Superstition in all ages
Jean Meslier, born 1678, in the village of Mazerny, dependency of the duchy of Rethel, was the son of a serge weaver; brought up in the country, he nevertheless pursued his studies and succeeded to the priesthood. At the seminary, where he lived with much regularity, he devoted himself to the system of Descartes.
Becoming curate of Etrepigny in Champagne and vicar of a little annexed parish named Bue, he was remarkable for the austerity of his habits. Devoted in all his duties, every year he gave what remained of his salary to the poor of his parishes; enthusiastic, and of rigid virtue, he was very temperate, as much in regard to his appetite as in relation to women.
MM. Voiri and Delavaux, the one curate of Varq, the other curate of Boulzicourt, were his confessors, and the only ones with whom he associated.
The curate Meslier was a rigid partisan of justice, and sometimes carried his zeal a little too far. The lord of his village, M. de Touilly, having ill-treated some peasants, he refused to pray for him in his service. M. de Mailly, Archbishop of Rheims, before whom the case was brought, condemned him. But the Sunday which followed this decision, the abbot Meslier stood in his pulpit and complained of the sentence of the cardinal. This is, said he, the general fate of the poor country priest; the archbishops, who are great lords, scorn them and do not listen to them. Therefore, let us pray for the lord of this place. We will pray for Antoine de Touilly, that he may be converted and granted the grace that he may not wrong the poor and despoil the orphans. His lordship, who was present at this mortifying supplication, brought new complaints before the same archbishop, who ordered the curate Meslier to come to Donchery, where he ill-treated him with abusive language.
There have been scarcely any other events in his life, nor other benefice, than that of Etrepigny. He died in the odor of sanctity in the year 1733, fifty-five years old. It is believed that, disgusted with life, he expressly refused necessary food, because during his sickness he was not willing to take anything, not even a glass of wine.
baron d' Paul Henri Thiry Holbach
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SUPERSTITION IN ALL AGES
1732
LIFE OF JEAN MESLIER BY VOLTAIRE.
PREFACE OF THE AUTHOR.
COMMON SENSE.
I.—APOLOGUE.
II.—WHAT IS THEOLOGY?
III.
IV.—MAN BORN NEITHER RELIGIOUS NOR DEISTICAL.
VI.—RELIGION IS FOUNDED UPON CREDULITY.
VII.—EVERY RELIGION IS AN ABSURDITY.
VIII.—THE NOTION OF GOD IS IMPOSSIBLE.
IX.—ORIGIN OF SUPERSTITION.
X.—ORIGIN OF ALL RELIGION.
XII.—RELIGION ENTICES IGNORANCE BY THE AID OF THE MARVELOUS.
XIII.—CONTINUATION.
XV.—ALL RELIGION WAS BORN OF THE DESIRE TO DOMINATE.
XVII.—IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CONVINCED OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.
XVIII.—CONTINUATION.
XIX.—THE EXISTENCE OF GOD IS NOT PROVED.
XXI.—SPIRITUALITY IS A CHIMERA.
XXII.—ALL WHICH EXISTS SPRINGS FROM THE BOSOM OF MATTER.
XXIII.—WHAT IS THE METAPHYSICAL GOD OF MODERN THEOLOGY?
XXV.—A SPIRITUAL GOD IS INCAPABLE OF WILLING AND OF ACTING.
XXVI.—WHAT IS GOD?
XXVII.—REMARKABLE CONTRADICTIONS OF THEOLOGY.
XXVIII.—TO ADORE GOD IS TO ADORE A FICTION.
XXXIII.—ORIGIN OF PREJUDICES.
XXXIV.—HOW THEY TAKE ROOT AND SPREAD.
XXXVI.—THE WONDERS OF NATURE DO NOT PROVE THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.
XXXVII.—THE WONDERS OF NATURE EXPLAIN THEMSELVES BY NATURAL CAUSES.
XXXVIII—CONTINUATION.
XXXIX.—THE WORLD HAS NOT BEEN CREATED, AND MATTER MOVES BY ITSELF.
XL.—CONTINUATION.
XLII.—THE EXISTENCE OF MAN DOES NOT PROVE THAT OF GOD.
XLV.—CONTINUATION.
XLVIII.—CONTINUATION.
L.—GOD IS NOT MADE FOR MAN, NOR MAN FOR GOD.
LII.—WHAT IS CALLED PROVIDENCE IS BUT A WORD VOID OF SENSE.
LIV.—NO! THE WORLD IS NOT GOVERNED BY AN INTELLIGENT BEING.
LV.—GOD CAN NOT BE CALLED IMMUTABLE.
LVIII.—ANOTHER IDLE FANCY.
LXI.—CONTINUATION.
LXVII.—THEOLOGY IS BUT A SERIES OF PALPABLE CONTRADICTIONS.
LXXII.—IT IS ABSURD TO SAY THAT EVIL DOES NOT COME FROM GOD.
