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Why did Voltaire support religious toleration?

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Life-sized plaster sculpture Seated Voltaire by Jean-Antoine Houdon shows Voltaire draped in a robe, seated with a thoughtful expression and a ribbon crown, against a dark background. — Voltaire *Voltaire*, plaster sculpture by Jean-Antoine Houdon; in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, California.

Voltaire’s advocacy for religious toleration was rooted in his unwavering belief in the efficacy of reason as the primary tool for achieving social progress. He argued that no authority—whether religious or political—should be immune to challenge by reason, and he viewed the intolerance of the church as a fundamental obstacle to a just society.12

His commitment was both philosophical and deeply personal, often sparked by witnessing the consequences of institutional injustice. Voltaire famously campaigned against the execution of Jean Calas, a Huguenot merchant wrongly convicted due to anti-Protestant prejudice. By highlighting such cases, he demonstrated how religious intolerance led to the violation of civil liberty and the application of archaic, cruel laws.321

Ultimately, Voltaire championed toleration as a necessary safeguard against the arbitrary power of institutions, using his writing to challenge superstition and promote a society where individuals could follow their consciences without fear of persecution.24