MONTESQUIEU - Lettres persanes extrait

Un grand seigneur persan, curieux des mœurs occidentales, séjourne longuement à Paris vers la fin du règne de Louis XIV…

Heureuse la terre qui est habitée par les enfants des Prophètes ! Ces tristes spectacles y sont inconnus. La sainte religion que les Anges y ont apportée se défend par sa vérité même : elle n’a point besoin de ces moyens violents pour se maintenir.

Voilà ce que dit le perse Rica, à la vue des exactions commises en occident au nom de la religion.  Le protestant Chardin avait lui aussi, à la même époque, loué la liberté de conscience qui régnait en Perse : « un avantage inexprimable que ces peuples ont par-dessus les chrétiens, c’est qu’ils ne sont point vexés par la religion. Chacun est là-dessus en pleine liberté et croit ce qu’il veut ». Cela a malheureusement bien changé depuis…

in english please

A great Persian lord, nosy of western customs, stayed in Paris for a long time in the reign of Louis XIV. “Sons of Mohammad are fortunate people! These sad sights are unknown for them. The holy religion that angels brought is justified by its own truth: it doesn’t need all these violent means to justify itself.” Here’s that the Persian lord, Rica, said at the sight of exactions committed in Europe in the name of god. The protestant Chardin who travel in Iran in the same time said the same thing. He was very impressed by the freedom of conscience that he saw in Iran: “these people have a great advantage over us; they never get upset over religious subject. Everybody is in this field completely free and believes what he wants”. There is unfortunately some little change now…

Comments

[Augustin]

Ironie de l'histoire...!

[Abbas]

optimistic view: it's the Middle Ages in Iran; people should need religeous interpreters, just as the sheep need shepherds... the good point is that a Renaissance is ahead... and that's inevitable!

[Mojdeh]

Nothing\\\'s changed. What you see these days are politics. you know, there is a verse in Qoran which says; " no one is more cruel than the one interpreting lie on behalf of Allah". 
 The  sad  thing is that people is getting used to believing  these are religious related. Truth is that we have so many fake believers who stick to people\\\'s belief and manupolate it  just for getting power. 

[khazan]

little change.......just a little.....too little....