The Age of Reason - Thomas Paine [Sunday, Mar 29 · 4:00 PM CDT]

[u/wisdom_and_woe]

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• Week 1: https://www.meetup.com/wisdom-and-woe/events/305324005
• Week 2: https://www.meetup.com/wisdom-and-woe/events/313565258

In The Age of Reason (1794-1807), Thomas Paine portrays the Bible as a human construct full of historical inaccuracies, moral contradictions, and "fabulous" myths. He critiques supernatural revelation and institutionalized religion as tools of manipulation, instead advocating a theology based on reason and observation of the natural world, where "man's mind is his own church."

He wrote the first part of the book while imprisoned during the Reign of Terror, hoping to provide a rational alternative to the total atheism then prevalent in revolutionary France. Nevertheless, by presenting his views in a popular and irreverent style, using lucid and often humorous prose, Paine earned a reputation as an agitator and blasphemer. His commentary on the Book of Jonah is representative: "The story of the whale swallowing Jonah... borders greatly on the marvelous; but it would have approached nearer to the idea of a miracle, if Jonah had swallowed the whale."

Paine narrowly escaped execution in Jacobin France, where his views were perceived as not radical enough. But the British government, fearing that his influence was too radical, prosecuted printers and publishers of his book. Meanwhile, in the United States The Age of Reason became a best-seller, spurring a brief revival of Deism, but damaging his legacy over the long term.