The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine - Part 2, Chapter 3

"The study of theology as it stands in Christian churches, is the study of nothing; it is founded on nothing; it rests on no principles; it proceeds by no authorities; it has no data; it can demonstrate nothing; and admits of no conclusion. Not any thing can be studied as a science without our being in possession of the principles upon which it is founded; and as this is not the case with Christian theology, it is therefore the study of nothing." [A harsh rebuke of Christianity]

"[if a] revolution in the system of religion takes place, every preacher ought to be a philosopher. Most certainly, and every house of devotion a school of science." [Replacing religion with philosophy and science]

The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence - Eleventh Letter

I was reading this book to see what "spiritual" insights could be offered by it and it struck me how similar the attitudes are in the Abrahamic traditions. When it comes to sickness and the spiritual struggle it represents, Jews, Christians and Muslims share many of the sentiments presented here in this letter. While some attitudes and teachings are comforting, others come across as insensitive and these are caused by an inclination to look at a problem solely from one perspective and not appreciate the physical effects of sickness on the body, emotions and thoughts. Such people's minds are warped by their understanding of faith, leading to outrageous statements like the opening line of this letter to a sick person who asks the Brother to pray for him in his time of need:

Eleventh Letter: I do not pray that you may be delivered from your pains; but I pray earnestly that God gives you strength and patience to bear them as long as He pleases. Comfort yourself with Him who holds you fastened to the cross. He will loose you when He thinks fit. Happy are those who suffer with Him. Accustom yourself to suffer in that manner, and seek from Him the strength to endure as much, and as long, as He judges necessary for you.

Worldly people do not comprehend these truths. It is not surprising though, since they suffer like what they are and not like Christians. They see sickness as a pain against nature and not as a favor from God. Seeing it only in that light, they find nothing in it but grief and distress. But those who consider sickness as coming from the hand of God, out of His mercy and as the means He uses for their salvation, commonly find sweetness and consolation in it.

I pray that you see that God is often nearer to us and present within us in sickness than in health. Do not rely completely on another physician because He reserves your cure to Himself. Put all your trust in God. You will soon find the effects in your recovery, which we often delay by putting greater faith in medicine than in God. Whatever remedies you use, they will succeed only so far as He permits. When pains come from God, only He can ultimately cure them. He often sends sickness to the body to cure diseases of the soul. Comfort yourself with the Sovereign Physician of both soul and body.

I expect you will say that I am very much at ease, and that I eat and drink at the table of the Lord. You have reason. But think how painful it would be to the greatest criminal in the world to eat at the king's table and be served by him, yet have no assurance of pardon? I believe he would feel an anxiety that nothing could calm except his trust in the goodness of his sovereign. So I assure you, that whatever pleasures I taste at the table of my King, my sins, ever present before my eyes, as well as the uncertainty of my pardon, torment me. Though I accept that torment as something pleasing to God.

Be satisfied with the condition in which God places you. However happy you may think me, I envy you. Pain and suffering would be a paradise to me, if I could suffer with my God. The greatest pleasures would be hell if I relished them without Him. My only consolation would be to suffer something for His sake.

I must, in a little time, go to God. What comforts me in this life is that I now see Him by faith. I see Him in such a manner that I sometimes say, I believe no more, but I see. I feel what faith teaches us, and, in that assurance and that practice of faith, I live and die with Him.

Stay with God always for He is the only support and comfort for your affliction. I shall beseech Him to be with you. I present my service.

Candide by Voltaire, Chapter 18

[Candide] asked whether the people of that country [El Dorado] had any religion.

The old man reddened a little at this question.

"Can you doubt it?" said he, "do you take us for wretches lost to all sense of gratitude?"

Cacambo asked in a respectful manner what was the established religion of El Dorado. The old man blushed again and said, "Can there be two religions, then? Ours, I apprehend, is the religion of the whole world; we worship God from morning till night."

"Do you worship but one God?, said Cacambo, who still acted as the interpreter of Candide's doubts.

"Certainly," said the old man; "there are not two, nor three, nor four Gods. I must confess the people of your world ask very extraordinary questions."

However, Candide could not refrain from making many more enquiries of the old man; he wanted to know in what manner they prayed to God in El Dorado.

"We do not pray to Him at all," said the revered sage; "we have nothing to ask of Him, He has given us all we want, and we give Him thanks incessantly." [As El Dorado is super rich and devoid of disease, hunger or poverty]

Candide had a curiosity to see some of their priests, and desired Cacambo to ask the old man where they were. At which he smiling said, "My friends, we are all of us priests; the King and all the heads of families sing solemn hymns and thanksgiving every morning, accompanied by five or six thousand musicians."

"What!" said Cacambo, "have you no monks among you to dispute, to govern, to intrigue, and to burn people who are not of the same opinion with themselves?"

"Do you take us for fools?" said the old man. "Here we are all of one opinion, and know not what you mean by your monks."

In my view, El Dorado is Voltaire's vision of what a utopia is, and surprisingly it reads a lot like how I view the religion of Islam: It is ridiculous to say they is more than one God. All people on Earth acknowledge this one God and thank and pray and ask of Him alike, hence there is one essential religion, and no-one is a priest over another as the knowledge is open to all of us to become our own guides.