Question

How did Voltaire’s views on religion reflect the changing ideas during the enlightenment

Answer 1

The Enlightenment, also known as the Age of Enlightenment, was an intellectual a cultural movement occurred in Europe and North America in the eighteenth century was. It contributed to the cultural and political change, drew upon new methods of sociability, and helped forge new ways of thinking that shaped the next two centuries. In such Enlightenment, a large number of men and women participated at a variety of levels, one of the outstanding participants in this movement was Voltaire,  whose real name was Francois-Marie Arouet.

Voltaire was a French thinker famous for his plays and poetry as well as Political, Religious and Philosophical Writings. He worked to defend Civil Liberties. He also thought that the rich were favored by the political situation and that the poor were too ignorant to know any different. In addition, Voltaire was not a fan of the Bible and was vigorously against the Catholic Church. In contrast, he was Christian and thought that everyone had a right to religious freedom.

In Voltaire’s opinion, the church had no place in politics. Such views on religion reflected on the separation of church and state, as well as the freedom of religion during the enlightenment.