Paine "Chapter II" Paul the Apostle

 

Mr. Paine continues in Chapter II spending considerable time and space in his work "The Age of Reason" raging against the four Gospels. I use the word raging because it seems most fitting for his mode of writing upon this subject. I am going to reframe from responding in detail to all his accusations and arguments as they are most petty and unsubstantiated. His work is online and you can go and read it for yourself. If I attempted a comprehensive response to every accusation he presented it would consume me and my blog to no end. 

As he continued he again, as his manner was, asserting the authors of the Gospels could not be those they were assigned to. He based this argument among other things upon a late date given for their authorship, stating they were written sometime in the 4th century some 300 years after the event. 

However, the fact is we have fragments of papyrus, one of which is P52 from the book of John Chapter 18 that is dated in the latter part of the first or early second century. It is old enough to possibly be a copy of an original manuscript. When translated it reads the same as our modern English translations nearly 2,000 years later. This along with many other textual facts renders his arguments absurd. 

He then continues with much effort pointing to different wording presented in the differents Gospels concerning the events recorded in each. All of which is meaningless, for one would expect different accounts by different witnesses to vary in what they recorded, added to that the thousands of copies of text we have to draw from would naturally render some varients. So nothing he offers concerning the Gospels warrants any effort to address any further.

As he moves into the Epistles we are again amazed at his rich imagination, for concerning the Apostle Paul and his vision during the trip to Damascus he states, ". . . that is more than many others have done, who have been struck with lightning; and that he should lose his sight for three days, and be unable to eat or drink during that time, is nothing more than is common in such conditions." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason) This he offered purely out of his imagination, for there is nothing in the text that would suggest such a surmising.

I present this next quote simply for amusement purposes, "The doctrine he [Paul] sets out to prove by argument, is the resurrection of the same body: and he advances this as an evidence of immortality. But so much will men differ in their manner of thinking, and in their conclusions, they draw from the same premises, that this doctrine of the resurrection of the same body, so far from being an evidence of immortality, appears to me to be an evidence against it; for if I have already died in this body, and am raised again in the same body in which I have died, it is presumptive evidence that I shall die again. That resurrection no more secures me against the repetition of dying, than an ague-fit, when past, secures me against another. To believe therefore in immortality, I must have a more elevated idea than is contained in the gloomy doctrine of the resurrection." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason). 

I was going to cease with the amusement, but I must continue for at least one more quote. After the foolishness related above, he makes the following statement which leaves one wondering what this has to do with his objective?

"Every animal in the creation excels us in something. The winged insects, without mentioning doves or eagles, can pass over more space with greater ease in a few minutes than man can in an hour. The glide of the smallest fish, in proportion to its bulk, exceeds us in motion almost beyond comparison, and without weariness. Even the sluggish snail can ascend from the bottom of a dungeon, where man, by the want of that ability, would perish; and a spider can launch itself from the top, as a playful amusement. The personal powers of man are so limited, and his heavy frame so little constructed to extensive enjoyment, that there is nothing to induce us to wish the opinion of Paul to be true. It is too little for the magnitude of the scene, too mean for the sublimity of the subject." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason).

I would comment further, but I will leave the foolishness of his reasoning stand for its self. However, since it is Paul he was maligning, I will let Paul answer his foolishness. 

1 Corinthians 15:35-58 ESV

(35)  But someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?”

(36)  You foolish person! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.

(37)  And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain.

(38)  But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

(39)  For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.

(40)  There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.

(41)  There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

(42)  So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable.

(43)  It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

(44)  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

(45)  Thus it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit.

(46)  But it is not the spiritual that is first but the natural, and then the spiritual.

(47)  The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven.

(48)  As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.

(49)  Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.

(50)  I tell you this, brothers: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

(51)  Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

(52)  in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.

(53)  For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.

(54)  When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

(55)  “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”

(56)  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

(57)  But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(58)  Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

May the Grace of God be with each of you,

David

Paine "Chapter II" The Genealogies

 

Mr. Paine begins his overview of the New Testament retelling the story of the incarnation of Christ in an obscene fashion, with the use of his imagination making his jest concerning a ghost and the impregnation of Mary, then a lude reference to Joseph as doing the same. It is difficult to read such a maligning of the sacred text. For that purpose, I will reframe from reposting it here. He then moves on with his argument.

"The first chapter of Matthew begins with giving a genealogy of Jesus Christ; and in the third chapter of Luke there is also given a genealogy of Jesus Christ. Did these two agree, it would not prove the genealogy to be true, because it might nevertheless be a fabrication; but as they contradict each other in every particular, it proves falsehood absolutely. . . .The book of Matthew gives (i. 6), a genealogy by name from David, up, through Joseph, the husband of Mary, to Christ; and makes there to be twenty-eight generations. The book of Luke gives also a genealogy by name from Christ, through Joseph the husband of Mary, down to David, and makes there to be forty-three generations; besides which, there is only the two names of David and Joseph that are alike in the two lists." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

His argument here is, of course, the two lists do not agree. His assertion, therefore, is neither book can be trusted in any further details for they both begin with a bogus genealogy. I am not sure if Mr. Paine was scripturally ignorant or purposely presented the list in a deception to mislead. 

Matthew, as a Levite, focuses on the Messiahship of Jesus in that he traces the legal line from Abraham through David, then Solomon and the royal line, to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17) and the husband of Mary. 

Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus. He traces the bloodline from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham the genealogy is identical to Matthew’s up to the House of David. Then Luke goes from David through Nathan (a different son of David) to Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 3:23-38). The reason Mr. Paine was seeing two lists with different names is that there are two lists. Each follows a different line until they merge at Abraham and then diverge again at David.

Mr. Paine in his overview of the Book of Ruth or I should say in his imaginary retelling of Ruth again using his lude assertions overlooks the implications that are relevant here in this text. Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? The Book of Ruth is especially important because it answers that question. Bethlehem was established as the “House of David” because of the events in the Book of Ruth. That designation had implications for Joseph and Mary when Caesar Augustus ordered a special tax to be levied. It is beyond our minds to comprehend the working of God's providence in the accomplishing of all these things.

And all went to be taxed, everyone into his own city. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:) To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. (Luke 2:3-5) Bethlehem is where the shepherds were in their fields on that momentous night:

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. - (Luke 2:8-9) It is even possible that those fields were the fields of Boaz and Ruth, so even their fields could have played a part in the birth of Christ.

Let's remember Mr. Paine's overview of Ruth, "I come to the book of Ruth, an idle, bungling story, foolishly told, nobody knows by whom, about a strolling country-girl creeping silly to bed to her cousin Boaz. Pretty stuff indeed to be called the word of God." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

 Mr. Paine who was so infatuated with the truth seems to have no problem when embellishing the Scriptures with his imagination. The truth is, Ruth is the ultimate love story in many ways. It is studied in some college classes just as an elegant piece of literature even when set apart from its supernatural origin. And the literary level is much respected. However, at the prophetic and personal levels, it can have a profound impact on every one of us.

