Up@dawn 2.0

Monday, November 14, 2011

Group 2 (01)

Our group's topic this time was pretty boy Voltaire.

HOT!

We discussed his involvement in protesting violent persecution and his philosophies. We also discussed the interesting phenomenon of Voltaire's works causing people to abandon their childhood religions. We decided upon two questions.

Factual: Voltaire thought the existence of the world was...
A) A figment of the imagination
B) Proof of a creator
C) A natural evolution
D) So suffering had a place to prosper

Discussion:

Why do you think that Voltaire "probably" inspired more people to reject their childhood religion than anyone else at the time? What were his claims and how were this perceived and constructed by the public?

I think we chose my discussion question. Do not hurt me if I am wrong!

Our next topic is Mendelssohn’s daughters. No Frenchie this time. Sad days. Also, do not forget, we do not have class tomorrow due to Dr. Oliver's promotion.

2 comments:

  1. You're right; he does have the best wig of all time.

    I think he inspired them through the use of humor and whit. By subtly emphasizing the "creation" or "realization" of how Christianity came about, and recognizing how there were philosophers even before Christ and the Bible, I think he won over many a young person who were weren't exactly looking to doubt their childhood religion, but found a grain of irony in Voltaire's writings that appealed to them. His claims that the Church was entirely too powerful and killed people for incredulous reasons while manipulating their power upon the malleable minds of the masses were obviously perceived as blasphemous - and thus atheistic - by the public (a reputation upheld to this day), and as something to be repressed. But the ripple effect he had on the sleeping doubters of his and following generations, I think, prove irreplaceable.

    Now for tomorrow's reading, though we won't be able to discuss it --

    Factual Question:
    T/F - All three of Mendelssohn's daughters ended up converting to Christianity?

    Answer: True

    Discussion Question:
    What do you think about this quote? "You may remain faithful to an oppressed, persecuted religion, you may leave it to your children as a prospect of life-long martyrdom, as long as you believe it to be an absolute truth. But when you have ceased to believe that, it is barbarism." Does it hold any validity - for Judaism, for that time period, and for present day - or is it too extreme a statement?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I believe that his writings and comments about the church having too much power and abusing this power definitely was a major inspiration for people to abandon their faith. Also, how he identified religion as a controlling device used by the church in some regard in order to justify violent persecution I believe had a great impact on his audience.

    Now, for questions over tomorrow's assignment.

    Factual:
    T/F Henriette, the youngest of Mendelssohn's daughters, defied her father's wishes and never married.

    True

    Discussion:

    Do you find that one can be fully engaged in religious questions but step away from tradition, from religion itself, and from the constraints of religious morality as Dorothea and Schlegel did?

    ReplyDelete

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