(1781) our age is the genuine age

of criticism, to which everything must submit. religion through its holiness and legislation through its majesty commonly seek to exempt themselves from it. but in this way they excite a just suspicion against themselves, and cannot lay claim to that unfeigned respect that reason grants only to that which has been able to withstand its free and public examination

the church of reason

he didn't get whipped. he didn't work. and the cart of civilization, which he supposedly was being trained to pull, was just going to have to creak along a little slower without him.

this is a tragedy, however, only if you presume that the cart of civilization, "the system", is pulled by mules. this is a common, vocational, "location" point of view, but it's not the Church attitude.

the Church attitude is that civilization, or "the system" or "society" or whatever you want to call it, is best served not by mules but by free men.