LXXV.—THE DEVIL, LIKE RELIGION, WAS INVENTED TO ENRICH THE PRIESTS.
LXXX.—FREE WILL IS AN IDLE FANCY.
LXXXII.—REFUTATION OF THE ARGUMENTS IN FAVOR OF FREE WILL.
LXXXIII.—CONTINUATION.
XCV.—COMPARISON BETWEEN MAN AND ANIMALS.
XCVII.—REFUTATION OF MAN'S EXCELLENCE.
XCVIII.—AN ORIENTAL LEGEND.
CII.—IT IS EVIDENT THAT THE WHOLE OF MAN DIES.
CIII.—INCONTESTABLE PROOFS AGAINST THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE SOUL.
CV.—IT IS FALSE THAT MATERIALISM CAN BE DEBASING TO THE HUMAN RACE.
CVI.—CONTINUATION.
CXII.—CONTINUATION.
CXIII.—CONTINUATION.
CXIV.—A UNIVERSAL GOD SHOULD HAVE REVEALED A UNIVERSAL RELIGION.
CXVII.—OPINION OF A CELEBRATED THEOLOGIAN.
CXXIV.—REVELATION REFUTED.
CXXVI.—NOTHING ESTABLISHES THE TRUTH OF MIRACLES.
CXXVIII.—OBSCURE AND SUSPICIOUS ORIGIN OF ORACLES.
CXXIX.—ABSURDITY OF PRETENDED MIRACLES.
CXXXVIII.—FAITH TAKES ROOT BUT IN WEAK, IGNORANT, OR INDOLENT MINDS.
CXL.—RELIGION IS NOT NECESSARY TO MORALITY AND TO VIRTUE.
CXLII.—HONOR IS A MORE SALUTARY AND A STRONGER CHECK THAN RELIGION.
CLXIX.—A RELIGIOUS KING IS A SCOURGE TO HIS KINGDOM.
CLII.—WHAT IS AN ENLIGHTENED SOVEREIGN?
CLIV.—CHARLATANRY OF THE PRIESTS.
CLVII.—ABUSE OF A STATE RELIGION.
CLX.—ALL MORALITY IS INCOMPATIBLE WITH RELIGIOUS OPINIONS.
CLXI.—THE MORALS OF THE GOSPEL ARE IMPRACTICABLE.
CLXII.—A SOCIETY OF SAINTS WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE.
CLXIV.—OF JESUS CHRIST, THE PRIEST'S GOD.
CLXVI.—THE FEAR OF GOD IS POWERLESS AGAINST HUMAN PASSIONS.
CLXVII.—THE INVENTION OF HELL IS TOO ABSURD TO PREVENT EVIL.
CLXXV.—RELIGION PARALYZES MORALITY.
CLXXVI.—FATAL CONSEQUENCES OF PIETY.
CLXXX.—THE MORALITY ACQUIRED BY PHILOSOPHY IS SUFFICIENT TO VIRTUE.
CLXXXI.—OPINIONS RARELY INFLUENCE CONDUCT.
CLXXXIII.—FEAR ALONE CREATES THEISTS AND BIGOTS.
CLXXXIV.—CAN WE, OR SHOULD WE, LOVE OR NOT LOVE GOD?
CLXXXVII.—PRIESTS, MORE THAN UNBELIEVERS, ACT FROM INTEREST.
CXCIII.—IT IS NOT TRUE THAT ATHEISM SUNDERS ALL THE TIES OF SOCIETY.
CXCV.—EVERY RATIONAL SYSTEM IS NOT MADE FOR THE MULTITUDE.
CXCVI.—FUTILITY AND DANGER OF THEOLOGY. WISE COUNSELS TO PRINCES.
CXCVII.—FATAL EFFECTS OF RELIGION UPON THE PEOPLE AND THE PRINCES.
CXCVIII.—CONTINUATION.
CCI.—THEOLOGY HAS ALWAYS TURNED PHILOSOPHY FROM ITS TRUE COURSE.
CCIV.—CONTINUATION.
CCVI.—RELIGION IS PANDORA'S BOX, AND THIS FATAL BOX IS OPEN.
ABSTRACT OF THE TESTAMENT OF JOHN MESLIER
OR, SENTIMENTS OF THE CURATE OF ETREPIGNY ADDRESSED TO HIS PARISHIONERS.
I.—OF RELIGIONS.
II.—OF MIRACLES.
III.—SIMILARITY BETWEEN ANCIENT AND MODERN MIRACLES.
IV.—OF THE FALSITY OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
THE HOLY SCRIPTURES.
V.—(1) OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
VI.—(2) THE NEW TESTAMENT.
VII.—ERRORS OF DOCTRINE AND OF MORALITY.
PUBLISHER'S PREFACE.
PREFATORY NOTE BY THE TRANSLATOR
PREFACE OF THE EDITOR OF THE FRENCH EDITION OF 1830.