Voltaire's Philosophical Dictionary · Voltaire
SELIM:
Nothing is clearer; it would be ridiculous to think that man could not accomplish his duty to God before Mahomet came into the world; it was not at all necessary for the human species to believe in the Alcoran: the world went along before Mahomet just as it goes along to-day. If Mahometanism had been necessary to the world, it would have existed in all places; God who has given us all two eyes to see the sun, would have given us all an intelligence to see the truth of the Mussulman religion. This sect is therefore only like the positive laws that change according to time and place, like the fashions, like the opinions of the natural philosophers which follow one after the other. The Mussulman sect could not be essentially necessary to mankind. But since it exists, God has permitted it? Yes, as he permits the world to be filled with foolishness, error and calamity; that is not to say that men are all essentially made to be fools and miscreants. He permits that some men be eaten by snakes; but one cannot say--"God made man to be eaten by snakes." What do you mean when you say "God permits"? can nothing happen without His order? permit, will and do, are they not the same thing for Him?
He permits crime, but He does not commit it. Committing a crime is acting against divine justice, it is disobeying God. Well, God cannot disobey Himself, He cannot commit crime; but He has made man in such a way that man may commit many crimes: where does that come from? There are people who know, but I do not; all that I know is that the Alcoran is ridiculous, although from time to time it has some tolerably good things; certainly the Alcoran was not at all necessary to man; I stick by that: I see clearly what is false, and I know very little that is true. I thought you would instruct me, and you teach me nothing. Is it not a great deal to recognize people who deceive you, and the gross and dangerous errors which they retail to you? I should have ground for complaint against a doctor who showed me all the harmful plants, and who did not show me one salutary plant. I am not a doctor, and you are not ill; but it seems to me I should be giving you a very good prescription if I said to you: "Put not your trust in all the inventions of charlatans, worship God, be an honest man, and believe that two and two make four."
Ideas discussed in this chapter
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