o meddle with theology, theological quarrels will no longer
be a thing to fear.

Those who boast so much upon the importance and usefulness of religion,
ought to show us its beneficial results, and the advantages that the
disputes and abstract speculations of theology can bring to porters, to
artisans, to farmers, to fishmongers, to women, and to so many depraved
servants, with whom the large cities are filled. People of this kind are
all religious, they have implicit faith; their priests believe for them;
they accept a faith unknown to their guides; they listen assiduously to
sermons; they assist regularly in ceremonies; they think it a great
crime to transgress the ordinances to which from childhood they have
been taught to conform. What good to morality results from all this?
None whatever; they have no idea of morality, and you see them indulge
in all kinds of rogueries, frauds, rapine, and excesses which the law
does not punish. The masses, in truth, have no idea of religion; what is
called religion, is but a blind attachment to unknown opinions and
mysterious dealings. In fact, to deprive the people of religion, is
depriving them of nothing. If we should succeed in destroying their
prejudices, we would but diminish or annihilate the dangerous confidence
which they have in self-interested guides, and teach them to beware of
those who, under the pretext of religion, very often lead them into
fatal excesses.

CXCVIII.--CONTINUATION.

Under pretext of instructing and enlightening men, religion really holds
them in ignorance, and deprives them even of the desire of understanding
the objects which interest them the most. There exists for the people no
other rule of conduct than that which their priests indicate to them.
Religion takes the place of everything; but being in darkness itself, it
has a greater tendency to misguide mortals, than to guide them in the
way of science and happiness. Philosophy, morality, legislation, and
politics are to them enigmas. Man, blinded by religious prejudices,
finds it impossible to understand his own nature, to cultivate his
reason, to make experiments; he fears truth as soon as it does not agree
with his opinions. Everything tends to render the people devout, but all
is opposed to their being humane, reasonable, and virtuous. Religion
seems to have for its object only to blunt the feeling and to dull the
intelligence of men.

The war which always existed between the priests