French Revolution was Deistic and Not Atheistic

The French Revolution and the Collapse of Religious Political Theology

The Enlightenment era marked a seismic shift in the philosophical and political landscape of Europe. Central to this transition was the relationship between religion, particularly Catholic Christianity, and the state. This transformation was most evident in France, where discontentment with the established order culminated in the French Revolution, an upheaval that challenged not only political authority but also the very religiopolitical foundation of the country.

Precursors to the Revolution: A Deepening Schism

By the time of the French Revolution, anti-Catholic sentiments were not new. In fact, France had been a hotbed for such sentiments, with anti-Trinitarian, anti-Catholic, and anti-clerical views widespread even before the Revolution took root. Irreligion, which primarily manifested as a pushback against the Catholic Church’s intertwining of divinity with monarchy and governance, was especially prevalent in France. To put it in the words of Tocqueville, France was singular in its fervent and oppressive passion for irreligion, making it a unique exception in a Europe still largely beholden to traditional religious views.

Enlightenment figures, especially the Philosophes who subscribed to deistic, unitarian, and materialist philosophies, were pivotal in this shift. They interrogated and deconstructed the Christian religion, taking aim at its supernaturalism, dogma, clerical hierarchy, and its claims of universalism and salvation. This critical view of Christianity was not just a theoretical debate but had tangible impacts, undermining the established religious order and setting the stage for the eventual downfall of the Catholic Church’s dominance in France during the Revolution.

The Church’s Perspective

The cleavage between the traditional church and the emerging modernist views was well-articulated by Jean de Dieu-Raymond de Cucé de Boisgelin, the Archbishop of Tours, in his address to the National Assembly in 1790. Boisgelin emphasized that the Church’s authority emanated from religious principles, with Jesus Christ being the eternal source of the priesthood. In essence, Boisgelin’s argument was that the sanctity and authority of the Church were divine, and earthly powers – whether they be kings or magistrates – had no dominion over them.

However, this perspective was increasingly at odds with a populace that was challenging the divine foundations of not only the Church but also of the monarchy and the hierarchical societal structure it endorsed.

Secularization of Faith

While anti-religious sentiments burgeoned, it would be inaccurate to deem the French people of the era as irreligious. The populace still engaged in religious practices, attended church services, and participated in religious festivals. Yet, this religiosity was undergoing a transformation – it was becoming more secular, more a reflection of societal and moral norms than the dogmatic teachings of the Catholic Church.

Religious Politics as a Scapegoat for Socioeconomic Woes

The 18th century was a tumultuous period for France. From financial crises, wars, and famines to socio-economic injustices, the nation grappled with multifaceted challenges. These issues, though diverse in nature, were collectively perceived by the revolutionaries as manifestations of the flawed religiopolitical ideology that had persisted for centuries – that of the divine right of the Church and monarchy.

Indeed, the intertwining of the monarchy with the divine, and the fusion of religious tenets with politics, made the Church and the monarchy vulnerable targets. As they faltered in governance and were mired in crises, their claimed divine right and sanctity were increasingly questioned. The very notion that the Supreme Being had delegated power to earthly institutions became a central debate, leading to a profound ideological rift.

Revolution: A Paradigm Shift

The French Revolution, in this context, can be viewed as the climax of centuries of debate over the nature of divine power and its earthly manifestations. The revolutionaries, rejecting the authority of the church and monarchy, instead redirected the sanctity and sovereignty to the people, the state, and the nation. This marked a radical shift from a divine-centric view of power to one grounded in the ethos of the masses.

The French Revolution was not merely a political uprising; it was an ideological overhaul. At its core, it challenged the traditional religiopolitical foundations of society. Through the upheaval, France transitioned from a nation under the claimed divine rule of the Church and monarchy to one where power was seen as derived from and vested in the people. This transformation, while rooted in the unique circumstances of France, offers profound insights into the dynamic relationship between religion, politics, and societal change.

Religion and the French Revolution: Between Theistic Reform and Trinitarian Tradition

A holistic understanding of the French Enlightenment and Revolution demands a comprehensive analysis of its religious and political dimensions. Focusing merely on the secular facets would lead to a skewed comprehension of the era. This study delves deep into the religiopolitical underpinnings of the French Revolution, debunking misconceptions and illuminating the genuine theistic inclinations of the revolutionaries.

Religion: Not the Antagonist

Contrary to the widely held belief, the French Revolution wasn’t an all-out assault on religion. The revolutionaries, rather than attempting to obliterate religious sentiments, aimed at realigning the institutional role of religion in a democratic society. Their opposition was directed primarily against the overreaching influence of the Catholic Church, which they perceived as tyrannical and dogmatic. They were not against the essence of Christianity—particularly its moral, spiritual, and rational facets. The goal was to redefine and democratize religious expression, distancing it from the excesses of ritualistic Catholicism.

Deism in the Heart of Revolution

Robespierre, a pivotal figure in the Revolution, wasn’t an atheist. Instead, he, like many of his peers, was a Unitarian theist, emphasizing the worship of a singular deity. This spiritual inclination is evident in the establishment of the “Cult of Reason” and the “Fete of Supreme Being.” Such endeavors reflected the revolutionaries’ yearning for a more personal, deistic form of religious worship, which resonated with the masses.

The Theophilanthropists, for instance, openly acknowledged their belief in a divine entity and the soul’s immortality. Theophilanthropism, with its essence of simplicity, spirituality, and reason, found adherents in influential figures like Director La Revelliere Lepeaux.

Mislabeling of Revolutionaries

Loyalists, the Catholic Church, and anti-revolutionaries hastily branded the revolutionaries as atheists. This was a strategic misrepresentation. For the devout Catholics, the revolutionaries’ rejection of the Trinity, the clergy, and the monarchy might have appeared as atheism, but the revolutionaries themselves did not see it that way. They aimed at purifying Christianity, reverting it to its original form, unencumbered by the intricate doctrines added over the centuries.

Atheism: Not the Dominant Creed

Actual atheism was a relatively minor trend during the French Revolution. The majority gravitated towards Deistic theism, a return to a simpler, more authentic form of Christianity, akin to the beliefs of early disciples of Jesus. This was a conscious move away from the medieval, dogmatic strain of Catholic Christianity that had long dominated France.

The Role of Jansenists and Philosophes

The Jansenists, a Catholic faction, were pioneers in pushing back against the extravagances and rigidity of mainstream Catholicism. They advocated for a more inward-looking, spiritual form of Christianity. Their theological debates and persistent advocacy for a return to fundamental Christian values, free from the influences of the state and monarchy, laid the groundwork for the radical shifts initiated by the Philosophes.

Notable figures like Voltaire and Rousseau, often associated with the Enlightenment, were mostly Unitarian theists. Even the minor atheistic segment among them acknowledged the importance of religion in society.

The French Revolution, rather than being an anti-religious upheaval, was a fervent call for religious reform – an endeavor to extract religion from the clutches of political manipulation and restore its pure, moral, and rational essence. Painting the revolutionaries as wholly irreligious or atheistic is a grave misrepresentation. It overlooks the profound spiritual dimension of the Revolution and the revolutionaries’ genuine quest for a more authentic, democratic religious expression. Through their efforts, the revolutionaries sought to reposition religion in society, ensuring its continuity but on more egalitarian and rational terms.