It profiles the role of the kinsman-redeemer and it can often be difficult to comprehend that you and I are the beneficiaries of a love story that was written in blood on a wooden cross erected in Judea some 2,000 years ago. However, knowing the story of Ruth and it's ramifications, brings the sacrifice of Jesus, our Kinsman-Redeemer, into sharper focus.

In Ruth, we have this interesting case where a Gentile daughter-in-law, after the death of her husband, insists upon clinging to her Jewish mother-in-law. Numerous events occur prior to a famous scene on the threshing floor where Ruth makes the request of Boaz, a rich land owner, to take her as his bride. It is here in this account we can see the acceptance of the Gentiles into the Kingdom through Christ. Yes, it is by pure grace that Christ receives us unto himself making us his own. We do not earn this, but simply by trusting him, we are delivered and brought to serve him throughout the rest of our lives. Mr. Paine in his work in "The Age of Reason" was totally blind to the obvious hope that was before him.

May God bless each of you,

David  

Paine "Chapter 1 Part IV" Finishing the Old Testament

As Mr. Paine continues his trek through the Bible, he passes through Easter and Job without offering anything of substance, only conjectures and vivid use of his imagination. In the Psalm and Proverbs, he offers nothing more than some quibbling about assigning the names of the books which are irrelevant to his argument. Ecclesiastes, Solomon's Songs he only offers the same.

Of Isaiah he writes: "Whoever will take the trouble of reading the book ascribed to Isaiah, will find it one of the most wild and disorderly compositions ever put together; it has neither beginning, middle, nor end; and, except a short historical part, and a few sketches of history in the first two or three chapters, is one continued incoherent, bombastical rant, full of extravagant metaphor, without application, and destitute of meaning; a schoolboy would scarcely have been excusable for writing such stuff; it is (at least in translation) that kind of composition and false taste that is properly called prose run mad" - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine's greatest argument of the book of Isaiah is his own distaste for it. However, multitudes of Christians find great pleasure in the wonder of this book. Its imagery is marvelous and the prophetical pictures of Christ are so profound. He offers nothing of substance, we are only supplied with his obnoxious opinions. We find the same of his opinions in Jeremiah, nothing of substance for me to address.

Mr. Paine speeds up his trek as he travels through the Prophets retelling their stories with his vivid imagination altering them and their meanings to form the foolishness he desires to claim. I am personally amazed by his imagination as he embellishes the accounts of the Prophets. One familiar with the reading of the Prophets would scarcely recognize them when reading Mr. Paine's version and rendering of the text. He seems to embellish the text so that he may then rage against it. 

"There now remain only a few books, which they call books of the lesser prophets; and as I have already shown that the greater are impostors, it would be cowardice to disturb the repose of the little ones. Let them sleep, then, in the arms of their nurses, the priests, and both be forgotten together. 

I have now gone through the Bible, as a man would go through a wood with an axe on his shoulder, and fell trees. Here they lie; and the priests, if they can, may replant them. They may, perhaps, stick them in the ground, but they will never make them grow. I pass on to the books of the New Testament." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine seemed to have thought his ax fell the trees, however, he only joins the list of men of arrogance that history has already laid aside as the Bible continues. Mr.Paine is not the first nor the most influential to criticize the Bible. It has been fought against throughout history, yet it remains. It gives hope to those who hear it, life to those who believe it. You would think from reading "The Age of Reason" one would be a fool to read such nonsense. Yet, Mr. Paine's contemporaries say quite differently about their reading of the book? 

"I have examined all religions, and the result is that the Bible is the best book in the world." - John Adams (Works, Vol. X, p. 85, to Thomas Jefferson on December 25, 1813.)

"Whoever believes in the Divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail throughout the earth." - John Quincy Adams (Life of John Quincy Adams, W. H. Seward, editor (Auburn, NY: Derby, Miller & Company, 1849), p. 248.)

"The Bible… is a book worth more than all the other books that were ever printed." - Patrick Henry. (William Wirt, Sketches of the Life and Character of Patrick Henry (Philadelphia: James Webster, 1818), p. 402; see also George Morgan, Patrick Henry (Philadelphia & London: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1929), p. 403.)

"For my part, I am free and ready enough to declare that I think the Christian religion is a Divine institution; and I pray to God that I may never forget the precepts of His religion or suffer the appearance of an inconsistency in my principles and practice." - James Iredell, (The Papers of James Iredell, Don Higginbotham, editor (Raleigh: North Carolina Division of Archives and History, 1976), Vol. I, p. 11 from his 1768 essay on religion.)

"The Bible is the best of all books, for it is the word of God and teaches us the way to be happy in this world and in the next. Continue therefore to read it and to regulate your life by its precepts." -  John Jay,  (The Winning of the Peace. Unpublished Papers 1780-1784, Richard B. Morris, editor (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1980), Vol. II, p. 709, to Peter Augustus Jay on April 8, 1784.)

"[P]ublic utility pleads most forcibly for the general distribution of the Holy Scriptures. Without the Bible, in vain do we increase penal laws and draw entrenchments around our institutions." - James McHenry (Bernard C. Steiner, One Hundred and Ten Years of Bible Society Work in Maryland, 1810-1920 (Maryland Bible Society, 1921), p. 14.)

"I believe the Bible to be the written word of God and to contain in it the whole rule of faith and manners." -  Robert Treat Paine, (The Papers of Robert Treat Paine, Stephen T. Riley and Edward W. Hanson, editors (Boston: Massachusetts Historical Society, 1992), Vol. I, p. 49, Robert Treat Paine’s Confession of Faith, 1749.)

"By renouncing the Bible, philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral subjects… It is the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published." - Benjamin Rush, ( Letters of Benjamin Rush, L. H. Butterfield, editor (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1951), Vol. II, p. 936, to John Adams, January 23, 1807.)

"The revealed law of God is the rule of our duty." - Roger Sherman, (Correspondence Between Roger Sherman and Samuel Hopkins (Worcester, MA: Charles Hamilton, 1889), p. 10, from Roger Sherman to Samuel Hopkins, June 28, 1790.)

"I believe only in the Scriptures, and in Jesus Christ my Savior." - Charles Thomson, (The Autobiography of Benjamin Rush; His “Travels Through Life” together with his Commonplace Book for 1789-1813, George W. Carter, editor (New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1948), p. 294, October 2, 1810.) 

"The Bible is a book… which teaches man his own individual responsibility, his own dignity, and his equality with his fellow man." - Daniel Webster,  Address Delivered at Bunker Hill, June 17, 1843, on the Completion of the Monument (Boston: T. R. Marvin, 1843), p. 31; see also W. P. Strickland, History of the American Bible Society from its Organization to the Present Time (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1849)

"The Bible is the chief moral cause of all that is good and the best corrector of all that is evil in human society, the best book for regulating the temporal concerns of men." - Noah Webster, (The Holy Bible . . . With Amendments of the Language (New Haven: Durrie & Peck, 1833), p. v.)

