What was the Cult of Reason?
During the French Revolution, revolutionaries tried to replace the Catholic Church with a new atheistic belief system. What was this Cult of Reason and did it ever catch on?
Before discussing the Cult of Reason, it is important to think about the context in which it was created. In the late 18th century, France was in the middle of a revolution. The French Revolution called for a new era, defined by reason, rights, and liberty. In part inspired by the Enlightenment and the recent events of the US Revolution, the French Revolution also aimed to topple old institutions that took power and wealth away from the people. As part of the republicanism of the revolution, the French monarchy was abolished and King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antionette were executed in 1793.
Many institutions of power came under threat during the French Revolution. One of the main institutions attacked alongside political institutions was the Catholic Church. For centuries, the Church had dominated life in France. It wielded political power, controlled vast amounts of wealth, and dictated much of everyday life in the country. For the revolutionaries, the Church was intrinsically linked with the aristocracy and the suppression of the French people. In the Revolution, individual churches were attacked, property was appropriated by the new government, and priests were exiled from the country.
It was clear, then, that the Catholic Church was under attack in the French Revolution. But what would replace its role in French society?
The first answer was the Cult of Reason, a state atheistic religion. It is difficult to describe this movement precisely, since it was a mix of beliefs and ideas. Indeed, historians debate whether it is appropriate to label the Cult of Reason as a religion or not. However, some of the facts are clear: it was formed by some of the leading revolutionaries of the time during the early days of the First French Republic. In the place of the divine figure central to Catholicism (and Christianity more broadly), the Cult of Reason upheld nebulous concepts like Reason, Nature, and Liberty. It rejected the authority of priests and in some instances even removed religious symbols from cemeteries.
It is clear that the Cult of Reason generated significant backlash, even among other revolutionaries. Whether the accusations against the group were justified or exaggerated, in any case, the Cult of Reason failed to gain support. Maximilien Robespierre, who would soon lead the Committee on Public Safety and act essentially as a dictator, officially repudiated the Cult of Reason when he established his own new state religion: the Cult of the Supreme Being. The Cult of the Supreme Being would remain only until the end of Robespierre’s reign of power.
