With the arrival of a comet in 1680, the moral superiority of Christianity vanished

Does religion lead to more or less tolerance? Pierre Bayle dropped a bombshell in 1682: a society without religion was not such a bad idea at all. The issue he raised continues to divide the world.

Dec 30, 2023

∙ Paid

C/1680 V1 is now the name of the comet that flew over Europe in 1680. It was an exceptionally large and bright comet with a long tail, which was also visible in daylight. The Rotterdam painter Lieve Verschuier was an eyewitness; he made a painting of it.

**Lieve Verschuier**, *Staartster boven Rotterdam* (1680), Museum Rotterdam

The French Protestant Pierre Bay…

Keep reading with a 7-day free trial

Subscribe to Toleration to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.