The Age of Reason · Chapter
To the Ministers and Preachers of All Denominations of Religion explained
Paine addresses religious ministers directly, arguing that it is every person's duty to expose delusion and error.
What happens
Paine addresses religious ministers directly, arguing that it is every person's duty to expose delusion and error. He systematically denies that Old Testament passages are prophecies of Jesus Christ, asserting they refer only to contemporary Jewish circumstances. He criticizes preachers who promote belief in salvation through faith or predestination, arguing such doctrines demoralize humanity and encourage sin. Paine frames his religious writings as parallel to his political works, aiming to elevate human reason and promote divine morality, justice, mercy, and benevolence, free from the fables of scripture.
Themes in this chapter
Reason vs. Revelation
Paine urges the use of reason over blind faith in prophecies and scripture, calling for a right use of God-given reason.
Critique of Organized Religion
Paine attacks preachers and their doctrines (salvation by faith, predestination) as demoralizing and hypocritical.
Morality and Humanity
Paine emphasizes divine morality, justice, mercy, and benevolence as the true foundations of religion, contrasting with church teachings.
Characters to notice
- Thomas Paine
Author and speaker, addressing ministers directly, defending his deist principles and critiquing Christian doctrines.
- Jesus Christ
Discussed as the subject of alleged Old Testament prophecies, which Paine denies exist.
Key passages
“It is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error.”
Everyone should, to the best of their ability, identify and reveal falsehoods.
Paine establishes the moral obligation to challenge religious deception.
“I have examined all the passages in the New Testament, quoted from the Old, and called prophecies concerning Jesus Christ, and I find no such thing as a prophecy of any such person, and I deny there are any.”
After reviewing every New Testament passage that cites the Old Testament as prophecy about Jesus, I conclude none of them are actually prophecies about him.
Paine's central argument against Christian claims of fulfilled prophecy.
“The prejudice of unfounded belief often degenerates into the prejudice of custom, and becomes, at last, rank hypocrisy.”
Unfounded belief turns into habitual prejudice and eventually outright hypocrisy.
Paine critiques how religious belief becomes empty custom.
“One set of preachers make salvation to consist in believing. They tell their congregations, that if they believe in Christ, their sins shall be forgiven. This, in the first place, is an encouragement to sin...”
Some preachers teach that salvation comes from belief alone, which actually encourages sinful behavior.
Paine argues that faith-based salvation undermines moral responsibility.
“Another set of preachers tell their congregations that God predestined and selected from all eternity a certain number to be saved, and a certain number to be damned eternally.”
Other preachers claim God has already decided who will be saved and who will be damned forever.
Paine criticizes predestination as demoralizing and futile.