Hobbes+and+Religion

Hobbes believed that religion should be controlled by the state in order to avoid dissent and instability. It is only through the ruling of a powerful sovereign that a state may flourish. This requires that one central authority control the function and message of both. Thus, Hobbes held that a sovereign was best fit to interpret the will of God. As such, he justified state control of religion by arguing that religion is not an end or truth in itself because God has no definitive qualities and belief in him is not arrived at through reason, but through faith. Hobbes therefore asserts that religion is a [|system of law, and not one of truth.]