ABSTRACT
Men have often dreamt of doing away with the religious problem. This was Lucretius’ dream. “How many crimes has religion been able to recommend!” The Encyclopedists believed they had succeeded in doing so. Their influence has indeed been felt in all countries, across all continents. An Albigensian legend recounts how the devil seduced creatures by telling them, “With God people are not free, for they cannot do anything but good. Follow author and people will have the power to do good or evil as they like.” Experience confirms this legend, for innocence is lost every day through the lure of knowledge and experience, much more than of pleasure. In times of prosperity, with superabundant resources, one tries to cheat such tedium by playing. Not the games of children, who believe in their games.