It is very evident that both the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New are at great pains to give us a view of the glory and dignity of the person of Christ. With what magnificent titles is He adorned! What glorious attributes are ascribed to him!… All these conspire to teach us that He is truly and properly God – God over all, blessed forever! - John Witherspoon, (The Works of John Witherspoon (Edinburgh: J. Ogle, 1815), Vol. V, p. 267, Sermon 15, “The Absolute Necessity of Salvation Through Christ,” January 2, 1758.)

Could it be Mr. Paine's peers were reading a different book? It cannot be, the greatest minds that were forming the foundation of our nation put his foolishness to rest.

David 

Paine "Chapter 1 Part III" Books Ezra & Nehemiah.

 

Mr. Paine in his treaty continues now into the book of Ezra. 

"The only thing that has any appearance of certainty in the book of Ezra is the time in which it was written, which was immediately after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity, about B.C. 536. Ezra (who, according to the Jewish commentators, is the same person as is called Esdras in the Apocrypha) was one of the persons who returned, and who, it is probable, wrote the account of that affair. Nehemiah, whose book follows next to Ezra, was another of the returned persons; and who, it is

also probable, wrote the account of the same affair, in the book that bears his name. But those accounts are nothing to us, nor to any other person, unless it be to the Jews, as a part of the history of their nation; and there is just as much of the word of God in those books as there is in any of the

histories of France, or Rapin's History of England, or the history of any other country. 

But even in matters of historical record, neither of those writers are to be depended upon. In Ezra ii., the writer gives a list of the tribes and families, and of the precise number of souls of each, that returned from Babylon to Jerusalem; and this enrolment of the persons so returned appears to have been one of the principal objects for writing the book; but in this there is an error that destroys the intention of the undertaking. The writer begins his enrolment in the following manner (ii. 3): "The children of Parosh, two thousand one hundred seventy and four." Ver. 4, "The children of Shephatiah, three hundred seventy and two." And in this manner he proceeds through all the families; and in the 64th verse, he makes a total, and says, the whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore. But whoever will take the trouble of casting up the several particulars, will find that the total is but 29,818; so that the error is 12,542. What certainty then can there be in the Bible for anything?

Nehemiah, in like manner, gives a list of the returned families, and of the number of each family. He begins as in Ezra, by saying (vii. 8): "The children of Parosh, two thousand three hundred and seventy-two;" and so on through all the families. (The list differs in several of the particulars from that of Ezra.) In ver. 66, Nehemiah makes a total, and says, as Ezra had said, "The whole congregation together was forty and two thousand three hundred and threescore." But the particulars of this list make a total but of 31,089, so that the error here is 11,271. These writers may do well enough for Bible-makers, but not for anything where truth and exactness is necessary." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Departing from his usual method of deceptive writing, Mr. Paine presents some legitimate facts concerning the text that is difficult to explain. One cannot fault Mr. Paine in his argument here, for his facts and numbers are correct. In his statements above he presents a difficulty, I will try and address it as logically as I possibly can. It is concerning the families returning from Babylon to Jerusalem and the discrepancy in their listing and numbering.  

I was first inclined to just write his argument off as scribal errors once again. However, when seriously considering the text, it seems very unlikely for that many errors of that magnitude to exist in one chapter in two different books. As I began to research the discrepancies I found that many apologists attempted to answer the question with that very argument. Others suggested that the differences amounted to simply not counting the women and children in the list and including them in the total. This would however leave a very large margin between the men and women, especially if you included the children in the count. Still, others suggested the counting was done at different times as Ezra was written about a hundred years before Nehemiah, thus the number of families varied.

I noticed a number of apologists pointed to something interesting which leads me to what I believe is a reasonable answer. 1st, for my own part, the fact that both lists give a total of  42,360 is too much of a coincidence. It would seem unreasonable to me for scribes to simply copy the text and not realize the numbers do not add up. So the fact they continued to copy the text as they found it and did not make corrections leads me to think something else is up here we may not be considering.  

Add to that, the list in Ezra mentions families Nehemiah doesn't and Nehemiah mentions families Ezra doesn't. The fact they do mention families together and give different numbers in their accounts can be understood in a variety of ways. Some apologists noticed if you add the families from Ezra that are missing in Nehemiah to Nehemiah's list you come up with 31,583. Then if you add the families from Nehemiah that are missing in Ezra to Ezra's list you again come up with 31,583. It is simply not logical for errors to add up equally. So again this leads me to think we are not working with errors. It seems logical to me if there were families that Ezra listed and Nehemiah did not, and there were families that Nehemiah listed and Ezra did not, and by adding them together the numbers match. It would seem logical that there remained families that neither Ezra nor Nehemiah listed and thus those being added as a total would be the 42,360 that is given as the total. I believe that explanation, as well as others that have been offered, is as viable of an answer as Mr. Paine's argument. 

In any case, if one wants to give Mr. Paine the nudge and say his argument stands unmatched, consider the fact Mr. Paine's argument so far has offered nothing substantial in his attempt to discredit the Christian faith. His efforts have been either misleading, misrepresented in ignorance of Christian doctrine, or quibblings over dates, places, and numbers. All charges can be answered by presenting actual Christian Doctrine or ascribing to Scribal copying error. If in fact all of the true errors he has submitted as his evidence were all added up, it would not affect or change any Christian Doctrine of Faith. The understanding of the rule and purpose of the Old Testament, as well as the Proclamation of the Gospel in the New Testament, remain true to their origin. None of the ancient Christian Creeds or Confessions are affected by any of his charges. His efforts in pointing out the variances in the text from thousands of handwritten copies amount to nothing which scholars have already been aware of for centuries and understand. 

David

Paine "Chapter 1 Part II" Judges, Samuel, & Kings and Chronicles

Mr. Paine now marches on into the Judges displaying his complete lack of reason which one would think uncommon to such a gifted writer. Logically thinking, one could surmise his mind is simply clouded by his hatred of Christianity.

"In Judges i., the writer, after announcing the death of Joshua, proceeds to tell what happened between the children of Judah and the native inhabitants of the land of Canaan. In this statement the writer, having abruptly mentioned Jerusalem in the 7th verse, says immediately after, in the 8th verse, by way of explanation, "Now the children of Judah had fought against Jerusalem, and taken it;" consequently this book could not have been written before Jerusalem had been taken. The reader will recollect the quotation I have just before made from Joshua xv. 63, where it said that the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem at this day; meaning the time when the book of Joshua was written." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

In the statements above, Mr. Paine is assuming, or either being dishonest by suggesting the book of Joshua was written all at once. This is most unlikely being it is a collected history of events. Historical accounts such as these were written over time and many times by multiple authors when the history in view surpasses one's lifetime. For more details on this see Chapter 7 and the toledoth. 

In addressing the books of Samuel, he makes a montage of useless arguments similar to the one above. To take one example, In 1st Samuel 9 relating to the choosing of Saul as king, he attempts to take a phrase relating to the changing of a word meaning to prove Samuel did not write the book and that is somehow supposed to destroy its creditable. 

