Though his story is a sad story, it seems he truly was a man for the time. John Adams would write concerning Paine's work Common Sense, "Common Sense, like a ray of revelation, has come in seasonably to clear our doubts, and fix our choice." - John Adams.
Paine's work, "Common Sense" may have had a greater impact in uniting the country for the cause of independence than the Declaration of Independence. His words truly carried a great influence over our country and the founders of our nation leaned heavily upon his pen. Much of the phraseology in the Declaration of Independence was drawn from Paine's "Common Sense."
His contributions to the religious and political freedoms we have enjoyed in America must be measured by the highest marks. However, men at best are but men, we must take great caution in putting our confidence in such frames of weakness. With the same pen, of which he did great good, he also did great harm to the souls of men. He died an outcast to the country he loved, despised by the people he had such great hope for. He was not allowed to be buried in his area cemeteries, for none would have him. He was buried in the corner of a field on his property with only 5 attending his funeral, only later to be removed and taken by a follower of his idea's back to England with the intent to raise a monument to him. When those plans failed his body was passed from person to person, it is unknown what happened to his remains.
What brought such reproach upon the man that had done so much for the American cause? The answer, his work "The Age of Reason". Upon writing, Paine sent a copy to his good friend Benjamin Franklin, who after examining the work sent back a response telling Paine to burn it before anyone else saw it. Unfortunately, Paine did not listen to his good friend Franklin. Thus, the reason for this treatise.
As we examine this work, let us understand Paine grew up in troubled times seeing much injustice in civil government and corruption within the visible church. He was familiar with religion but his work proved him to be ignorant concerning the things of God and the Christian Church. It is this that led him into Deism, bringing such reproach upon Christianity that it lent the mind toward atheism.
Paine confessed his belief in one God and no more; and that he did have a hope for happiness beyond this life. However, he stated: "I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." - Thomas Paine. "The Age of Reason"
Though he references several religions, we will discover in our examination it is the Christian faith which offended him most. His belief in a god does make him religious, but it leaves him and all who would follow him without hope, though he professes to have hope, it is but a false hope. It is false because like all other religions outside of Christianity it leaves him trusting in his own works to achieve the happiness he aspires too.
Romans 3:9-20 ESV
(9) What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
(10) as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one;
(11) no one understands; no one seeks for God.
(12) All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”
(13) “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”
(14) “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
(15) “Their feet are swift to shed blood;
(16) in their paths are ruin and misery,
(17) and the way of peace they have not known.”
(18) “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
(19) Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.
(20) For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.
When we look at the world around us as well as our own hearts, reason drives us to the conclusion our lives are not what they should be. Though we see ourselves as basically good, in our own conscience we are condemned. As it is stated in verses 10, there is not a soul alive who has not broken the law of their conscience and felt that condemnation. In an attempt to make amends for that action they like Paine may have sought after some god in their mind, but it was not the God of verse 11.
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 scriptures point us to Christ and his redemption by the work of the Cross. If we are to be free from the condemnation of our own consciences, it will be by the work of another. That work has been accomplished in Christ, he has satisfied the demands of justice and the God of verses (11) of his great mercy gives us the gift of faith that we may believe and truly desire to know him. It is this that Paine saw as foolishness and deemed the god of his mind the wisdom and the way.
1 Corinthians 1:18 KJV
(18) For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
When trying to prove the unprovable, we have a tendency to apply words and phases while altering their definition and meaning to fit with our scheme and manner of thinking. Paine tries to alter the definition of infidelity to make his point on religious beliefs. "Infidelity does not consist in believing, or disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason)
Webster's 1828 edition defines infidelity as: INFIDEL'ITY, n. [L. infidelitas.]
1. In general, want of faith or belief; a withholding of credit.
2. Disbelief of the inspiration of the Scriptures, or the divine original of Christianity; unbelief.
There is no doubt that vanity is one principal cause of infidelity.
3. Unfaithfulness, particularly in married persons; a violation of the marriage covenant by adultery or lewdness.
4. Breach of trust; treachery; deceit; as the infidelity of a friend or a servant. In this sense, unfaithfulness is most used.
Paine tries to move the definition from a moral belief or act to simply a mental dishonesty. It is true professing to believe what one does not believe is the defining basis of hypocrisy,
Webster's 1828 dictionary
HYPOC'RISY, n. [L. hypocrisis; Gr. simulation; to feign; to separate, discern or judge.]
1. Simulation; a feigning to be what one is not; or dissimulation, a concealment of one's real character or motives. More generally, hypocrisy is simulation, or the assuming of a false appearance of virtue or religion; a deceitful show of a good character, in morals or religion; a counterfeiting of religion.
Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. Luke 12.
2. Simulation; deceitful appearance; false pretense.
Hypocrisy is the necessary burden of villainy.
Hypocrisy is certainly not a virtue, however, it is not infidelity. By changing the definition he frees himself of the charge and leads his readers into the well of moral corruption. A mind, even a brilliant one without the knowledge of God is a very dark place. It can read the times and reason with powerful solutions, yet there is no light in spiritual things. When it tries to tread into spiritual things without the light of illumination, it is only able to conceive dark shadows of truth. Ideas of righteousness emerge generally forming an image of a god that is more human than Divine. One's justification before that god undoubtable arise from the creation of their own mind.
The logic and reason of Paine's "My own mind is my own church" soon break down. How is that going to be worked out in society? He says he believes in one god and no more, yet in his own mind he conceives this notion of spirituality. How is anyone going to know this god that is in his own mind? No one can know this god but him, they are left to discover the god that reside in their mind and their understanding. What he says one must believe becomes the very thing he says he does not believe. The one god he aspires everyone to believe in becomes many gods, the creations of many minds working from the table of human understanding.
The one god Paine ascribes to, is the same as all the other gods of world religions that are contrived in the minds of men. They all prescribe a way by which those gods can be appeased and eternal bliss obtained by some human effort or work. Paine's god offered him hope of happiness beyond this life and allowed him the pleasure of retaining the sins he took such pleasure in. What did he offer as atonement for his sins? Somehow his mind reasoned the good in his life would pay for the bad, or his god must simply unjustly look over sin and forgo judgment.
This is in contrast to Christianity, which demonstrates man's corruption and his utter helplessness to answer for his crimes. Logic and reason dictate that if a finite creature offends an infinite being, there is nothing of the finite that can answer to the infinite. Justice becomes of infinite value calling for an infinite payment. Thus, the doctrine of eternal punishment. The nature of man being what it is, he is helpless and without hope in and of himself. God in his mercy offers grace through the atoning work of Jesus Christ. Christ being of infinite value and being, offers himself in man's stead, freeing him of his debt. It is in the wisdom of God that the demands of justice are met and grace is given to those who believe. But to the man who will not humble himself from his pride and deems himself worthy in value to pay of infinite debt, one must resort to Paine's god of his own mind. He then must stand in the face of God and declare I need not your gift of grace, I am able to pay my own debt!
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