admits that he spends the money he earns from sermons on prostitution
and feels extremely frustrated with the life in the monastery that “[he is] ready to
smash [his] head against the wall of the dormitory, and all the other monks feel the
same” (P.92). The life described by Brother Giroflée crushed the common view of
church official and monk as saints and the positively mystical image of monasticism.
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Voltaire verses Religion
IEP #22 John
Voltaire criticized the religious devotion against people’s will and the unholy practices
of monasteries and monks with Brother Giroflée’s voice.
Voltaire opposed the persecutions and violent disagreements between different
religions. During Candide’s voyage through Europe and the new world, Candide
experiences many different kinds of fanaticism and persecution. When Candide
escapes the warring Bulgars and arrives at Holland, he meets an orator who questions
him if he believes that the pope is the Antichrist. Candide doesn’t give a clear answer,
yet the orator is irritated by Candide’s answer and refuses to help Candide. When
Candide meets Martin in Surinam, Martin tells Candide he is persecuted because
“[locals] believed him to be a Socinian” (P.72). The incident displays the religious
fanaticism hovering Europe had caused people to focus on others’ religious belief yet
failed to recognize others as fellow human and judges others’ life based on their
religious beliefs and preferences. In Candide’s stay in Spain, he experienced the
auto-da-fé. The so-called infidels are prosecuted for committing crimes range from
“taken the pork from the outside of their chicken before eating it” to “marrying the
godmother of his godchild” and are sentenced burn, hang, and flog (P.28-29). The
Auto-da-fé shows the persecution led by fanaticism and the ridiculous “crimes”
people were convicted. Voltaire used these examples to propagate his disapproval of
religious fanaticism and persecution.
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Voltaire verses Religion
IEP #22 John
Despites all the criticism on religion, Voltaire was not completely against it. He
believed that the ideal religion should be reasonable and logical, containing some
traits of deism. Voltaire visualized his ideal religion in the part when Candide enter El
Dorado by accident. In Candide’s communication with the elder, Candide learned that
the religious belief in El Dorado is single-ordered, monotheistic, asking nothing from
God, no specialized church official, and single-interpreted (P.62-63). These traits are
the reversal of the status in Europe, which had many different orders and well
organized yet debates indefinitely on definitions, orthodoxy, and administrative
approaches. Voltaire satirized the churches in Europe and praised the ideal religion in
Candide’s adventure through El Dorado by pointing out that people in El Dorado have
difficulty understanding why religion could lead to persecution and that religion in El
Dorado is not controlled by single group of officials but based on common census and
explanation.
Voltaire expressed his attitude toward religion in Candide. He strongly opposed
the abuse and complexity of religious community and churches. He voiced his
defiance toward morally and sexually corrupted church officials through Candide’s
encountering the antagonistic clergymen. He also uncover the inside world of monks
and monasteries by presenting Brother Giroflée’s personal view and complaint on
monk’s life and monasticism. Voltaire showed his disproval of Auto-da-fé and
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Voltaire verses Religion
IEP #22 John
persecution by giving the readers the perspective of victims. Although Voltaire
established extensive and intensive criticism of the churches, he still didn’t oppose
religion as a whole. He projected his ideal form of religion in El Dorado that people
would not fight over religious controversies. In sum, Voltaire didn’t stand against
religion itself but the corruption and the abuse of power of organized religious parties.
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