Voltaire’s Tolerance Plea
Voltaire condemned religious fanaticism in his 1763 Treatise on Tolerance. He cited historical atrocities like the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre where thousands of Protestants were slaughtered. The Catholic Church banned his works. Monarchs feared his influence on reformist thinking. His calls for tolerance fell on deaf ears among Europe’s elite. Just decades later, the French Revolution’s violent anti-clerical purges killed thousands. The religious intolerance he warned against continued fueling conflicts across Europe.
