Fanaticism

“His provisions were exhausted by the time he reached Holland, but as he had heard that everyone in that country was rich and all were Christians.” (pg.26)

Voltaire keeps on mocking optimism worldwide, one extreme demonstration of it is religious fanaticism. People who believe through a superior force the can always have a companion and a force for when times get hard. This time Christians are the victims, they feel so full with God by their side, reaching such a high level of reliability that they will not acknowledge a famishing person just because they are not devoted followers.

“The minister’s looked out of the window at that moment, and seeing a man, who was not sure that the Pope was Antichrist, emptied over his head a pot full of…” (pg. 27)

An Anabaptist is someone that believes baptism should be done with consent and not at the time of birth, Christians detest this thought. Voltaire exemplifies an Anabaptist healing and giving help to Candide, after Christian servers rejected him after defying their words. Voltaire even mocks the prestigious ceremony of the breaking of the bread and the drinking of the wine:

“At this Candide quickly led him to the Anabaptist’s stable, where he made him eat some bread, and as soon as he revived, said to him.”

The bread is a special moment in mass were the followers are given a moment to revive the Last Meal, and therefore being able to communicate with God. In this case bread is just a simple element that can only revive a person from starving. It cannot save you from any bad deeds as Catholics interpret it.

Not only ironically talking about religious beliefs and the extents fanaticism can reach, flaws of the church such as adultery are exposed. When Candide reencounters with his beloved teacher Pangloss he is now infected with an STD transmitted by a girl who was now dead. The problem was not that but that she had gotten the ‘present’ from a Franciscan.

“She was infected, and now perhaps she is dead. Paquette was given this present by a learned Franciscan who had traced it back to its source, a Jesuit.”