T — Tolérance

What is tolerance? It is humanity’s inheritance. We are all steeped in weakness and error; let us forgive one another our follies: that is nature’s first law.

Let the Gueber, the Banian, the Jew, the Muslim, the Chinese worshiper of God, the Brahmin, the Greek Christian, the Roman Christian, the Protestant Christian, the Quaker Christian trade together at the exchanges of Amsterdam, London, Surat, or Basra: they will not raise their daggers against each other to win souls for their religion. Why, then, have we slaughtered one another almost without interruption since the first Council of Nicaea?

Constantine began by issuing an edict permitting all religions; he ended by persecuting. Before him, people rose against the Christians only because they were beginning to form a party within the state. The Romans permitted all forms of worship, even those of the Jews and the Egyptians, for whom they had such contempt. Why did Rome tolerate these forms of worship? Because neither the Egyptians nor even the Jews sought to exterminate the empire’s ancient religion, or ranged over land and sea to make converts; they thought only of making money. But it is incontestable that the Christians wanted their religion to rule. The Jews did not want Jupiter’s statue in Jerusalem; but the Christians did not want it on the Capitol. St. Thomas has the honesty to admit that if the Christians did not dethrone the emperors, it was because they could not. Their opinion was that the whole earth must be Christian. They were therefore necessarily enemies of the whole earth until it had been converted.

They were enemies of one another on every point of their controversy. First, must Jesus Christ be regarded as God? Those who deny it are anathematized under the name of Ebionites, who anathematize the worshipers of Jesus.

Do some of them want all property held in common, as it is claimed to have been in the Apostles’ time? Their opponents call them Nicolaitans and accuse them of the most infamous crimes. Do others lay claim to a mystical devotion? They are called Gnostics and furiously attacked. Does Marcion dispute the Trinity? He is treated as an idolater.

Tertullian, Praxeas, Origen, Novatus, Novatian, Sabellius, and Donatus are all persecuted by their brothers before Constantine. And Constantine has scarcely made Christianity reign before the Athanasians and Eusebians tear one another apart; from that time to our own day the Christian Church has been flooded with blood.

The Jewish people were, I admit, a very barbarous people. They mercilessly slaughtered all the inhabitants of a wretched little country to which they had no more right than they have to Paris and London. Yet when Naaman is cured of leprosy by plunging seven times into the Jordan, and, to show his gratitude to Elisha, who taught him this secret, tells him that he will worship the God of the Jews out of thankfulness, he reserves the freedom to worship his king’s god as well. He asks Elisha’s permission, and the prophet does not hesitate to give it. The Jews worshiped their God, but they were never surprised that every people had its own. They were content for Chemosh to have given a certain district to the Moabites, provided their God gave them one too. Jacob did not hesitate to marry the daughters of an idolater. Laban had his god, just as Jacob had his. Here are examples of tolerance among the most intolerant and cruel people in all antiquity. We have imitated their absurd fury, not their indulgence.

It is clear that any private individual who persecutes a man, his brother, because he does not share his opinion, is a monster. There is no difficulty about that. But the government! The magistrates! The princes! How will they treat those whose worship differs from theirs? If they are powerful foreigners, a prince will certainly ally himself with them. The Most Christian Francis I will unite with Muslims against the Most Christian Charles V. Francis I will give money to the Lutherans of Germany to support their revolt against the emperor; but he will begin, according to custom, by having Lutherans burned at home. He pays them in Saxony for reasons of policy; he burns them in Paris for reasons of policy. But what will happen? Persecutions make converts. Soon France will be full of new Protestants. At first they will let themselves be hanged; then they will hang others in their turn. There will be civil wars. Then St. Bartholomew’s Day will come, and this corner of the world will be worse than anything ancients or moderns have ever said of hell.

Madmen, who have never been able to offer pure worship to the God who made you! Wretches, whom the example of the Noahides, the Chinese scholars, the Parsis, and all the wise have never been able to guide! Monsters, who need superstitions as ravens’ gizzards need carrion! You have already been told, and there is nothing else to tell you: if you have two religions in your country, they will cut each other’s throats; if you have thirty, they will live in peace. Look at the Grand Turk: he governs Guebers, Banians, Greek Christians, Nestorians, Roman Christians. The first who tries to stir up a disturbance is impaled, and everyone is quiet.