" . . . in order to make the story understood, to explain the terms in which these questions and answers are spoken; and he does this in the 9th verse, where he says, "Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to enquire of God, thus he spake, Come let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a prophet, was beforetime called a seer." This proves, as I have before said, that this story of Saul, Samuel, and the asses, was an ancient story at the time the book of Samuel was written, and consequently that Samuel did not write it, and that the book is without authenticity, . . ." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)  

1 Samuel 9:9 ISV

(9)  (Previously in Israel, a person would say when he went to inquire of God, "Come on! Let's go to the seer!" because the person known as a prophet today was formerly called a seer.) 

Mr. Paine in his usual beguiling manner writes in such a way to imply the language definitively speaks of ancient times so that he could remove the author from the time being related. However, as you can see in the text above in a modern translation, the word simply means previously. I know of many words within my own lifetime, that have taken on different meanings than previously known. Take for instance in my own occupation, in the beginning, I was known in the Telephone company as a CST (Customer Service Technician). Later I was known in the same position as FST (Field Service Technician). 

According to Mr. Paine's reasoning, I could not be the same person, for in ancient times (Beforetimes) I was called a CST, therefore the FST must have been another person for he lived much later than the CST. 

In moving on to the books of Kings and Chronicles Mr. Paine states:  "In the same book the history sometimes contradicts itself: for example, in 2 Kings, i. 17, we are told, but in rather ambiguous terms, that after the death of Ahaziah, king of Israel, Jehoram, or Joram, (who was of the house of Ahab), reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram, or Joram, son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah; and in viii. 16, of the same book, it is said, "And in the fifth year of Joram, the son of Ahab, king of Israel, Jehoshaphat being then king of Judah, Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, began to reign." That is, one chapter says Joram of Judah began to reign in the second year of Joram of Israel; and the other chapter says, that Joram of Israel began to reign in the fifth year of Joram of Judah." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine in his profound theological study came across a contradiction in the Bible, therefore, it is not authoritative nor can be considered a credible historical source. I suppose the reader is to understand that Mr. Paine had found a previously unknown contradiction and we all must now bow to his scholarship. However, all Mr. Paine found was a copiest error. The contradiction he found is most likely not in the original text, again, in his beguiling manner he would imply it was. 

We find such errors often, for instance, in 1 Kings 4:26 And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. and in 2 Chron. 9:25 And Solomon had four thousand stalls for horses and chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen; whom he bestowed in the chariot cities, and with the king at Jerusalem. 

Which is it? Four thousand or Forty thousand? The obvious answer with only a little research will give you an answer of four thousand, the other is just a copiest error. Some of the later English translations correct it, such as the ERV, 1 Kings 4:26 ERV (26)  Solomon had places to keep 4000 horses for his chariots and he had 12,000 horse soldiers.

Copiest errors such as these are common, however, they do not present us a problem in most cases. There are so many ancient copies available for research and comparison in most cases the correct rendering can be determined. In either case, none of the so-called contradictions affect any major Christian doctrine. The faith has remained constant since its beginning. No serious student of the Bible would take Mr. Paine's arguments seriously. His logic was flawed or he was dishonest with his readers.

Mr. Paine may be a joy to like-minded readers who despise the Bible and troubling to nominal Christians who do but little study. However, when presented before a reader who is the least bit familiar with the Biblical text and has given at least some time to understand it his arguments fall to the wayside, having little to no effect. 

David

Paine "Part II Chapter 1" Authors, dates, and places

Mr. Paine continues in Chapter 1 of Part II with another attempt to discredit the authenticity of the Bible. 

"The evidence that I shall produce in this case is from the books themselves; and I will confine myself to this evidence only. Were I to refer for proofs to any of the ancient authors, whom the advocates of the Bible call prophane authors, they would controvert that authority, as I controvert theirs: I will therefore meet them on their own ground, and oppose them with their own weapon, the Bible. In the first place, there is no affirmative evidence that Moses is the author of those books; and that he is the author, is altogether an unfounded opinion, got abroad nobody knows how." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine has already attempted to address this in his volume one, however, he deemed it necessary to commit a very large portion of his treaties to the subject again in volume II. So we will not critique his assertions here for a second time, simply see Chapter 7 post on this blog for a full examination of his arguments concerning Moses and the author of the 1st 5 books of the Bible.

Next, Mr. Paine proceeds to accomplish the same with the book of Joshua.

"I proceed to the book of Joshua, and to shew that Joshua is not the author of that book, and that it is anonymous and without authority. The evidence I shall produce is contained in the book itself: I will not go out of the Bible for proof against the supposed authenticity of the Bible. False testimony is always good against itself." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine again commits a large portion of his treaty to a none issue. In the Christian understanding, the book is anonymous, it is simply thought Joshua is most probably the author of portions of the book. However, it is very possible an assistant whom Joshua groomed could have finished the book by attaching numerous comments. Some have suggested that certain sections were written by the high priest Eleazar, or even his son, Phinehas. It is believed it was completed before David's reign most likely somewhere between 1405 and 1385 B.C. 

Mr. Paine's extensive efforts to discredit Joshua as the author was a wasted effort, for he proved nothing which Christianity itself affirms. He somehow had the notion if he could discredit the authorship he could discredit the authenticity of the book itself. His notion was false and unsupported. 

In much determination Mr. Paine continues,  "Having now shown that every book in the Bible, from Genesis to Judges, is without authenticity, I come to the book of Ruth, an idle, bungling story, foolishly told, nobody knows by whom, about a strolling country-girl creeping slily to bed to her cousin Boaz. Pretty stuff indeed to be called the word of God. It is, however, one of the best books in the Bible, for it is free from murder and rapine. I come next to the two books of Samuel, and to shew that those books were not written by Samuel, nor till a great length of time after the death of Samuel; and that they are, like all the former books, anonymous, and without authority." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine's description of the Book of Ruth is dishonest and vicious. Such statements reveal a deep hatred of the Christian religion which more and more moves us to understand this hatred as being the root and foundation of his efforts for this work. One only needs to read the Book of Ruth for themselves to understand this wonderful account of a faithful daughter-in-law is one of purity and peace. He either does not know or does not care to know concerning the customs and culture of the day. If he knows, he neglects to explain the text to purposely maline the account. 

In his boast of proving nothing, "And now ye priests, of every description, who have preached and written against the former part of the Age of Reason, what have ye to say? Will ye with all this mass of evidence against you, and staring you in the face, still have the assurance to march into your pulpits, and continue to impose these books on your congregations, as the works of inspired penmen and the word of God?" - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason), he continues on throughout the rest of the books making similar accusations that neither prove nor assert his purposes. Mr. Paine marches through the books of the Bible as if he alone has the wisdom to decern their mythological aspects. He seems allusive to the fact these texts have been meticulously studied and examined for thousands of years by men of brilliance, many of whom have died in defense of their truth. Yet it is he alone in his arrogance who is able to proclaim with such confidence all those fallacies heretofore unknown to men. 

