Intolerant man. The intolerant man, or persecutor, is a man who forgets that others are his fellow men, and treats them like savage beasts because they hold an opinion with which he differs. Religion serves as a pretext for this unjust tyranny which has the effect of making a man incapable of bearing with a way of thinking that differs from his own. Its real origin, however, lies in the blindness, the presumption, and the wickedness of the human heart. This wickedness is so great that any man of letters who seeks a quiet life must forever pray to God that he may find mercy in the eyes of intolerant men. Those who belong to this type are not ordinarily the most able men, and the most zealous men are not always the ones with the best character. Rulers, however, should consider every inhabitant a good subject as long as he is peaceful. We all have the same teacher, that is, Jesus Christ, and we all are brothers, say the Scriptures.

In all parts of the world the intolerant man should be looked upon as a man who sacrifices the spirit and the precepts of his religion to his pride. He is a foolhardy man who believes that his hands must hold up the Ark. He is almost always a man without deep faith for whom it is easier to be zealous than moral. See Intolerance and Tolerance. [1]

Notes

1. [By Romilli Fils. It is written from the same point of view as "Intolerance," but without Diderot's indignant admonitions.]