What is tolerance? It comes with being human. We’re all full of weaknesses and mistakes. Let’s forgive each other’s foolishness. That’s nature’s first law.

Take the exchanges in Amsterdam, London, Surat, or Basra. Guebers, Banians, Jews, Muslims, Chinese worshipers of God, Brahmins, Greek Christians, Roman Christians, Protestant Christians, and Quaker Christians trade together there. They don’t draw daggers on one another to win souls for their religion. So why have we been slitting each other’s throats almost nonstop since the first Council of Nicaea?

At first, Constantine issued a decree that let people practice any religion. He ended up persecuting. Before his reign, Christians faced opposition for just one reason: they were starting to build a faction within the state. Rome let people follow any form of worship. That included the Jews’ worship and even the Egyptians’, though Romans held both peoples in deep contempt. What made Rome accept these religions? The Egyptians weren’t trying to wipe out the empire’s old religion. Neither were the Jews. Neither group roamed across land and sea to win converts. Money was all they were after. Christians, though, clearly wanted their faith to dominate. For the Jews, a statue of Jupiter had no place in Jerusalem. Christians wanted it kept off the Capitol. As Saint Thomas honestly acknowledges, Christians left the emperors on their thrones because they lacked the power to remove them. In their view, everyone on earth had to become Christian. With that belief, they were bound to be enemies of the whole world until it converted.

They were enemies among themselves too, over every point in their disputes. To begin with, should Jesus Christ be considered God? Those who deny it are cursed under the name of Ebionites. The Ebionites in turn curse those who worship Jesus.

What happens when some Christians want everyone to share all property? People say that’s how things were in the Apostles’ time. Opponents label these Christians Nicolaitans and charge them with the foulest crimes. Others claim a mystical form of devotion. People label them Gnostics and angrily turn against them. When Marcion debates the Trinity, they call him an idol worshiper.

Tertullian, Praxeas, Origen, Novatus, Novatian, Sabellius, and Donatus were all persecuted by their brothers before Constantine. Constantine had barely made Christianity the ruling religion when the Athanasians and Eusebians began tearing each other apart. From then until our own time, the Christian church has been flooded with blood.

The Jewish people were very barbarous, I admit. They mercilessly slaughtered every inhabitant of an unfortunate little country. They had no more right to it than they have to Paris or London. Yet Naaman is cured of leprosy by dipping seven times in the Jordan. Elisha has taught him this secret. In gratitude, Naaman says he’ll worship the Jews’ God. But he keeps the right to worship his king’s god too. He asks Elisha’s permission, and the prophet grants it without hesitation. The Jews worshiped their own God. It never surprised them that each people had its own. They accepted that Chemosh had given the Moabites a certain territory, provided their God gave them one too. Jacob didn’t hesitate to marry an idolater’s daughters. Laban had his God and Jacob had his. Here we have tolerance among the most intolerant and cruel people of the ancient world. We’ve copied their senseless rages, not their leniency.

A private citizen who persecutes another man, his brother, over a difference of opinion is clearly a monster. No one can dispute that. But how should governments, magistrates, and rulers act toward people of another faith? When those people are powerful foreigners, a ruler is sure to make an alliance with them. The Most Christian King Francis I will side with Muslims against Charles V, also Most Christian. He’ll fund German Lutherans who are rebelling against the emperor. As usual, though, his first move will be to have the Lutherans at home burned. Politics makes him pay them in Saxony. Politics makes him burn them in Paris. Where will that lead? Persecuting people wins converts. France will soon fill up with new Protestants. They’ll accept hanging at first. Later, they’ll do the hanging themselves. Civil wars will follow. Then comes Saint Bartholomew’s Day. This corner of the world will be worse than any account of hell that writers, ancient or modern, have ever given.

You fools! You’ve never been able to worship the God who made you in a pure way! You poor wretches! The Noahides, Chinese scholars, Parsis, and all wise people have set you an example. Still, it’s never guided you! You monsters! You need superstitions as much as ravens’ gizzards need dead animals. You’ve heard this already. There’s nothing else to tell you. Two religions in your country will slit each other’s throats. Thirty will live together in peace. Take the Grand Turk. Guebers, Banians, Greek Christians, Nestorians, and Roman Christians live under his rule. The first person who tries to cause an uproar is impaled. Everyone stays quiet.