Posted on 04/23/2002 9:23:27 AM PDT by TBP
"God created man in His image and likeness, and man promptly returned the favor." -- Voltaire
"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."
Perhaps he was trying to be "ironical" . . . LOL
Exactly, but Voltaire is humorously pointing out that much of mainstream religion has made God out to be some kind of big man sitting on a big throne, and a somewhat capricious one at that.
So was Voltaire trying to be "ironical"?????
When I was at the University years ago, we studied the life and some of the writings of one Francois Marie Arouet. But, there are very few people who recognize him by that name. His pen name was Voltaire. He was born in 1694 and he died in 1778. He is considered by many to be France’s greatest writer and philosopher. I do not argue that he was an intellectual giant among men of his age. But, he was a fool biblically speaking, because he was an outspoken critic of the Bible and he did not believe in God. Further, he sought to debunk biblical salvation through Christ. He said, "It took centuries to build up Christianity, but, I’ll show how one Frenchman can destroy it within 50 years." Then as one author wrote, "He took his pen, dipped it into the ink of unbelief and wrote against God."
In his later years (1759) Voltaire purchased an estate called "Ferney" near the French-Swiss border where he lived and wrote his Anti-God, Anti-Christ material. He was convinced that he could destroy Christianity and the Bible. He believed that people would become so enlightened that they would neither believe in God, the Bible or their need of Salvation through Jesus Christ.
When I think of Voltaire’s life, I think of 1 Corinthians 1:18-21 "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Here is why these verses are so fitting. First, Voltaire realized on his deathbed that he was going to Hell. He said, "I wish I had never been born." Then, just before he passed from this life he cried, "O Christ, O Jesus, I must die abandoned by God and men." His condition had become so frightful that his infidel associates were afraid to approach his bedside. After he has died his nurse said repeatedly, "For all the wealth in Europe I would never see another infidel die.
Link
Voltaire, Lenin and Paine are a cold group to build a philosophical foundation on...oh, and Chomsky, Alinsky...
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