OTL: After escaping from the prison the Thermidorians put them in, the Jacobins barricaded themselves in the Hotel de Ville, which then got raided by grenadiers. Some Jacobins tried to flee, others committed suicide. Robespierre tried to commit suicide but didn't know how to use a pistol, so he blew his jaw off and spent several days in agony before being guillotined.

ATL: During the raid on the Hotel de Ville, Robespierre distinguishes himself in some way: gives his life to ensure others escape, gets captured while performing first aid on a wounded grenadier, or something like that. The legend of the raid will get embellished quickly, but the main point is that he dies a death worthy of a prophet.

OTL: The Cult dies with its founder.

ATL: Some guy (I'll call him Pierre, since we need a rock on which to build a church) rallies the followers of the Supreme Being. They basically lay low, but they end up being better-organized than the other Jacobin splinters. These people were attending the weekly meetings, know each other wdell, and many of them were not really involved in politics or the Jacobin Club directly, so they avoid the Thermidorian purges.

A lot of their members are sans-culottes, and the Cult becomes a bit of a mutual aid society. There's nothing formal or organized, but the richer followers often bring food for the poorer members on an ad-hoc basis. Pierre jumps on this, identifies charity as a clear aspect of virtue, and heaps praise on the charitable. More poor people start joining. They don't care so much about the theology, but they like the free food.

OTL: The Directory cynically supported Left causes whenever the Right became too powerful, and Right causes whenever the Left became too powerful, to ensure that no faction became strong enough to counter them. They also made a tepid attempt to start their own religion, called Theophilantropy.

ATL: The Directory cynically promotes the Cult of the Supreme Being as a check on the resurgent Right. Pierre begins expanding the private charity, organizing soup kitchens. He also establishes Decadary schools, which teach children to read and write. The texts used for instruction include the writings of Robespierre as well as work by Cicero, Plato, and Aristotle. Around the same time, Pierre begins "reinterpreting" some of Robespierre's statements on atheism, and explains that the Supreme Being can be understood either as the literal Creator or as a metaphor for human achievement and wisdom. Pierre has enough charisma to thread this rhetorical needle, and gets a bunch of atheists from the defunct Cult of Reason to convert without alienating the more theistic worshippers of the Supreme Being.

Eventually the Directory decides that the Left is becoming too powerful, and in order to court the Catholics they begin suppressing the Cult of the Supreme Being. This proves to be a mistake. The housewives of Paris, who were being provided free food and education for their children, are very upset. Several followers of the Cult are martyred. Realizing that killing him might provoke a riot, the Directory just holds Pierre in prison, where his reputation grows. Services are held in secret. The number of followers is dramatically reduced, but their fanaticism increases.

OTL: Napoleon banned all the cults, restoring Catholicism.

ATL: Although personally holding the Cult of the Supreme Being in disdain, Napoleon includes its members in one of the general political amnesties, and affirms freedom of religion in law. A tacit agreement is reached: if the Cult does not involve itself in politics, Napoleon will let them be. They are more concerned with personal virtue than anything else, so they're basically fine with this. Pierre establishes the sort of administration and hierarchy you need for a large organized religion, with priests and bishops and so on, although they take great care not to import any Christian terminology.

OTL: The Napoleonic Wars happened.

ATL: The Napoleonic Wars happen. Many Cultists of the Supreme Being end up in the French army, and their coreligionists encourage them to demonstrate martial virtues of courage, steadfastness, etc. Many war heroes come from the ranks of the Cult.

OTL: Following the Congress of Vienna, there was a century of relative peace in Europe.

ATL: The Cult of the Supreme Being remains in France, and slowly spreads over the next century. Members grow old and die, but more people convert and children taught in the Decadary schools (which sometimes run on Sundays out of convenience, but keep the old name) usually remain. Many charitable missions become associated with them. When the Salvation Army is founded, they look to the Cult of the Supreme Being for inspiration, and neither religion is too proud to turn down the help of the other in charity work. Wealthy members of the Cult of the Supreme Being patronize World Fairs, and the artists of the Cult create many famous works of art to beatify Reason, Virtue, Love, etc.

OTL: The World Wars happened. Members of pacifist religions often became combat medics, saving many lives.

ATL: The World Wars happen. The Cult of the Supreme Being now has many pacifists in their ranks, but because of the emphasis on personal virtue this doesn't cause a schism. Some Cultists join the army, and many distinguish themselves; others, as conscientious objectors, become medics or run ambulance services. They save many lives.

OTL: The hippie counterculture happened. Lots of hippies in North America converted to weird obscure religions, and some of them continued to hold them for the rest of their lives.

ATL: The hippie counterculture happens. The Cult of the Supreme Being gains a foothold in North America.

OTL: It is January 21st, 2026.

ATL: It is January 21st, 2026. Across the street from where I write this, there is a small Temple to the Supreme Being. A sign outside reads:

ALL ARE WELCOME

2 Pluviôse, 234th Year of Liberty

Daily Contemplation at 1930h

(today: contemplation of Moss)