Voltaire Atheism Quotations

The truths of religion are never so well understood as by those who have lost the power of reason.

What can I hope when all is right?

If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor.

Those who believe absurdities will commit atrocities.

England has forty-two religions and only two sauces.

Whenever an important event, a revolution, or a calamity turns to the profit of the church, such is always signalised as the Finger of God.

The most genuine and efficacious charity is that which greases the paws of the priests; such charity covers a multitude of sins.

Before receiving your instruction, I must tell you what happened to me one day. I had just had a closet built at the end of my garden. I heard a mole arguing with a cockchafer; 'Here's a fine structure,' said the mole, 'it must have been a very powerful mole who did this work.' 'You're joking,' said the cockchafer; 'it's a cockchafer full of genius who is the architect of this building.' From that moment I resolved never to argue.

Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.

It is reported in the supplement of the council of Nicæan that the fathers, being very perplexed to know which were the cryphal or apocryphal books of the Old and New Testaments, put them all pell-mell on an altar, and the books to be rejected fell to the ground. It is a pity that this eloquent procedure has not survived.

If we would destroy the Christian religion, we must first of all destroy man's belief in the Bible.

Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion that has ever infected the world.

What! Have you no monks to teach, to dispute, to govern, to intrigue and to burn people who do not agree with them?

Which is more dangerous: fanaticism or atheism? Fanaticism is certainly a thousand times more deadly; for atheism inspires no bloody passion whereas fanaticism does; atheism is opposed to crime and fanaticism causes crimes to be committed.