The Age of Reason - Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine in his own words walks “through the Bible as a man would go through a wood with an axe on his shoulder and fell trees.” Having been raised as an active Christian and a participant in the glossing over of all that is unsavory in the Bible, I don’t recall this book being mentioned by my family, or any Christian I have conversed with. Christians are so concerned about diminishing their own faith that they would rather avoid any logical argument or even facts that might contend with it. Questioning a fundamental belief, such as the Bible is the word of God, in itself would be a display of one’s lack of faith. Such a thoughtful confrontation would be construed as a weakness of belief and a lack of gratitude to God which would mean they are even more unworthy of God than they already believe they are. Most of my life, I too referred to the Bible as the word of God. Paine argues that God does not speak in man’s language but has spoken to us through the existence we live in and witness all around us. Therefore Christianity, and any religion, that bases its entire canon on a book written by men is based on a lie as they esteem those words to be written by God. Paine points out that we do not even know the actual authors of the books contained in the Bible. They have been attributed to men such as Moses, or the disciples of Christ, in order to gain authority and acceptance which the authors themselves did not have. He uses the words of the Bible itself to prove that it was written by ghost writers. I understand why people prefer order in their lives, and also why we tend to focus on strengthening our beliefs as opposed to questioning them. All of us do this with more beliefs than we realize we even have. More importantly, I have seen the good that can come from living a Christian way of life. The danger of Christianity according to Paine, is that once people become aware of its dishonesty, they will turn to Atheism. As it would be difficult to separate God from the Bible, once one were to discover the “word of God” is a book written by men who aren’t honest enough to put their own name on their work. One could naturally conclude that since the book is a lie, God must be a lie as well. His prediction may have come true, who knows? It is difficult to test as one may have trouble finding the relevant historical data dating from now back to colonial America. Not to mention the Census stopped asking questions related to religion (e.g. religious denomination) in 1976. Those aiming to attempt such a feat will be forced to pull their findings from estimates. I was able to find a survey of Americans going back 70 years which shows that the percentage of atheists is increasing percentagewise[1], but that survey consisted of only a thousand people. As of late, what seems to be of more interest to pollsters is the increase of people claiming to be unaffiliated with an organized religion. That group seems to be larger than ever in America and growing. Again, I am unable to compare this to Paine’s day. However, both atheists and non-atheists as well as agnostics are included in this group labeled as “nones.” It isn’t like we have a plague of unbelief in God in America. Maybe Paine’s book influenced that. One could argue either way based on the information available.
Anyway, back to the book, Paine asserted that Christianity has taken the focus off of God and placed it on one man who may or may not have lived. We do not have any writings from that man. Instead, we have writings of authors feigning to be men close to that man, but even if they were men close to him, their witness accounts are a testimony of events which lack consistency enough to corroborate details between the authors, such as when and where certain events took place. Even if they did so, the reader of such accounts is expected to accept another’s testimony as their own firsthand knowledge when in reality, they were not there. And reading about such fantastic events within the Bible is only corroborated by other accounts within the Bible. And so according to Paine, the Bible seems to be nothing more than mythology though not as well written as the work of Homer. Though Paine clarifies, this is not to say it doesn’t have any archetypal value. However, Aesop’s Fables provide archetypes with less shock value as the Bible is full of murder, gore, rape, and incest. I am summarizing some of Paine’s points expressed in the book and realize that my oversimplification of his views lack the full merit of his arguments and am in many ways diminishing his arguments by doing so. However, I am not devaluating the logical arguments he makes in the book, as I have shared none of them. One could read my review and be floored with how well every oversimplified statement I have just written here is proven soundly by Paine using nothing more than the Bible itself as evidence. One could argue on the appropriateness of my oversimplified summations of Thomas Paine’s views, with some ease, but one would have to read the book if they were set on refuting him. I have yet to find someone who dares get in the ring with one of his thorough investigations. If you have seen such a work, by all means, please share it with me so I can read it.
As far as my personal opinion (for today anyway), Thomas Paine uses rationality, raw reason to show the erroneousness of the Bible in a matter of fact manner that Christian Scholars tend to ignore entirely. Rather than discuss any of the details Paine lays out, they besmirch the work as a whole, as being horrible inherently due to it being anti-organized religion in nature. However, Paine himself is clearly religious as he reiterates several times his own belief in God. If he wanted to destroy all religious beliefs, then God must be the first casualty. He didn’t attempt to do so, not once. If theological critics of Thomas Paine’s Age of Reason want to be taken seriously, then they will have to address the clearly stated flaws Paine has pointed out line by line with evidence. If one can use a book as it’s own evidence for it’s own truthfulness, then one must take seriously, when that same book contradicts itself. But I ask, who is doing that with the Bible? True believers defend the Bible as the Word of God against such discrepancies by accusing the flaws contained therein as errors made by fallible men, but fail to contemplate that this strengthens the argument against it. Thomas Paine became an outcast over writing this well thought out and critical book of that which is too sacred to criticize. And sadly, he was right. The Age of Reason is one of the best books I have read, as it does not demand authority over and faith from it’s reader, but puts forward proclamations to stand on their own merit, something the Bible does not do. While the Bible consists of many great morals and beneficial archetypes to learn from, I now see the danger in perceiving the book to be the word of God.
