Theophilanthropy : A ( Masonic ) Plan for Deist Worship
there cannot be but one sole religion , the universal religion . 9
With their feeling , their utility and their simplicity , the Theophilanthropists were the loyal sons of Rousseau and Voltaire . Due to the value they ascribed to simplicity and their allergy to “ theological trickery ” typical of eighteenth century philosophy , it is therefore quite difficult to go much further into the doctrine of the Theophilanthropists . When a Protestant society invited them to reveal the detail of their “ confession of faith ”, Chemin replied that this would :
require a theological discussion and in consequence draw me beyond both my personal principles and those of Theophilanthropy . 10
Moreover :
What God is , what the soul is , how God rewards the good and punishes the evil , these are questions beyond the scope of the Theophilanthropists ’ inquiries . They are convinced that there is too much distance between God and his creation for his creation to pretend to known Him . 11
Finally , the “ philosophical ” claims of Theophilanthropy touched more on the moral and social ideas it professed than on its religious concepts . For the Theophilanthropists , the idea of God was more sentimental , literary , and poetic than truly theological . To grasp it , one should consider Voltaire ’ s Prayer or take as one ’ s guide Victor Hugo in the admirable tenth chapter of Les Misérables entitled “ The
Bishop in the Presence of an Unknown Light ”. The good priest Bienvenu braves the condemnation of Bourbon Restoration society by going to visit in his final moments G ., a former member of the National Convention . They fall into conversation and , sensing his end approaching :
The former representative of the people made no reply . He was seized with a fit of trembling . He looked towards heaven , and in his glance a tear gathered slowly . When the eyelid was full , the tear trickled down his livid cheek , and he said , almost in a stammer , quite low , and to himself , while his eyes were plunged in the depths :—
" O thou ! O ideal ! Thou alone existest !"
The Bishop experienced an indescribable shock .
After a pause , the old man raised a finger heavenward and said :—
" The infinite is . He is there . If the infinite had no person , person would be without limit ; it would not be infinite ; in other words , it would not exist . There is , then , an I . That I of the infinite is God .”
But in passing from theory into practice , in experimenting with the establishment of a genuine faith , the leaders of the young Church would discover that it is not always easy to hold onto simplicity of principles . Certainly :
To adore God is above all to obey his law , which he has clearly explained to us via that internal feeling that carries us towards
9
Qu ’ est-ce que la Théophilanthropie ? op . cit ., p . 32 .
10
Qu ’ est-ce que la Théophilanthropie ? ou mémoire contenant l ’ origine et l ’ histoire de cette institution ; ses rapports avec le Christianisme et l ’ aperçu de l ’ influence qu ’ elle peut avoir sur tous les cultes , en réponse aux questions posées par la Société Teylerienne de Harlem ( en Hollande ), 2nd edition , Paris , La Libre Conscience , 1868 , p . 23 .
11
Manuel des Théophilanthropes …, op . cit ., p . 13 .
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