Neither God nor Caesar... ---- What a priest, that Jean Meslier!
Certainly, we have already read or heard of fiercely anticlericallibertines violently opposed to religion in the 17th century. They were
sometimes discreet, but their writings demonstrated their thoughts. A
cautious approach in these times when the Church was still very
powerful. But Jean Meslier's approach is more revolutionary. First of
all, he is a priest from the small village of Etrépigny in the Ardennes,
and therefore a member of the institution, who studies, researches, and
analyzes sacred texts to better denounce their contradictions and
fabrications. Moreover, he does not hesitate to imagine another society
without classes or states. Elements that resonate with the socialist
movement of the 19th century. ---- His book, Testament or Memory, of
over 1,000 pages, has not been recently published in its entirety.
Written in haste, at night in his rectory, the text contains numerous
repetitions, and the style is sometimes confusing. Philippe Diaz, film
producer and philosopher, therefore took it upon himself to synthesize
it without, he tells us, changing its meaning, unlike authors like
Voltaire, who remained a deist and rewrote certain passages of the book.
A Denunciation of Religions
So here we are before a small work published by L'Harmattan, entitled
Jean Meslier, Priest, Atheist, and Anarchist for the 21st Century.
Meslier's life and the circumstances surrounding the writing of the
manuscript are reminiscent of fiction, but all are true. However, it is
the synthesized text that will hold our attention.
A denunciation of religions that is reminiscent of Michel Bakunin's God
and the State. It is Meslier who speaks. "Know, then, my dear friends,
that everything practiced in the world in matters of religion is nothing
but abuse, illusion, lies, and imposture. All laws and ordinances
published under the name and authority of God, or the gods, are truly
nothing more than human creations, invented by shrewd and cunning
politicians, then propagated by false prophets, and finally maintained
by the laws of those in power who use them to more easily keep ordinary
people in check." This alliance between the religious and the nobles
leads him to assert: "All the great men of the earth and all the nobles
should be hanged and strangled with the guts of priests."
Let us be clear, the tone is more pamphlet than balanced criticism; the
words are strong, and Meslier analyzes the contradictions and denounces
the Gospels. With a real knowledge of the Christian religion, he mocks
miracles and fortuitous discoveries such as that of the Holy Cross on
which Christ was supposedly crucified. In reality, there is no proof of
the existence of God. We understand why this priest wrote at night while
hiding.
Beyond denouncing religion and the misdeeds caused by useless men,
namely religious figures, he analyzes society and its inequalities,
reinforced by taxes. "Moreover, they tax all kinds of goods, in order to
profit from everything that is sold and everything that is bought." Who
are "they"? The great of the earth! What would become of them if the
people did not support them? Would our little priest have read Étienne
de la Boétie's Discourse on Voluntary Servitude?
Another Society
He calls for the common ownership of land, which was the main source of
wealth and injustice in the 17th century. "The injustice of the division
of goods first gives rise to envy and hatred among men, then to unrest,
seditions, and wars that cause an infinite number of disputes among
them." He asserts that all men are equal by nature. They have the right
to education. Jean Meslier advocates a different society. In this sense,
he is a visionary denouncing the tyranny of the powerful, both state and
religious. To live free: "There is no other religion among you than that
of true wisdom and respect for morality." No doubt, writing such
statements, the priest must have smelled the pyre.
Furthermore, he opposes the sacrifice of animals and considers them
sentient beings. We could find similar statements in Louise Michel and
Elisée Reclus. And then comes the big question: did Meslier inspire
Bakunin, Kropotkin, Benoît Malon, the anarchist movement? Is he a
precursor of socialism, or even anarchism? You be the judge.
* Philippe Diaz
Jean Meslier, priest, atheist, and anarchist for the 21st century
Publisher: L'Harmattan, 2025
https://monde-libertaire.fr/?articlen=8323
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