Thomas Paine was known as an incredibly effective
motivator. His pamphlet titled "Common Sense" stirred the passions of a
young nation and forged the driving force behind the American
Revolution against the British. So much so, in fact, that the British
government's pursuit of him after the war resulted in Paine living in a
sort of voluntary exile in France. (And if you're asking "Why France?"
you need to pick up a history book.)Thomas Paine often wrote articles speaking out against oppression. As an example, two years before coming to the American colonies, he wrote "The Case of the Officers of Excise", presenting the case before the British Parliament for British Excise Officers to have better working conditions and pay. Paine was working as an Excise Officer himself at the time, and he was summarily terminated from this position after circulating 4000 copies of his article.
Unemployed and facing the prospect of debtor's prison, Paine fortuitously made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin and left for the new British colonies of America. Paine wasted no time gaining tremendous political leverage, befriending and advising no less than Samuel Adams, James Monroe, James Madison, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and as mentioned, Benjamin Franklin. Washington made "Common Sense" required reading for his troops. Paine even was instrumental in securing significant support of finances and arms from France in their war for independence against the British.
After the war, Britain's manhunt and threats of execution upon return to England had Paine flee to France. Paine again did well for himself politically in France and quickly became elected to their National Convention - the governing body in France during the French Revolution. Paine vigorously supported the revolution, again lending his pen to the cause, writing another of his famous works, "The Rights of Man", a lengthy and detailed work defending the revolutionaries. A decree passed in the Convention stripped foreigners like Paine from the Convention, and Paine was arrested for treason and jailed in Luxembourg Prison, a converted palace. His "cell" was one of the large rooms in that palace, with the doors and windows locked only at night. Posh accommodations aside, the prison was regularly emptied, by guillotine.
Paine remained in prison for almost a full year, during Robespierre's "Reign of Terror" and once narrowly avoided the guillotine. He used his time in Luxembourg prison to write the first part of the focus of this particular post, "The Age of Reason". Written and released in three parts, one in 1794, the second in 1795 and the final part over a decade later in 1807, it was yet another of Paine's revolutionary texts, and what many consider to be the pivotal work that coalesced a new movement called "free thinkers".
He criticized the Christian Church for its aspirations of political power, for obliterating the lines that separated Church and state, and for what he saw as a general "corruption" in the Church. He the Bible in many ways, questioning its authority, calling it anything but divinely inspired and referring to it simply as "an ordinary piece of literature". He also took aim at the Bible's vicious, violent and immoral stories and teachings. He criticized miracles - often used as proof of a supernatural god's powers - as little more than the suspension of reason and the active engagement of credulity. He attacked the idea that "knowledge gained through revelation" was superior to reason, and that religious revelation should not be received through the Church, directly challenging the authority of the Christian Church.
Paine did more than criticize religion with his work. He articulated in simple and accessible words the case for deism as a more rational stance. He promoted science and reason over religion and superstition in all areas of life. He held that if there was indeed any proper kind of religious revelation, it was by individual experience.
Fearing even more unrest sparked by Paine's writings, the British government shut down publishers and distributors who took interest in "The Age of Reason".
In America, Paine's work was initially popular and caused a brief movement toward deism, but public opinion soon turned, and Paine was labelled an Anti-Christ.
After release from French imprisonment, unable to return to Britain, Thomas Paine returned to live in America, where he died poor, shunned by his former friends and colleagues, his reputation destroyed and his influence depleted. Only six people came for the funeral of a man who once inspired a young nation to fight for its independence. No cemetery would bury him, so he was interred on the grounds of his own New York farm. His casket was later dug up and his remains were shipped back to England.
So what was in "The Age of Reason" that caused America to turn its back so forcefully on one of its greatest champions? What was so dangerous about it?
Read it for yourself for free at Feedbooks, or listen to it read aloud by lukkystarr or by JoeD at LibriVox.
0 Comments