"Could we permit ourselves to suppose that the Almighty would distinguish any nation of people by the name of his chosen people, we must suppose that people to have been an example to all the rest of the world of the purest piety and humanity, and not such a nation of ruffians and cut-throats as the ancient Jews were, a people who, corrupted by and copying after such monsters and imposters as Moses and Aaron, Joshua, Samuel, and David, had distinguished themselves above all others on the face of the known earth for barbarity and wickedness." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

With his own words, Mr. Paine demonstrates his inadequacy. The very reasonings of his mind and the references of his flawed logic drive him to conclude the Bible cannot be true because of the character in which God's chosen people are presented when in reality, it is the whole purpose of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. It is the account of fallen man, the display of his depravity, (depravity we still see today) his hopelessness in ever saving himself from the depth of which he has fallen to the redemption of man through the great mercy and grace of God displayed in the Redeemer consummating in the true and final glorification of a faithful and loving people of God. How can Mr. Paine believe anything in the Bible when he does not understand even the basic premise upon which it is written? 

Mr. Paine continues in his treaty by spending an enormous amount of time pointing to dates and events, apparent contradictions of times and places. His arguments are repetitive and redundant. I am becoming as weary of reading them as you are of hearing them. Rather than continue examining each of his so-called fallacies, we will use one as an example that will suffice to expose his irrational reasoning. Otherwise, this blog will be endlessly consumed with his foolishness.      

"In my observations on the book of Genesis, I have quoted a passage from xxxvi. 31, which evidently refers to a time, after that kings began to reign over the children of Israel; and I have shewn that as this verse is verbatim the same as in 1 Chronicles i. 43, where it stands consistently with the order of history, which in Genesis it does not, that the verse in Genesis, and a great part of the 36th chapter, have been taken from Chronicles; and that the book of Genesis, though it is placed first in the Bible, and ascribed to Moses, has been manufactured by some unknown person, after the book of Chronicles was written, which was not until at least eight hundred and sixty years after the time of Moses." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason) 

Mr. Paine in the above statement which is common practice in his treaties tries to make an argument out of a none argument. Here he attempts to say the writer of Genesis borrowed a text from Chronicles when in reality it is only a transcription by a scribe from Genesis into the text of Chronicles. Paine reverses it to make it appear to be written near a thousand years later. His dishonesty or ignorance, whichever it is, makes this work a work of foolishness. His arguments with dates and places, even if he is found to be right concerning some of them are irrelevant in the Christian faith. The enormous amount of time spent accomplishes nothing. A scribal error with a date or place has little to no barren on Christian doctrine.  

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The kings of Edom before the introduction of the kingship into Israel. This is a verbally exact repetition of Genesis 36:31-39, except that the introductory formula, Genesis 36:32, "and there reigned in Edom," which is superfluous after the heading, and the addition "ben Achbor" (Genesis 36:39) in the account of the death of Baal-hanan in 1 Chronicles 1:50, are omitted; the latter because even in Genesis, where mention is made of the death of other kings, the name of the father of the deceased king is not repeated. Besides this, the king called Hadad (v. 46f.), and the city פּעי (v. 50), are in Genesis Hadar (Genesis 36:35.) and פּעוּ (Genesis 36:39). The first of these variations has arisen from a transcriber's error, the other from a different pronunciation of the name. A somewhat more important divergence, however, appears, when in Genesis 36:39 the death of the king last named is not mentioned, because he was still alive in the time of Moses; while in the Chronicle, on the contrary, not only of him also is it added, הדד ויּמת, because at the time of the writing of the Chronicle he had long been dead, but the list of the names of the territories of the phylarchs, which in Genesis follows the introductory formula שׁמות alum ואלּה, is here connected with the enumeration of the kings by ויּהיוּ, "Hadad died, and there were chiefs of Edom." This may mean that, in the view of the chronicler, the reign of the phylarchs took the place of the kingship after the death of the last king, but that interpretation is by no means necessary. The ו consec. may also merely express the succession of thought, only connecting logically the mention of the princes with the enumeration of the kings; or it may signify that, besides the kings, there were also tribal princes who could rule the land and people. The contents of the register which follows require that ויּהיוּ should be so understood.

Paine "Part II Chapter 1" The injustice of God

 

To this point, I have been very critical concerning Mr. Paine's knowledge of the subject he is addressing. However, Part II takes on a completely different style as does his arguments. His previous attempt to critique the Christian religion by his own admittance was without even a Bible in hand and very limited resources. It appears it was a work he wanted to complete in his lifetime and felt the necessity for various reasons to attempt under not so best of circumstances. 

However, Part II at least appears to have much more substance and his efforts much more serious. The Chapters are only 2 with a conclusion and very lengthly. So we will not be able to address a chapter per post but will have to break it down into parts as we progress.

Mr. Paine's first observance in Chapter 1 is a very valid challenge to the Scriptures and deserves an honest Christian response. He does not mix or sweeten words but charges them as the Bible states them. He does not begin lightly but goes to task with the heavest of Theological questions. 

"There are matters in that book [the bible], said to be done by the express command of God, that are as shocking to humanity, and to every idea we have of moral justice, as any thing done by Robespierre, by Carrier, by Joseph le Bon, in France, by the English government in the East Indies, or by any other assassin in modern times. When we read in the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, etc., that they (the Israelites) came by stealth upon whole nations of people, who, as the history itself shews, had given them no offence; that they put all those nations to the sword; that they spared neither age nor infancy; that they utterly destroyed men, women and children; that they left not a soul to breathe; expressions that are repeated over and over again in those books, and that too with exulting ferocity; are we sure these things are facts?" - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

"To charge the commission of things upon the Almighty, which in their own nature, and by every rule of moral justice, are crimes, as all assassination is, and more especially the assassination of infants, is matter of serious concern. The Bible tells us, that those assassinations were done by the express command of God. To believe therefore the Bible to be true, we must unbelieve all our belief in the moral justice of God; for wherein could crying or smiling infants offend? And to read the Bible without horror, we must undo every thing that is tender, sympathising, and benevolent in the heart of man. Speaking for myself, if I had no other evidence that the Bible is fabulous, than the sacrifice I must make to believe it to be true, that alone would be sufficient to determine my choice." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

I am with Mr. Paine in feeling the human shock when reading this account of judgment upon other nations by the hand of Israel. It is a troubling passage for Christians to explain and most difficult to answer in a satisfactory manner. In whatever manner we attempt to answer this question it must not be out of our emotions, it must be from Scripture alone. Even Mr. Paine later in this discourse states he will seek no other sources other than the Bible to prove its fallacies. Shall we do any less in our defense?

Mr. Paine's first difficulty in understanding this passage is his view of man. He refers to the heart of man as tender, sympathizing, and benevolent while presenting these people upon whom Israel's army slaughtered as innocent individuals. {Jeremiah 17:9-10 ESV (9)  The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? (10)  “I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”} We first must understand these were pagan people steeped in their own religions and practicing all kinds of immoral rituals even sacrificing their own children burning them alive on the pagan altar. In the western world, especially to those living and sheltered in the United States, it is difficult for us to understand the cruelty of which men are capable. We have lived in a society mostly governed by Christian morality. Over the last few hundred years, it has given us a balance, a social understanding of acceptable behavior which most held to and attempted to live by. However, even under this influence man's depravity from time to time would upset that balance and shock us into a moment of reality. Sometimes we are able to camouflage our depravity in such a way we artificially maintain that balance. We do this by legalizing the killing of our children much like the pagan altar and calling it abortion.  

