Voltaire (1694-1778)
Voltaire, an advocate of the freedom of voice, felt the need for citizens to voice their opinions to the First and Second Estates. Because of the highly controversial nature of his demands, he made himself a reputation for disliking organized religion, and hence the Catholic Church. In particular he believed that the Bible was an outdated legal and moral reference, as it was largely metaphorical, gaining him somewhat of a bad reputation in the Catholic Church. His writings on Deism and his resentment of the Church was highly dangerous at the time, and others, seeing his courageous attitude and his bravery towards expressing his ideas, saw the potential success of freedom of speech, and hence gave others the audacity to voice their opinions on the government.