# The Author's Profession of Faith explained — The Age of Reason

> Chapter companion for The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine.

## What happens

Thomas Paine explains his long-held intention to publish his thoughts on religion, precipitated by the French Revolution's abolition of the priesthood. He professes his deist faith: belief in one God, equality of man, and religious duties of justice, mercy, and promoting happiness. He rejects all established churches as human inventions for power and profit, and argues that mental dishonesty in professing false beliefs is destructive to morality. He predicts that political revolution will lead to religious revolution, restoring pure belief in one God.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deism and Natural Theology

Paine professes belief in one God and hopes for happiness beyond life, rejecting all organized creeds and advocating a pure, unadulterated belief.

### Critique of Organized Religion

Paine denounces all national churches as human inventions to terrify, enslave, and monopolize power and profit, and condemns the 'adulterous connection of church and state.'

### Intellectual Freedom and Skepticism

Paine emphasizes mental faithfulness to oneself, condemns 'mental lying' in professing beliefs one does not hold, and calls for open discussion of religion.

## Character check-ins

### Thomas Paine

The author, who makes his voluntary and individual profession of faith, declaring his belief in one God, equality, and moral duties, while rejecting all established churches.

## Key lines

> I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe the equality of man, and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy.

Paine declares his core beliefs: a single God, an afterlife, human equality, and a religion of justice, mercy, and benevolence.

_This is Paine's concise profession of deist faith, contrasting with institutional creeds._

> All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christian, or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolize power and profit.

Paine asserts that all state-sponsored religions are man-made systems designed to frighten and control people for the benefit of those in power.

_This is a sweeping critique of organized religion as a tool of oppression._

> Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving; it consists in professing to believe what he does not believe.

Paine redefines infidelity as the act of claiming to believe something one actually disbelieves, not as holding or rejecting beliefs.

_Paine emphasizes intellectual honesty over doctrinal conformity._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters/part-i-i-the-author-s-profession-of-faith
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters