“You tell me that I am an atheist, because we do not each of us seek God in the same way. Or rather, you believe that you’ve found Him. Congratulations. I am still searching for Him. And I’ll carry on searching for the next ten or twenty years, if He grants me life. I fear not finding Him, but I’ll carry on searching all the same. He might be grateful for my attempt. And perhaps He will have pity on your smug confidence and your lazy, simple-minded faith.”
__________
An entry from The Journal of Jules Renard, January 7th, 1903.
In the the next day’s entry, Renard wrote, among other things, “In my church, there is no vaulting between me and the sky.” He also later observed that, “If you’re afraid of being lonely, don’t try to be right,” and, “Writing is the only profession where no one considers you ridiculous if you earn no money.”
As with many French writers of the late nineteenth/early twentieth century, Renard’s determined anticlericalism was mistaken by many to be atheism. He continually, frustratedly scrawls notes to this effect in his journals, blowing hot air as he berates the stupidity and simplicity of those critics who could not distinguish between his (or anyone else’s) distrust of the church and disbelief in God. He should have known, however, that this tendency is a universal one; it certainly is manifest in the attitudes of many in our own society.
Bryan McDonald said:
nice post and photo.
waxnwings said:
It’s strange that unless you submit yourself to a religious institution, you are widely considered to have no faith/be an atheist. It is also a shame because as a result, many refuse to explore the spiritual elements of their world experience and existence precisely because religious institutions can be so hypocritical, paradoxical and often greatly exclusionary. Thanks for the post.
deideismusings said:
As a skeptical seeker myself I applaud Renard’s position.
Carl D'Agostino said:
I participate in some theological blog discussions with some very traditionalist Christian thinkers and I appreciate Renard’s position because they insist I am not a
Christian as I believe in the resurrection of Jesus only in spirit not in physical body as they insist is the case. I also think their belief that the faithful will all be resurrected in physical body at end of times is absolutely silly. But I don’t say they are atheists or not Christians, just stupid and I don’t say that in open discussion either. “And perhaps He will have pity on your smug confidence and your lazy, simple-minded faith.” Yeah, that says it all.
Mike said:
We call this period ‘The Enlightenment’ because of people such as this foxy thinker. Thank you for this piece.
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