Benjamin Franklin wrote the following letter to Thomas Paine:
Dear Sir
I have read your Manuscrit with some Attention. By the Arguments it contains against the Doctrine of a particular Providence, tho’ you allow a general Providence, you strike at the Foundation of all Religion: For without the Belief of a Providence that takes Cognizance of, guards and guides and may favour particular Persons, there is no Motive to Worship a Deity, to fear its Displeasure, or to pray for its Protection. I will not enter into any Discussion of your Principles, tho’ you seem to desire it; At present I shall only give you my Opinion that tho’ your Reasonings are subtle, and may prevail with some Readers, you will not succeed so as to change the general Sentiments of Mankind on that Subject, and the Consequence of printing this Piece will be a great deal of Odium drawn upon your self, Mischief to you and no Benefit to others. He that spits against the Wind, spits in his own Face. But were you to succeed, do you imagine any Good would be done by it? You yourself may find it easy to live a virtuous Life without the Assistance afforded by Religion; you having a clear Perception of the Advantages of Virtue and the Disadvantages of Vice, and possessing a Strength of Resolution sufficient to enable you to resist common Temptations. But think how great a Proportion of Mankind consists of weak and ignorant Men and Women, and of inexperienc’d and inconsiderate Youth of both Sexes, who have need of the Motives of Religion to restrain them from Vice, to support their Virtue, and retain them in the Practice of it till it becomes habitual, which is the great Point for its Security; And perhaps you are indebted to her originally that is to your Religious Education, for the Habits of Virtue upon which you now justly value yourself. You might easily display your excellent Talents of reasoning on a less hazardous Subject, and thereby obtain Rank with our most distinguish’d Authors. For among us, it is not necessary, as among the Hottentots that a Youth to be receiv’d into the Company of Men, should prove his Manhood by beating his Mother. I would advise you therefore not to attempt unchaining the Tyger, but to burn this Piece before it is seen by any other Person, whereby you will save yourself a great deal of Mortification from the Enemies it may raise against you, and perhaps a good deal of Regret and Repentance. If Men are so wicked as we now see them with Religion what would they be if without it? I intend this Letter itself as a Proof of my Friendship and therefore add no Professions of it, but subscribe simply Yours
B.F. [2]
In other words, dear Thomas friend, just because you speak the truth does not mean you are right... Franklin in so many words told Paine that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees. He displayed great foresight about the repercussions Paine would face as a result of publishing this book. And he makes an interesting point when ascertaining that Paine may not be one who values virtue and avoids vice had he not been brought up in a religious home to begin with. However, in the same letter he discredits himself. According to Franklin, people need organized religion because people are so weak they are virtueless without it. How he could express such a notion after reading Paine’s dismantling of the creditability of the Bible is remarkable, as it suggests that people need to live a life based on lies in order to be virtuous, as if honesty is a sacrificial lamb among the list of other virtues.
So what happened to the man that wrote “It has been the scheme of the Christian Church, and of all the other invented systems of religion, to hold man in ignorance of the Creator, as it is of government to hold man in ignorance of his rights?” He died as an outcast in poverty. Six people attended his funeral. His bones were dug up twice. The second time, they were moved overseas back to the country governed by monarchy, the very form of government which appalled him so much he wrote a book about it. Socialists have promulgated pieces of his works for their propaganda, though he was a capitalist. Theology has ignored his detailed reasoning and continues to preach revenge as holy, redemption as a pecuniary possibility, and the nature of God as man has imagined himself. And so is the poetic nature of the world. It is said in the Bible “By their fruits you shall know them.”[3] Reflecting on the ill treatment of Thomas Paine by the self-proclaimed virtuous Christians of that time, it becomes obvious that men determine for themselves whether to pursue virtues or not. Or perhaps, they pursue one virtue at the expense of others as Franklin condones. Those familiar with history can say with certainty, religion has not prevented the atrocities of wars and crime around the globe but has helped men justify committing the gravest of sins against their fellow man both abroad and at home. Few have been willing to stand up and state what is evident to their own unrepressed conscious; that the ends rarely justify the means, there are few if any absolute truths which one man should determine for another, and wanton antagonism towards any of God’s creations is not justified. Thomas Paine knew how to think critically, a skill which requires the entire gamut of virtues, and the world hated him for it. A familiar story. It is amazing that he shared his thoughts and all willing to read them, can.
[1] https://time.com/4283975/god-belief-religion-americans
[2] https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Franklin/01-07-02-0130 (While there seems to be some uncertainty as to the date and recipient of this letter, and therefore whether or not this letter was written to Thomas Paine, I have still chosen to include it for two reasons. First, the context seems relevant and similar to other common arguments. Second, having read The Age of Reason I have serious doubts that the letter could be written to someone other than Thomas Paine and regarding a different manuscript. Let those who read the Age of Reason determine for themselves).
[3] The Bible (King James Version): Matthew 7:20
