In my post below I wanted to emphasize that religion has several distinct and independent dimensions. Too often in our modern era religion is reduced purely to the dimension of confession or belief because of its relative accessibility to outsiders. Here is some of that complexity on display, from page 371 of The Pursuit of Glory: Europe 1648-1815:
Less comical but more dangerous was a prelate like Etienne-Charles Lomenie de Brienne, whose composition of a materialist treatise at the Sorbonne in 1751 did not prevent him entering the priesthood and becoming Vicar-General of Rouen the following year at the age of twenty-five. He subsequently became Bishop of Condom in 1760 and Archbishopof Toulouse in 1762. Proposed for the archbishopric of Paris, he was turned down by Louise XVI on the grounds that 'at least the Archbishop of Paris must believe in God'. This check did not prevent him becoming first minister in 1787, Archbishop of Sens...and acquiring the cardinal's hat. After the outbreak of the Revolution, he showed his gratitude by voting for the Civil Consitution of the Clergy and buying - and then desecrating - the confiscated abbey of St-Pierre-le-Vif....
There was once a time when Europe was the Faith and the Faith was Europe. To some extent this did enforce a greater degree of outward belief, but at the extremes there were likely individuals would could never suffer a religious outlook. With the involvement of the Roman Catholic Church in secular affairs it is no surprise that unbelievers used it as an institutional ladder from which they derived instrumental benefit.
