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    The Age of Reason
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    The Age of Reason
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    The Age of Reason
    Ebook299 pages5 hours

    The Age of Reason

    By Thomas Paine

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    "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst," declared Thomas Paine, adding, "every other species of tyranny is limited to the world we live in; but this attempts to stride beyond the grave, and seeks to pursue us into eternity." Paine's years of study and reflection on the role of religion in society culminated with his final work, The Age of Reason. This coolly reasoned polemic influenced religious thinking throughout the world at the dawn of the nineteenth century, and its resonance remains undiminished by time.
    The selfsame humanist and egalitarian views that made Paine a popular figure of the American Revolution brought him into frequent conflict with political authorities. Parts of The Age of Reason were written in a French jail, where Paine was confined for his opposition to the execution of Louis XVI. An atack on revealed religion from the deist point of view — embodied by Paine's credo, "I believe in one God, and no more" — this work undertakes a hitherto unheard-of approach to Bible study. Its critical and objective examination of Old and New Testatments cites nemerous contradictions as evidence against literal interpretations of the text. Well articulated and eminently readable, The Age of Reason is a classic of free thought.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDover Publications
    Release dateMar 7, 2012
    ISBN9780486130996
    Author

    Thomas Paine

    English-born Thomas Paine left behind hearth and home for adventures on the high seas at nineteen. Upon returning to shore, he became a tax officer, and it was this job that inspired him to write The Case of the Officers of Excise in 1772. Paine then immigrated to Philadelphia, and in 1776 he published Common Sense, a defense of American independence from England. After returning to Europe, Paine wrote his famous Rights of Man as a response to criticism of the French Revolution. He was subsequently labeled as an outlaw, leading him to flee to France where he joined the National Convention. However, in 1793 Paine was imprisoned, and during this time he wrote the first part of The Age of Reason, an anti-church text which would go on to be his most famous work. After his release, Paine returned to America where he passed away in 1809.

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    Reviews for The Age of Reason

    4/5

    237 ratings13 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I wish I had read this years ago. Paine was perhaps one of the clearest thinkers of his or any other time. Should be on everyone's reading list.
    • 4/5
      This book is powerful and full of answers to questions I've had for awhile. It amazes me it was written so long ago because it seems as though it could of been written yesterday. Very well constructed with lots of good information on the subject of the Bible and its contradictions. Also easy to follow and understand.
    • 3/5
      Paine here attacks the "inerrancy" of the Bible and makes his case for deism, asserting that the only "word of God" that is open to everyone, without translation or interpretation, is Creation itself. Revelation, he says, is meaningful to the person who experiences it, but is meaningless at second or third-hand. Much of Paine's Biblical criticism is commonly taught in today's liberal seminaries, but it was courageous and perceptive for its time. His other intent, outside of his criticism of organized religion, is to argue against the atheism he saw rising after the revolution in France. This text is a radical piece of history that would no doubt be outlawed in the fair state of Arizona, where I presently reside.
    • 5/5
      The patriotic writer and essayist of the American and French Revolutions sets forth his beliefs on the place of religion in society. He affirms the need for rationalism in religion, attacks national religious institutions, and points out inconsistencies and fallacies of the Bible. This was first published in 1795 and it is still interesting reding today.
    • 5/5
      Thomas Paine was a most thoughtful and insightful man. He points out the fallacies in religion to make a good argument for freethought. These issues have been argued for many years and continue to be argued today. I find that "The Age of Reason" is a good foundation for most theological coversations. This book is also well written and an easy read.
    • 5/5
      Even for its age, Thomas Paine gives a bold description of his opinion towards religion and backs it up thoroughly. If you are very religious you are going to hate this book. You might as well be practicing cult worship. If you are spiritual, you may understand this book. Like myself, sometimes dividing the line between religion and spirituality may be grey at times.

      I thoroughly enjoyed this book because it is a fresh insight into beliefs and deceptions that occur every day in most major religious factions. It is sort of like when Rock and Roll first came into being to dispel the corporate music of the late 50s where the moral majority tried to suppress the rebellious tones of Rock and Roll. I found it to be a breath of fresh air on an old idea.

      What amazed me was how much Thomas Paine knew about science and the solar system and space in general. He understands man's method to be able to reason and follows it through with concise logic. He understood the reason why believing that we are the most important world in the universe makes as much sense as the argument of whether or not the world is flat or round. He understood that there is much more to everything and that religion took an active role in trying to suppress that knowledge. To certain degrees, religion still does suppress this knowledge where it can. Why, so that people can control People. Thomas Paine explains how religion exploits the fears of other people in order to keep one in line with its philosopy. He makes it a point that original thinking is not encouraged or even allowed in some religions.

