Comparing Voltaire's Candide And Religion

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Voltaire earnestly believed that the many religious hierarchies were corrupted, blatantly showing his disdain for them through his portrayals in Candide. Voltaire was the main voice against organized religion, persuading many Enlightenment thinkers to see that the strict traditions of religion was an impediment to the Enlightenment’s progress and “caused so much bigotry and fanaticism” (The Western Perspective 691). To them, religion was of “... no relevance to the modern world…” (The Western Perspective 700). Philosophers argued that many religious persecutions were unjust and much too oppressive. Candide runs into many troubles by the hands of people connected to a church. Candide and Pangloss find people being sacrificed in Lisbon after…show more content…
The cruel ceremony is displayed to the public, every death under the pretense that it was “...an infallible secret to hinder the earth from quaking,” (Candide, 13). This inhumane presentation was brought into action by the Inquisitor himself. The Inquisitor, a supposedly respected and sacred figure, is then found to own Cunegonde as his slave whom he shared ownership with a Jew. Using his authority, the Inquisitor threatened the Jew, Don Issachar, with another auto-da-fé, forcing the latter to mediate (Candide, 18. Later on, the old woman who accompanied Candide and Cunegonde in their escaped revealed her past as a daughter of Pope Urban X (Candide, 24). However, Popes are under the oath of abstinence, making the birth of the old woman a sin. Both the Inquisitor and the Pope exemplify the corruptness of organized religion through their hypocritic actions. Further along the story, Candide and Cacambo make their way to Paraguay and seek an audience with a Jesuit Commandant. During their stay, the holy grounds are far better off financially with lavish housing and food than the people they serve outside their
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