# II: Of Missions and Revelations explained — The Age of Reason

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

## What happens

Paine argues that all national religions claim a special divine mission, but that revelation is only valid for the first recipient; all subsequent accounts are hearsay. He critiques the stories of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad as second-hand evidence, and traces Christian mythology to pagan roots, asserting that the Church adapted heathen idolatry for power and profit.

## Themes in this chapter

### Reason vs. Revelation

Paine contrasts reason with the hearsay nature of revelation, arguing that only firsthand divine communication can be considered revelation.

### Critique of Organized Religion

Paine attacks national churches for claiming special missions and for adapting pagan mythology to maintain power and revenue.

## Character check-ins

### Thomas Paine

Author and narrator; presents his disbelief in all revealed religions and analyzes the concept of revelation.

### Moses

Cited as the Jewish prophet who claimed to receive the commandments directly from God; Paine questions the obligation to believe his account.

### Jesus Christ

Mentioned as the Christian founder whose divine sonship story Paine traces to heathen mythology.

### Muhammad

Cited as the Islamic prophet who claimed the Koran was brought by an angel; Paine dismisses this as hearsay.

### Virgin Mary

Mentioned in the context of the virgin birth story, which Paine regards as unsubstantiated hearsay.

## Key lines

> When he tells it to a second person, a second to a third, a third to a fourth, and so on, it ceases to be a revelation to all those persons. It is revelation to the first person only, and hearsay to every other, and, consequently, they are not obliged to believe it.

If someone claims a revelation and passes it on, it becomes mere rumor for everyone else, who have no duty to accept it.

_Paine's core argument that revelation is non-transferable._

> The Christian theory is little else than the idolatry of the ancient mythologists, accommodated to the purposes of power and revenue; and it yet remains to reason and philosophy to abolish the amphibious fraud.

Christian doctrine is essentially pagan idolatry repurposed for political and financial gain, and it is up to rational thought to expose and eliminate this hybrid deception.

_Paine's concluding indictment of Christianity as a fusion of myth and exploitation._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters/part-i-ii-of-missions-and-revelations
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_age_of_reason_se/chapters