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Denis Diderot in many ways mirrored the philosophical ordeal that encompassed during the Enlightenment. He started out as a theist, but then turned to deism to reconcile a belief in a Supreme Being with the laws of the universe. However, his growing skepticism drew him to atheism; his reasoning was nothing could be proved or unproven, therefore the existence of God was something unknowable. He formally became an atheist.
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Charles Darwin in many ways symbolized the growing instability, complexity, and conflict between Christianity and more secular beliefs. His “Origins of the Species” would be the source of debates and controversies for the next century.
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The French Revolution, though French, brought up many debates over the rights of man, equality, and what it meant to be truly free. This war was seen as hope for a better future in the eyes of those such as the Romantics, but for others, namely, the Church, it was a threat to hierarchy, tradition, and order; for one, the Revolution was one that very much targeted those of privilege and wealth, and was perceived by many to be an introduction to a world of lawlessness and disorder.
Religion 100 Blog 