Answer:
The intention of Reverend Parris is to preserve his reputation in his society - that seems to be his most valuable thing in life and he will do anything to save it. This means that he, a God-fearing man, is willing to look into the supernatural forces that seem to be haunting his people, and by doing that, he creates the atmosphere that was far worse than before - immediately, there is mass hysteria in the village with everyone accusing each other of being witches and summoning the Devil. Everyone becomes paranoid and afraid of each other - and even Reverend Hale, who's role is to help the people and calm them down, has a counter-effect of disturbing them even more. With his involvement, people are now convinced there are dark forces at large and that they should be afraid.
When it comes to their faith, they all claim to be God-fearing people, however, they jump at the first opportunity to blame each other of witchcraft and burn people at the stake. Reverend Parris is also a good example of paradox - he is a reverend, and yet he doesn't care all that much about God and religion, but rather about his reputation. Abigail is another good example of paradox, given that she despises the society she lives in because of their low morals, and yet she acts the same way as them, spreading lies to keep her 'reputation.'