Every national religion has a tendency to make man vain, unsocial, and
wicked; the first step toward humanity is to permit each one to follow
peacefully the worship and the opinions which suit him. But such a
conduct can not please the ministers of religion, who wish to have the
right to tyrannize over even the thoughts of men. Blind and bigoted
princes, you hate, you persecute, you devote heretics to torture,
because you are persuaded that these unfortunate ones displease God. But
do you not claim that your God is full of kindness? How can you hope to
please Him by such barbarous actions which He can not help disapproving
of? Besides, who told you that their opinions displease your God? Your
priests told you! But who guarantees that your priests are not deceived
themselves or that they do not wish to deceive you? It is these same
priests! Princes! it is upon the perilous word of your priests that you
commit the most atrocious and the most unheard-of crimes, with the idea
of pleasing the Deity!