Crush the infamous thing

Answer 1

Written by Voltaire, a French Enlightenment writer who used biting satire to comment on the flaws of life. When writing this he criticises Christianity. During the Enlightenment (a period in which reason was the primary authority) a religious movement known as deism came about. It is often described to as the clock-model in which God is a clockmaker who once He has created the clock (the world) leaves it be (goes away and doesn't involve himself in it every again). Voltaire liked Deism and this, compounded with the flaws of the Roman Catholic Church pushed him to write this satirical piece against the Church. Through it, Voltaire hoped to crush the flaws of the church such as simony (selling of church offices and paying to get into heaven...this practice began during the Crusades) and the orgies of the Popes and other high ranking officials.