      Was he right then? Is he right today? You be the judge......
    • 5/5
      One of the best books I've EVER read, and to think it was written in the eighteenth century, because rarely has a book so easily dismantled orthodox Christianity as this one does, and Paine is quite convincing while relying solely on the Bible itself, largely in Part 2 especially, to see to its own undoing. Paine actually DID believe in a theistic god; he was a Deist, popular at the time, especially with our Founding Fathers, but he thought the Christian god with its Christian holy book was utter crap, with so many inconsistencies, discrepancies, and total outrages against humanity, all in the name of "God," that I can still feel his moral outrage days after finishing it. If you're a believer, read this so it'll give you some food for thought. If you're a doubter, reading this will likely deconvert you. If you're an unbeliever, this book will only confirm what you already think about the Christian god and its followers. I can't recommend this book highly enough! 10 stars!
    • 5/5
      Just re-read this on my Kindle after first reading it perhaps 25 years ago. It is still a wonderfully persuasive demolition of any shred of veracity that the Bible might cling to. The first part, where Paine is working without the aid of a Bible on hand, is a bit general, but shows his impeccable logic. In Part II, when he can show the internal contradictions of the Bible and quote chapter and verse, it is even more impressive. The only bad parts are a few unnecessary digressions from time to time. Over 200 years ago, Paine pointed out many of the same problems and truths (e.g, the books in the Bible were selected on by a vote!) as current authors such as Bart Ehrman do. Paine is probably harder on the church - and though he doesn't say it in so many words - he basically portrays it as a con job meant to provide a living for a select, corrupt group of leaders. As Paine points out, the average Christian really has little to no concept of what is actually in the Bible. It has been reduced to a boiled down fairly innocuous set of Bible Stories with all the nasty parts left out.Certainly a must read for everyone.
    • 4/5
      This is a book to stimulate your thoughts. The introductory letter by Paine himself, written at a time when he believed he was soon to be executed is a masterpiece in itself, combining clarity of reason with immensely powerful rhetorical skill. The book definitely has two parts and the second has not aged as well as the first, but that only means that I had to give the author a little leeway in the second half. I found the book difficult to buy on open sale in a bookshop, which might suggest that its anti-religious sentiments are not well received, mirroring Paine's concerns that reason was being compromised by the self same forces. A classic book.
    • 5/5
      This book is a revelation (irony intended). Having read about Paine, his participation in the birth of the United States, and his incarceration at the hands of the French Revolutionaries, I had a fair idea of his theses and the strength of his Deistic convictions. Having known that, the clarity and frankness of this book still startled and excited me. Language in 1793, though often obtuse, can also cut, as demonstrated here, in ways that current writers would not presume to do. There's a wry bluntness about this work that still shocks today. It's eminently readable in its original form, brief, and pointed. Paine surely vaults himself to the top of my (humbly proposed) list of eminent freethinkers by virtue of his prose, the historical time and personal situation in which he composed this, and the fortitude of his remonstrations. This is a clarion call for reason, and a devastating treatise in opposition to bibilical inerrancy as a moral foundation.
    • 5/5
      This classic book was hugely controversial in its time. Deism (the concept that there is a God, but no one knows anything about him) existed before this book, but this was the first layman's introduction to the philosophy.Thomas Paine, author of the historically important "Common Sense", endured strong persecution for authoring this and other works. In this, he rails against religious orders, the pretense of revelation, and biblical claims.Some of the most beautiful statements about the nature of God can be found in this book. Paine does not limit God into being some kind of super-human. God is much, much more than that to Paine, who gives the Creator power to be incomprehensible to men. He discredits the writings of men, since such writings can be fraudulent. The word of God can be found in creation itself; the only way to study the unalterable word of God is by study of the universe through science.
    • 5/5
      If only America would have embraced Thomas Paine. What a great book. All you need to read to find out what a hogwash fundamentalist religion is. From the greatest enlightenment thinker ever. Entertaining, funny and devastating.
    • 4/5
      Thomas Paine, the author of the famed Common Sense in 1776, extends his critique of Western culture from government to religion in this treatise. In it, he appeals for Deism based upon Nature instead of a religion based upon revelation. Like his contention that originally humans were free without a monarchy, he contends that humans originally had no Word of God and thus relied upon nature to teach us about God.

      Thus far, as a Christian, I agree. The Book of Nature is often neglected by theologians who rely too strongly upon the revealed Book of Scripture. Furthermore, the Book of Scripture can have contradictions (which Paine is apt to point out) and gory stories. The history of Israel is one based upon rebellion against Yahweh (and mass killing in the name of Yahweh) instead of obedience to God. There is not a whole lot special about Scripture, especially the Old Testament. Even the stories of God the Father killing God the Son willingly seems a bit strange at times, I agree.

      Nonetheless, I am more than a deist and a theist. I am a Trinitarian. Although I am not one to argue for the veracity of each miracle attested by Scripture, I (most of the time) believe in the story of Christ's defeat of death and the impending life in a new body.

      Paine points out the audaciousness of this story. St. Paul would agree as do I. But the weight of the matter for me lies in the fact that many have died for this story, especially early on. Ten apostles died for this story, and the other one suffered greatly, at least according to tradition.

      Paine's impending "Age of Reason" where religion was overturned never happened in its fullness. Sure, reason does rule our current society in the form of discourse, but parties and denominations are still with us. Indeed, Christianity is still practiced in much of the West, albeit in a form consistent with reason. The wholesale overturning of religion, even in a place like France with its violent French Revolution, never occurred.

      Before Paine can win the argument that religion is the source of many of humanity's ills, he has to grapple with the radicalness of the French Revolution. Over 10,000 people died a death at the guillotine for what? For the betrayal of reason. Even Paine was put into French jails for not being radical enough. Such is human nature. Such is the reason why humans have government and religion.

      I still buy a lot of Paine's naturalism in his critique of government and religion. I would betray my education in the sciences if I did not. Nonetheless, there is a time to suspend individualistic reason and to submit to each other. We must work together on this planet instead of opine. America's current administration should remember this lesson instead of going it alone. Learning to hold hands with each other and be led requires a social and community work that Paine neglects. Such is the essence of religion and government. Ex pluribus unum.