By the 18th century, rational thinking was commonly extolled as the
panacea for world problems. German philosopher Immanuel Kant asserted
that man's progress was being hindered by his dependence on politics and
religion for guidance. "Dare to know!" he urged. "Have the courage to
use your own intelligence!"

This attitude characterized the Enlightenment, also known as the Age of
Reason. Lasting through the 18th century, this period was marked by an
obsessive quest for knowledge. "Skepticism replaced blind faith," says
the book Milestones of History. "All the old orthodoxies were
questioned."

One 'old orthodoxy' to come under scrutiny was religion. "Men changed
their outlook on religion," says the book The Universal History of the
World. "They were no longer satisfied with the promise of rewards in
heaven; they were demanding a better life on earth. They began to lose
their faith in the supernatural." Indeed, most Enlightenment
philosophers held religion in contempt. In particular, they blamed the
power-hungry leaders of the Catholic Church for keeping people in
ignorance.

Dissatisfied with religion, many of these philosophers became deists;
they believed in God but maintained that he had no interest in man. A
few became outspoken atheists, such as philosopher Paul Henri Thiry
Holbach, who claimed that religion was a "source of divisions, madness,
and crimes." As the years passed, many more grew weary of Christendom
and shared Holbach's sentiments.

How ironic that Christendom spurred on the growth of atheism! "The
Churches were the soil of atheism," writes theology professor Michael
J. Buckley. "The Western conscience found itself deeply scandalized and
disgusted by confessional religions. The Churches and the sects had
devastated Europe, engineered massacres, demanded religious resistance
or revolution, attempted to excommunicate or to depose monarchs."