How does Candide reflect Voltaire's religious beliefs?

By dreamywonderticket

I’m working on a research project right now. To kick it off, I read *Candide* to get a handle on Voltaire’s views on religion. My teacher basically told me that if I want to talk about why Voltaire matters, I should pay attention to what *Candide* is saying. The problem is a lot of it feels more symbolic than straightforward, and I’m kind of stuck trying to figure out what the point/messages are. Also, just to clear something up: I mentioned the project because I wanted to be upfront, but I could’ve just left that out. This isn’t a book report or anything like that—*Candide* is only one part of a larger project about Voltaire’s importance. I honestly only asked because I wanted clarification, not because I expected this to turn into someone else doing the work for me.