The Biblical answer to the passage above is not assassination as Mr. Paine views, but judgment upon a people for the fulness of their sins. It begins in {Genesis 15:13-16 ESV (13)  Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. (14)  But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. (15)  As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. (16)  And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.”} The context of the passage Mr. Paine is referencing is Isreal's return after those 400 years. The people they are sent to conquer and kill are the ones referenced in Genesis 15:16. After 400 years of national iniquity, God was bringing judgment and using Isreal to do it. Isreal itself would suffer such judgment for its own sin in the future. 

The god Mr. Paine envisions in his own mind is an unjust god. He sees him as kind and benevolent, forgiving our iniquities and giving us a wonderful life here and eternal bliss in the world to come. He believes his god is pleased in our good works and kind ways which earn us his favor. He would never respond to us as the God of the Bible does in the Scripture. But justice requires payment, if Mr. Paine's god forgives without payment, justice is not met and his god is unjust. This is not the God of the Bible, for though he is good, His perfect justice is not or cannot be set aside. His goodness is as just as His Justice is good. There is perfect harmony in all his attributes, therefore in His goodness His Justice is always met and satisfied.

{Proverbs 17:15 ESV (15)  He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.}

{Romans 3:21-26 ESV (21)  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it (22)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: (23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (25)  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. (26)  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.}

The passages above demonstrate how the God of the Bible passed over our sins and remained just in Himself. Through Christ justice was met, and the sinner was set free. It is called Grace, {Ephesians 2:4-9 ESV (4)  But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, (5) even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ by grace you have been saved (6)  and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, (7)  so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (8)  For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, (9)  not a result of works, so that no one may boast.}

Mr. Paine's concept of God is much too small and his view of man much to good. The God of the Bible is an infinite being in every aspect of who he is. Man is a finite creature full of sin and every day even in his most pious acts offends and sins against this God. We cannot comprehend infinite perfection, we are flawed in our being to such an extent we cannot cease from sin. Without a mediator, we are condemned from our very conception. As a child, we are innocent only in the aspect we have not yet comprehended our sin, it is our nature, it is who we are. God chose to judge those people in the passages Mr. Paine presented, even worse than the slaughter, hell awaited and they are still there. If God chose today to close the door of his Mercy and judge the world in horrified judgment and cast it into hell, He would be justified in doing so. The fact Mr. Paine does not see or understand will not change it. 

Paine "Chapters 14, 15, 16, 17"

 

Let me begin by apologizing for the lack of substance in the following post. Mr. Paine's logic and reasoning were so absurd it should not be necessary to critique them. However, the following chapters were in his work, so as useless at the time was, it was necessary to work through them.  

In chapter 14 Mr. Paine gives a primitive description of the Universe with the knowledge that would have been available to him in his time and commits on the benefits of this world to man and attributes it all the God's creation.

"Having thus endeavored to convey, in a familiar and easy manner, some idea of the structure of the universe, I return to explain what I before alluded to, namely, the great benefits arising to man in consequence of the Creator having made a plurality of worlds, such as our system is, consisting of a central Sun and six worlds, besides satellites, in preference to that of creating one world only of a vast extent." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

In chapter 15 he continues to commit upon the plurality of worlds in the creation and the wonder and awe it should give us of the creator. It appears Mr. Paine is content to believe in a god and speak of his glories as long as it is one of his own understanding and not the Christian God.

"As therefore the Creator made nothing in vain, so also must it be believed that he organized the structure of the universe in the most advantageous manner for the benefit of man; and as we see, and from experience feel, the benefits we derive from the structure of the universe, formed as it is, which benefits we should not have had the opportunity of enjoying if the structure, so far as relates to our system, had been a solitary globe, we can discover at least one reason why a plurality of worlds has been made, and that reason calls forth the devotional gratitude of man, as well as his admiration." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

He then makes reference to inhabitants of other worlds gaining and benefiting from the same creation. It appears he believed there was life on the other planets observing our world as we observed theirs. It is unclear where he got this idea from, I did a quick search and could not find anywhere where this was a popular view. 

"Neither does the knowledge stop here. The system of worlds next to us exhibits, in its revolutions, the same principles and school of science, to the inhabitants of their system, as our system does to us, and in like manner throughout the immensity of space." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

In chapter 16 Mr. Paine levels the accusation that this knowledge of the universe renders the Christian faith irrelevant. However, he offers no explanation or reason for this. A vague allusion to the Christian system holding to only one world without any explanation of what he means by that statement.

"But such is the strange construction of the Christian system of faith, that every evidence the heavens affords to man, either directly contradicts it or renders it absurd." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)  

In chapter 17, he suggests there are three means by which people are deceived into believing a religion.

"Those three means are Mystery, Miracle, and Prophecy." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Beginning with Mystery, Mr. Paine launches into an illogical form of reasoning attempting to separate truth from mystery. Saying truth can never be shrouded in mystery, of which at this point we are assuming he is still speaking of the Christian system. He then attempts to suggest there is no mystery in God as he understands him. Is it not a strange form of reason that accounts all of Creation to a god and yet finds no mystery in that? All of his reasoning at this point is truly the mystery, for no reasonable or logical understanding can be arrived from them. Every truth is a mystery to us until it is discovered. 

"The God in whom we believe is a God of moral truth, and not a God of mystery or obscurity. Mystery is the antagonist of truth. It is a fog of human invention that obscures truth, and represents it in distortion. Truth never envelops itself in mystery; and the mystery in which it is at any time enveloped, is the work of its antagonist, and never of itself. Religion, therefore, being the belief of a God, and the practice of moral truth, cannot have connection with mystery. The belief of a God, so far from having anything of mystery in it, is of all beliefs the most easy, because it arises to us, as is before observed, out of necessity." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Moving next to Miracles, he again launches in absurd reasonings about everything being a miracle, making comparisons with elephants and mites suggesting one is as big a miracle as the other. His complete discourse on miracles appears nothing but foolish musing of a mind that has no reference upon which to begin. I digress to comment further and just leave you to read it yourself if you are doubtful.

"The story of the whale swallowing Jonah, though a whale is large enough to do it, borders greatly on the marvellous; but it would have approached nearer to the idea of a miracle, if Jonah had swallowed the whale. In this, which may serve for all cases of miracles, the matter would decide itself as before stated, namely, Is it more probable that a man should have swallowed a whale, or told a lie? But suppose that Jonah had really swallowed the whale, and gone with it in his belly to Nineveh, and to convince the people that it was true have cast it up in their sight, of the full length and size of a whale, would they not have believed him to have been the devil instead of a prophet? or if the whale had carried Jonah to Nineveh, and cast him up in the same public manner, would they not have believed the whale to have been the devil, and Jonah one of his imps?" - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

When he then moves on to Prophecy he reverts back to his previous arguments that the meaning of the word prophecy had been deceptively changed to mislead us. He then continues on with illogical reasons that leave you with nothing of substance. 

