2007-04-13 05:14:13 · 7 answers · asked by mouthbreather77 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
Did the translator of Voltaire destroy European Christian culture by poisoning the minds of the American Founding Fathers?
2007-04-13 05:28:34 · update #1
Pardon? Could you rephrase that, or give us some more context?
> "Did the translator of Voltaire destroy European Christian culture by poisoning the minds of the American Founding Fathers?"
Pardon my French, but that's a Whole Lot of Hooey!
2007-04-13 05:22:12 · answer #1 · answered by Erik Van Thienen 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can't blame Voltaire alone for the ideas that were floating around during the Enlightenment. There was no possible way to keep these ideas contained. Nor should ideas ever be suppressed. Nor would it have been possible for the Church at the time to suppress the ideas of Voltaire or any other Enlightenment philosopher. And they did try.
2007-04-13 12:32:27 · answer #2 · answered by rollo_tomassi423 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Oh? I guess it was really bad for the founding fathers to read Voltaire's works and expand their terrible ideas about religious freedom, rationalism, scientific inquiry and a concept of secular justice for all regardless of their faith.
Have you actually ever read any Voltaire? The man was not anti-God, just anti-religious bigotry.
"Atheism and fanaticism are two monsters which may tear society in pieces; but the atheist preserves his reason, which checks his propensity to mischief, while the fanatic is under the influence of a madness which is constantly goading him on."
2007-04-13 12:25:52 · answer #3 · answered by K 5 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I believe you're question's premise is erroneous. I can assure you Benjamin Franklin was quite fluent in French as were many other of our Founding Fathers who would have read the French classics in the toungue they were written in. It was a requirement for any educated man of the time to be at least conversant in French, Greek, and Latin if not completely literate in those languages.
2007-04-20 14:51:52 · answer #4 · answered by revolvur2000 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are worse for presumably being a native speaker of English and yet not being able to ask a coherent question
2007-04-13 12:23:34 · answer #5 · answered by jamesfrankmcgrath 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In the quest for enlightenment nothing is bad, and so therefore nothing can be worse.
2007-04-19 16:13:57 · answer #6 · answered by Penny K 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
YOU, for asking incomprehensible questions!
2007-04-13 13:48:47 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