Ritual , Secrecy , and Civil Society
good and turns us away from evil , and which we call our conscience . 12
Moreover , the Theophilanthropists “ do not attach any superstitious importance to external practices ” and “ they consider their faith not as a tribute which God has need of , but as a means of moral education and fraternal reunion ” 13 . In the beginning , the organization of the faith was effectively going to be very simple :
Some moral inscriptions , a simple altar on which they lay , as a symbol of their gratitude for the Creator ’ s blessings , some flowers or some fruits depending on the season , and a rostrum for lectures and discussion – that is all the ornamentation of their Temples . 14
“ A paterfamilias , properly and simply dressed and bare-headed , gives readings of the first two chapters from this manual about their dogmas and morality , and of a paragraph on the day-to-day conduct of the Theophilanthropists .
After this reading … [ he ] recites aloud the prayer Father of Nature
The attendants repeat in the same manner in low voices .
They sit to hear lectures or moral discussions which accord with the principles of … religions , of benevolence and of universal tolerance […].
These lectures or discussions are interspersed with song . 15
At the same time , however , the legitimate concern to make the faith better organized and more attractive , and the necessity of highlighting – and even symbolically rewarding – some people ’ s engagement in the life of the Church led to an enrichment of the Theophilanthropist liturgy that would cause debate . Controversy would notably form around the question of the “ priesthood ”. For the philosophers of the eighteenth century , priests were one of the plagues on all civilizations . They had invented the idea of a priesthood in order to ensure their power over the people , while God naturally had no need of intermediaries between himself and men . A philosophical religion , as Theophilanthropy wished to be , should therefore not have priests . In the beginning , worship was led only by a “ Paterfamilias ”, chosen almost randomly or appointed by turn , whose costume was limited to being “ properly and simply dressed and bare-headed ”. Naturally , however , the conduct of the ceremony and the choice and explanation of texts presented to the faithful required particular skills and , after several months , the Church saw the emergence of personalities who took control of the office of “ Paterfamilias ” and who began to be called “ Readers ” and “ Orators ”. Soon after , the celebrant was assigned a particular uniform ... which echoed others :
considering that all men who fulfill a serious function should have a corresponding appearance , and desiring that its readers and orators appear in garments that are always equally simple , neat and decent , it was thought that they could have , for religious and moral celebrations , a particular costume that would consist of a long habit of a single color . The color white was adopted as it was a symbol of the
12
Manuel des Théophilanthropes …, op . cit ., p . 18 .
13
Qu ’ est-ce que la Théophilanthropie ? op . cit ., p . 25 .
14
Manuel des Théophilanthropes …, op . cit ., p . 33 .
15
Manuel des Théophilanthropes …, op . cit ., p . 36-37 .
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