"Everything unintelligible was prophetical, and everything insignificant was typical. A blunder would have served for a prophecy; and a dish-clout for a type." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Paine "Philosophy" Chapter 13

 

This is by far the largest section of Mr. Paine's work "The Age of Reason." In it, he covers the philosophical musings of his mind as a child unto adulthood. He relates how after hearing a sermon on the death of the Son of God his mind as a 7-year-old was deeply troubled, suggesting it was more than just childish thoughts, but know of a certainty that a man would be convicted of murder for doing the same. 

It seems his lack of understanding of the concept of substitutionary atonement troubled him greatly, one of which he never overcome in adulthood. This concept of propitiation lies at the foundation of Christian doctrine, of which Mr. Paine is attempting to make light of, however, his lack of understanding leaves him with only straw arguments drawn from a child's mind. If one is an atheist and wants to cast a bad light on Christianity, he needs to look further than Mr. Paine's musings. 

There is a conundrum that one comes up against when the idea of redemption for man is examined. 

Proverbs 17:15 ESV

(15)  He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the LORD.

Do you see the problem? God can't just let our sins pass and just forgive us. To justify us in our sins would be an abomination to him. It would be the same legally as to condemn a righteous man for crimes he has not done. This is the issue that troubled the mind of Mr. Paine so much. How could God condemn his own Son for crimes he did not commit? It seems however Mr. Paine is fine with just letting the wicked go free and just pardoning the human race. But one injustice is just as bad as the other. It would be like a judge just letting a condemned murderer go free after being convicted in court, the family of the victim would not think of him as a just judge. Yet, it seems Mr. Paine thinks it would be fine for God to do the same with the human race. 

Paul addresses this issue in Romans 3;  

Romans 3:4-6 ESV

(4)  By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, “That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged.”

(5)  But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.)

(6)  By no means! For then how could God judge the world?

Romans 3:21-26 ESV

(21)  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

(22)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

(23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

(25)  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

(26)  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

This was all done so that God's justice could be met and we the sinners go free from our debt. This is why Christ had to suffer in the manner which he did, as a propitiation.

PROPITIATION, n. propisia'shon.

1. The act of appeasing wrath and conciliating the favor of an offended person; the act of making propitious.

2. In theology, the atonement or atoning sacrifice offered to God to assuage his wrath and render him propitious to sinners. Christ is the propitiation for the sins of men. Rom 3. 1 John 2.

He continues then to relate how his mind was naturally bent toward the sciences. He relates the working of the mind stating; "Any person, who has made observations on the state and progress of the human mind, by observing his own, can not but have observed, that there are two distinct classes of what are called Thoughts; those that we produce in ourselves by reflection and the act of thinking, and those that bolt into the mind of their own accord. I have always made it a rule to treat those voluntary visitors with civility, taking care to examine, as well as I was able if they were worth entertaining; and it is from them I have acquired almost all the knowledge that I have." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

As we consider the words of Mr. Paine above, we begin to understand his confusion in religious matters. He is approaching the Gospel, not with the act of actually thinking and reflecting upon his studies and logically working things out in his mind, but by certain thoughts that as he states, bolts into his mind of their own accord. From these wild random thoughts, he is approaching his critique of the Christian religion. This perhaps is why he makes such ridiculous statements in his treaty as "Christian mythology has five deities: there is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, the God Providence, and the Goddess Nature." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason) That statement would fit nowhere in Christian Theology, The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith would define God in this manner:

(The Lord our God is but one only living and true God;  whose subsistence is in and of Himself,  infinite in being and perfection; whose essence cannot be comprehended by any but Himself;  a most pure spirit,  invisible, without body, parts, or passions, who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto;  who is immutable,  immense,  eternal,  incomprehensible, almighty,  every way infinite, most holy,  most wise, most free, most absolute; working all things according to the counsel of His own immutable and most righteous will,  for His own glory;  most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek Him,  and withal most just and terrible in His judgments,  hating all sin,  and who will by no means clear the guilty.)

As you can see, Mr. Paine's statements are nowhere close to the Baptist confession of faith, which would have been available to him had he desired to read it. This has certainly been an issue throughout his critique, he simply does not understand the subject of which he is writing. 

Mr. Paine concludes this section by admiring the immensity of the created universe and insists that as one observes the vastness of the systems that the Christian Scheme scatters in the mind like feathers in the wind. He suggests there are many more inhabitable worlds existing in the creation such as ours. All we are to gather in this section is more ignorance of Christian doctrine and speculation on the nature of the universe. In the next post, we will address his thoughts on the system of the universe.      

Paine "Education" Chapter 12

"Putting then aside, as matter of distinct consideration, the outrage offered to the moral justice of God, by supposing him to make the innocent suffer for the guilty, and also the loose morality and low contrivance of supposing him to change himself into the shape of a man, in order to make an excuse to himself for not executing his supposed sentence upon Adam; putting, I say, those things aside as matter of distinct consideration, it is certain that what is called the christian system of faith, including in it the whimsical account of the creation—the strange story of Eve, the snake, and the apple—the amphibious idea of a man-god—the corporeal idea of the death of a god-—the mythological idea of a family of gods, and the christian system of arithmetic, that three are one, and one is three, are all irreconcilable, not only to the divine gift of reason, that God has given to man, but to the knowledge that man gains of the power and wisdom of God by the aid of the sciences, and by studying the structure of the universe that God has made." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

In this section of Mr. Paine's work, he writes several preseeding paragraphs inferring that true learning is not derived from the study of languages but science. He seems to build upon the fact the Greek culture thrived in the sciences and that they never ventured into the study of other languages. He then attempts to build the case it was the Christian system that promoted the study of languages to detour the learning of the sciences. He suggests the Christians did this because the Sciences were discovering truths about our world that were undermining the myth of Christianity. He then rambles back into his rant concerning the Genesis account and the foolishness of the incarnation of Christ. Why he felt it necessary to insert this odd reference that seems completely off-topic is quite strange. He apparently was truly disturbed by the Genesis account and takes every opportunity, or as here, creates an opportunity to impune it. His spiritual discernment of the text in question is set at zero, his understanding of substitutionary atonement is none existent.  

He proceeds again contradicting himself and arguing against his previous statements. Here in the section, he states:  

"Almost all the scientific learning that now exists, came to us from the Greeks, or the people who spoke the Greek language. It, therefore, became necessary to the people of other nations, . . . in order that the learning the Greeks had might be made known in those nations, by translating the Greek books of science and philosophy into the mother tongue of each nation." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

However, in a previous section he states:

". . . every man who knows anything of languages, knows that it is impossible to translate from one language into another, not only without losing a great part of the original but frequently of mistaking the sense; . . ." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

The reality and consistency of this work are left in question by his misrepresentation, contractions, and lack of knowledge concerning his subject. 

