“The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Psalm 14:1 . And the Lord declares concerning the perverters of the truth: “Their folly shall be manifest unto all.” 2 Timothy 3:9 . After France had renounced the worship of the living God, “the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,” it was only a little time till she descended to degrading idolatry, by the worship of the Goddess of Reason, in the person of a profligate woman. And this in the representative assembly of the nation, and by its highest civil and legislative authorities! Says the historian: “One of the ceremonies of this insane time stands unrivaled for absurdity combined with impiety. The doors of the Convention were thrown open to a band of musicians, preceded by whom, the members of the municipal body entered in solemn procession, singing a hymn in praise of liberty, and escorting, as the object of their future worship, a veiled female, whom they termed the Goddess of Reason. Being brought within the bar, she w…
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good."
Ellen White directly references Psalms 14:1 in this passage.
"But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was."
Ellen White directly references 2 Timothy 3:9 in this passage.
"“This impious and ridiculous mummery had a certain fashion; and the installation of the Goddess of Reason was renewed and imitated throughout the nation, in such places where the inhabitants desired to show themselves equal to all the heights of the Revolution.”—Scott, vol. 1, ch. 17. GC 275.2"
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"
Both passages describe a form of foolishness arising from a claim to wisdom. Romans 1:22 speaks of those who 'professing themselves to be wise, became fools' by turning away from God. The EGW passage describes the 'Goddess of Reason' installation during the French Revolution as an 'impious and ridiculous mummery,' implying a similar kind of foolishness stemming from a misguided belief in human reason.
"Said the orator who introduced the worship of Reason: “Legislators! Fanaticism has given way to reason. Its bleared eyes could not endure the brilliancy of the light. This day an immense concourse has assembled beneath those gothic vaults, which, for the first time, re-echoed the truth. There the French have celebrated the only true worship,—that of Liberty, that of Reason. There we have formed wishes for the prosperity of the arms of the Republic. There we have abandoned inanimate idols for Reason, for that animated image, the masterpiece of nature.”—M. A. Thiers, History of the French Revolution, vol. 2, pp. 370, 371. GC 275.3"
"Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,"
The Romans verse speaks of people claiming wisdom but becoming fools, while the EGW passage describes the French Revolution's worship of Reason. The connection lies in the idea of misplaced faith and intellectual arrogance leading to folly.