The age of reason : being an investigation of true and fabulous theology

The Age of Reason; Being an Investigation of True and Fabulous Theology is a work by political activist Thomas Paine, first published in three parts in 1794, 1795, and 1807. The author outlines his arguments and personal creed and analyzes specific portions of the Bible to demonstrate that it is not the revealed word of God. A best-seller in its time, the work argues for the philosophical position of deism - the belief in the existence of God through purely rational thought rather than by using revelation. It highlights the corruption of the Christian church as well as criticising it for its pursuit of political power. Paine also calls on people to reject miracles and to view the Bible as just another piece of literature. These were all ideas that had long been available to the educated elite, but Paine's work opened them up to the masses using the effective technique of repetition and rhetorical questions, and presenting it all in an engaging style. Indeed, The Age of Reason led to a revival in deism, albeit short-lived. The book caused anger in Britain (and led to a series of prosecutions for those willing to publish it), eventually led to Paine being reviled in American (with Theodore Roosevelt referring to him as a 'filthy little atheist' over one hundred years later), and had very little impact in France (despite being written for the French). "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. The Age of Reason represents the results of years of study and reflection by Thomas Paine on the place of religion in society. Paine wrote: "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst; 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." The cool rationale of Paine's The Age of Reason influenced religious thinking throughout the world; and its pervasieve influence continues to the present day.