"Later times have laid all the blame upon the Goths and Vandals, but, however unwilling the partizans of the Christian system may be to believe or to acknowledge it, it is nevertheless true, that the age of ignorance commenced with the Christian system." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

Mr. Paine continues writing as though his understanding of the world and its systems is commonly known by all but the Christians who refuse to acknowledge it. However, again we find things are not as Mr. Paine suggests. Alfred North Whitehead and J. Robert Oppenheimer, both renowned philosophers and scientists of our era and who are not Christians themselves, suggest modern science was born out of the Christian worldview. Whitehead said that Christianity is the "mother of science." Entomologist Stanley Beck, also not a Christian, acknowledged the foundational premises of science which the Judeo-Christian world view offers: "The first of the unprovable premises on which science has been based is the belief that the world is real and the human mind is capable of knowing its real nature. The second and best-known postulate underlying the structure of scientific knowledge is that of cause and effect. The third basic scientific premise is that nature is unified." In other words, the epistemological foundation of technology has been the Judeo-Christian worldview presented in the Bible. Among the early scientists of note who held the Biblical creationist worldview are Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727), and Samuel Morse (1791-1872). 

The reader, if he has any understanding of the Christian system at all by now has discovered this work has nothing to do with reason at all. It is filled with misconceptions along with the formation and use of false dichotomies set forth to make unsubstantiated arguments against the Christian faith. Not a single argument so far has any relevance or substance by which one can observe or test as true or false. It is no more than the age-old contradictions of the philosophies on Mars Hill cast in the face of the Apostle Paul.  

 Acts 17:16-34 ESV

(16)  Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.

(17)  So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.

(18)  Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, “What does this babbler wish to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities”—because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.

(19)  And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting?

(20)  For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean.”

(21)  Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.

(22)  So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.

(23)  For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.

(24)  The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,

(25)  nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

(26)  And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,

(27)  that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,

(28)  for “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’

(29)  Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.

(30)  The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,

(31)  because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

(32)  Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, “We will hear you again about this.”

(33)  So Paul went out from their midst.

(34)  But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paine "True Theology" Chapter 11

 As we continue into this next chapter examining Mr. Paine's work (The Age of Reason) the discovery of what he called true theology is set against the Christian scheme. He began designing against religion in general, however, since leaving his introductory remarks, he then set his face against his true target, the Christian faith. The reader of his work who is outside the scheme of Christianity will find a remarkable philosophy colored with allusions and comparisons to dazzle their mind and imaginations. His work undoubtedly over the centuries has lead many in persuasion against the faith. However, any reader who has any familiarity with Christian theology will and undoubtedly has found themselves unmoved by his arguments and appalled at his misrepresentations of the faith. It is sad indeed that this work has been so widely published over the years and his influence has given it so great acceptance. So many have read thinking they are seeing a true and honest report of things as they are when in reality all they are seeing are the imaginations of a man's mind that are set against a false dichotomy being presented as its enemy.  

"As to the Christian system of faith, it appears to me as a species of atheism; a sort of religious denial of God. It professes to believe in a man rather than in God. It is a compound made up chiefly of man-ism with but little deism, and is as near to atheism as twilight is to darkness. It introduces between man and his Maker an opaque body, which it calls a redeemer, as the moon introduces her opaque self between the earth and the sun, and it produces by this means a religious or an irreligious eclipse of light. It has put the whole orbit of reason into shade." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

It is difficult and perhaps impossible now to know if he was being honest or simply hostile to his subject. If indeed the Christian system of faith appeared such to him, his view would be unrecognizable to anyone familiar with the Christian faith. His descriptive discourse above has nothing to do with Christianity whatsoever. 

Nonetheless, he will continue to examine what he calls true theology. In his description of this true theology, he again reverts back to the cosmos and creation and what it reveals about God. He sets the Christian system against science charging it calls science nothing but human inventions. 

"It is a fraud of the Christian system to call the sciences human inventions; it is only the application of them that is human. . . . It would also be ignorance, or something worse, to say that the scientific principles, by the aid of which man is enabled to calculate and foreknow when an eclipse will take place, are a human invention. Man cannot invent anything that is eternal and immutable; and the scientific principles he employs for this purpose must, and are, of necessity, as eternal and immutable as the laws by which the heavenly bodies move, or they could not be used as they are to ascertain the time when, and the manner how, an eclipse will take place." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

This is the type of rhetoric that is presented before the reader in The Age of Reason in order to bring demise to the Christian system and the promotion of his true theology. I know of no work that is so loose and inaccurate as this attempt presented by Mr. Paine. It truly saddens me to say that of such an influential figure in our history.  

"The Almighty lecturer, by displaying the principles of science in the structure of the universe, has invited man to study and to imitation. It is as if he had said to the inhabitants of this globe that we call ours, 'I have made an earth for man to dwell upon, and I have rendered the starry heavens visible, to teach him science and the arts. He can now provide for his own comfort, And Learn From My Munificence to All, to Be Kind to Each Other.' Of what use is it, unless it be to teach man something, that his eye is endowed with the power of beholding, to an incomprehensible distance, an immensity of worlds revolving in the ocean of space? Or of what use is it that this immensity of worlds is visible to man? What has man to do with the Pleiades, with Orion, with Sirius, with the star he calls the north star, with the moving orbs he has named Saturn, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, and Mercury, if no uses are to follow from their being visible? A less power of vision would have been sufficient for man, if the immensity he now possesses were given only to waste itself, as it were, on an immense desert of space glittering with shows." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)

The structure of the universe has indeed been given to us to study and learn from. It is indeed there that we find ourselves amazed and are driven in our understanding to contemplate the how and the why. It is there we discover as Mr. Paine did there must be a God for reasons he examined. However, this examination reveals something more to us than Mr. Paine suggests. he suggests it teaches us to be kind to one another, yet that is not what we find. We find humanity filled with deceit and murder. We find natural disasters everywhere and disease lurking around every corner. There are over 13,200,000 people incarcerated today, over 1,000,000,000 disabled persons in the world as we speak. History records major wars being fought from 600 B.C until the present day with 10 in progress at this moment and 8 active conflicts. We find in our own souls a conviction of a righteousness which we cannot obtain. We look at the world around us and all its provisions, only to be accompanied with all its perversions, and we must ask why? Add to this the impure thoughts that find their way into the conscience of every human being, which we know is wrong and conceal in the privacy of our own minds. Mr. Paines finds the evidence of God in what he sees, yet a closer look into these things, when presented Mr. Paine's view of God, has compelled many to reason there cannot possibly be a God and such a world exist. I suppose that is why many atheists hold his work in such esteem, for in following his reasoning, the next step is atheism.

What we find in reality is a broken world, a cosmos in chaos.  The world does in reality give us wonder, yet every wonder has a broken piece leaving not a single element of the cosmos untouched. The Christian system tells us why, it also gives us hope. 

1 Corinthians 15:1-8 ESV

(1)  Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,

(2)  and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

(3)  For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

(4)  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

(5)  and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

(6)  Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.

(7)  Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

(8)  Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

Romans 3:21-26 ESV

(21)  But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—

(22)  the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:

(23)  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

(24)  and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

(25)  whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

(26)  It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.