VoltaireVoltaire, [François Marie Arouet] (1694-1778) French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher

Voltaire Quote

“History is fables agreed upon.”

VoltaireVoltaire
~ Voltaire


Ratings and Comments


Mike, Norwalk

;-) mostly (-; I like it

RBESRQ
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RBESRQ    12/15/08

And the biggest fable of all must be the Bible. At the First Council of Nicaea (325AD) about 275 Bishops from around the empire put together what they wanted the Bible to look like leaving out Mary's and other testaments.

Mike, Norwalk
  • Reply
Mike, Norwalk RBESRQ 10/28/22

Robert, cherry picking an event and trying to thread a small yarn of accuracy to support a bigger lie only demonstrates an ignorant bigotry (see my comment below). I personally don't agree with many of the conclusions drawn from the non-believing politically appointed bishops (in any of the called meetings) BUT, even that doesn't rise to the level of your attempted hoorah.

RKA, Wasilla, AK

Amen to Voltaire and RBESRQ!!!!

E Archer, NYC

I think history has shown that the common man will pay nearly any price to avoid facing reality. Many billionaires can attest to that principle.

Mike, Norwalk

Robert, I think you protest a bit too much. There were multiple Nicean Councils called by the Pagan Pontiff to set certain the new theocracy. You speak of possible pseudepigraphy as though the agreed upon fables, by interpretation, political persuasion, and threat of duress changed or nulified the true history and meaning of the original texts. Jesus either existed or he did not; AND, there is far too much hard, empirical, and otherwise historcal evidence to call His existence a fable.

Waffler, Smith, Arkansas

You guys prove the falsity of the quote. History is up for review and discussion by the serious minded historian. I don't think RBESRQ said Jesus did not exist only that men chose and selected what should be considered sacred texts. Yes men edit and mythologize for fun and profit. Myths are easy carriers of some truth about character. Much historical investigations have proven that there is often some small element of truth behind the biggest myths. Common men often do not read anything let alone serious history and analysis. There are however people who do.

jim k, austin

After reading about a great fish swallowing Jonah, the flood and all the animals getting on a wooden boat, Lot's wife turning into a pillar of salt, the creation story in Genesis, etc, I think that most Bible stories should begin with "Once Upon a Time," as other fables begin.

Waffler, Smith, Arkansas

"God spoke and the earth stood fast" is just a poetic way of describing the "big bank theory" or Einstein's E=MC2. There were many flood "fables" throughout the Middle East and some archeologists believe it may refer to an ancient city on the south shore of the Black Sea that was destroyed by flood. For those people it was the known world. So while the story might be a stretch as we read it, it may have had some basis in an historical event even if smaller than it is described. Most myths are of that nature and are not pure inventions. When the spoken history of peoples are researched it is often found that myths or story telling had something real that triggered the story.

Patrick Henry, Red Hill

Since human beings are entities of faith and belief, the constitutions of their belief systems delimit their perceptions of Reality/reality.

The presence or absence of discernment makes the defining difference.

In I Corinthians 2:14, the Apostle Paul trenchantly reflects upon the dualistic character of the human mind.
In doing so, he does not fail to observe:

"But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness to him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Lamentably, the faculty of the natural man for the denial of Reality is a virtually illimitable one.

Mike, Norwalk

What fables will be spoken of these times. A criminal level of corruption was just elaborated by head government investigators with a recommendation of no prosecution. The subject career criminal, liar and demonic high-priestess continues to reign in her theocratic duties. Mr. Obamunist Goodwrench the assassin has shown 2 birth certificates from 2 different hospitals - the most accepted was poorly fabricated through photoshop ? / layered in the fist presentation and then he used a dead man's SSN from another part of the country to continue the charade. Evidence in foreign lands of his birth were obviously / timely eradicated so, history will NOT know for absolute where he was born. Some parliamentary procedures follow constitutional prodigals with that being the limit of lawful action of a country's actions. What agreed upon fables will history declare of these days?

Ronw13, Oregon

The knee jerk reaction, unbelief. "Who having exercise their senses can discern Good from Evil." Experience is our guide and Jefferson was no fool. For it is a fool who puts his trust in man. Harmony between our Declaration and Constitution, for both men exercised well their senses ! Jefferson and Madison ! As with many others in association of/for our " Certain types of Liberty". Well said Patrick Henry, Red Hill

E Archer, NYC

I just had to chuckle at Waffler's "Yes men edit and mythologize for fun and profit." ;-) Too funny! Quintessential Waffler -- always managing to see deception and oppression as a glass half full, and to be grateful for it, even pay for it at the profit of the mythicist and the 'fun' to be had. That's reality for you...

Waffler, has managed to accidentally tell the truth, though:

"God spoke and the earth stood fast" is just a poetic way of describing the "big BANK theory"

You got that one right. ;-)

Fredrick William Sillik, Anytown

History is the contest of wrong versus right.  History is death yielding to life. History is the mentally disordered child being corrected by the mentally ordered adult. These are the motoring components of our historical past.

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