Arthur Chappell's Blog - Posts Tagged "humanism"
Book Review Honoré De Balzac’s The Atheists Mass
Book Review Honoré De Balzac’s The Atheist’s Mass
The Atheist's Mass
1838 Penguin Classics.
Spoiler alerts
Beautifully written satirical but poignant little parable in a convenient short story presentation. Balzac was an atheist himself, who often proved highly critical of religious sensibilities.
In the Atheist’s Mass the hero, Desplain, a wealthy French Surgeon and a socially notorious outspoken atheist is spotted sneaking into a church every now and then by his inquisitive valet, who sees him actually saying what to all intents and purposes look like prayers. Suspecting hypocrisy and deception on the grand scale, the servant follows his master, and eventually confronts his master and discovers the truth.
Desplain has not abandoned his principles at all. Though he remained an ardent practicing atheist, and true to his Humanism, he was going to mass as a promise to his ailing father who had lived ‘the simple faith of a charcoal burner’. The father had never criticised or condemned Despain’s atheism, but Desplain had made sure that his Father did have a mass said for him every day, knowing that the simple man took comfort in a faith Desplain despaired of.
Upon his father’s death, Desplain realized how indebted he was to his only benefactor, his father. He decided to reward the good man the only way he would probably accept it, by having a mass said for him specially four times a year, at his favorite church.
It would take a supreme act of Humanism to say prayers and attend masses in a faith you don’t believe, and here it is done from love of a good father.
The story shows that non-believers are as capable of goodness and moral decision making as anyone who has a strong religious foundation for their sense of right and wrong. Wonderful stuff.
Arthur Chappell
The Atheist's Mass
1838 Penguin Classics.
Spoiler alerts
Beautifully written satirical but poignant little parable in a convenient short story presentation. Balzac was an atheist himself, who often proved highly critical of religious sensibilities.
In the Atheist’s Mass the hero, Desplain, a wealthy French Surgeon and a socially notorious outspoken atheist is spotted sneaking into a church every now and then by his inquisitive valet, who sees him actually saying what to all intents and purposes look like prayers. Suspecting hypocrisy and deception on the grand scale, the servant follows his master, and eventually confronts his master and discovers the truth.
Desplain has not abandoned his principles at all. Though he remained an ardent practicing atheist, and true to his Humanism, he was going to mass as a promise to his ailing father who had lived ‘the simple faith of a charcoal burner’. The father had never criticised or condemned Despain’s atheism, but Desplain had made sure that his Father did have a mass said for him every day, knowing that the simple man took comfort in a faith Desplain despaired of.
Upon his father’s death, Desplain realized how indebted he was to his only benefactor, his father. He decided to reward the good man the only way he would probably accept it, by having a mass said for him specially four times a year, at his favorite church.
It would take a supreme act of Humanism to say prayers and attend masses in a faith you don’t believe, and here it is done from love of a good father.
The story shows that non-believers are as capable of goodness and moral decision making as anyone who has a strong religious foundation for their sense of right and wrong. Wonderful stuff.
Arthur Chappell
