Religious Tolerance

    What if Voltaire didn’t do any of the things he was noted for doing? What if Voltaire never said, “…the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to the other…” (Voltaire…) , surely creating some enemies? If Voltaire had chosen to be just another face in the crowd, we may not have the rights to speak freely like we do today. Though he was not the first one to do it, putting himself on the line for something he believed in was quite the heroic thing to do.  It takes more than one person to make a point, and the more people the higher chance that point was received and understood by others. This country was founded by highly respectable people who decided they weren’t going to take someone else’s rules anymore. These people most definitely weren’t inspired directly by him, but they share the same principles. Without people like Voltaire to speak up for what’s right, America may very well never have been anything like it is today.

    Although Voltaire was exiled to England as a punishment, he used the extra three and a half years to his advantage. (Chew) This gave him time to realize the thing the French Government needed the most; a sense of religious tolerance. Who could blame him for rebelling against the French Government? During the Age of Absolutism it was nearly impossible to look around and find something not to complain about. He may have been infamous to the lawmakers, but Voltaire will always be a voice of reason to countless others. His habit to speak out about religious tolerance and persecutions made him revolutionary. “Injustice in the end produces independence”, Voltaire once said. I’d have to say, he has made himself one great independent!