BLAISE PASCAL ON RIDICULE

From Blaise Pascal "The Provincial Letters" (Random House:New York)

It is not the sentiments of M. Arnauld that are heretical; it is only his person. This is a personal heresy. He is not a heretic for anything that he has said or written, but simply because he is M. Arnauld. This is all they have to say against him. p. 357

... just in proportion as Christian truths are worthy of love and respect, the contrary errors must deserve hatred and contempt. ... Do not then expect, fathers, to make people believe that it is unworthy of a Christian to treat error with derision. Nothing is easier than to convince all who are not aware of it before, that this practice is perfectly just - that it is common with the fathers of the Church, and that it is sanctioned by Scripture, by the example of the best of saints, and even by that of God himself. pp 468-469

... ridicule is, in some cases, a very appropriate means of reclaiming men from their errors ... it is accordingly an act of justice, because, as Jeremiah says, "the actions of those who err are worthy of derision, because of their vanity ..." And so far from its being impious to laugh at them, St. Augustine holds it to be the effect of divine wisdom" "The wise laugh at the foolish, because they are wise, not after their own wisdom, but after that divine wisdom which shall laugh at the death of the wicked." pp. 469-470

Tertullian ... [quotes] ..." ... There are many things which deserve to be held up in this way to ridicule and mockery, lest, by a serious refutation, we should attach a weight to them which they do not deserve. ... it is the Truth properly that has a right to laugh, because she is cheerful, and to make sport of her enemies, because she is sure of the victory. ... when ridicule may be employed with effect, it is our duty to avail ourselves of it." p. 471

... acording to St Augustine, 'charity sometimes obliges us to ridicule the errors of men, that they may be induced to laugh at them in their turn, and renounce them ..." p. 472

St Augustine ... "Woe to the blind leaders! Woe to the blind followers!" ... The dealer in falsehood is an agent of the devil. p. 475

.. Tertullian says "can anything be more justly due to the vanity and weakness of these arguments than laughter?" p. 482