The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine finished the first part of this deist tract only hours before his arrest in revolutionary France, then completed the rest after his release from prison, and it reads like a man arguing for his convictions against both church and state. Published in three parts between 1794 and 1807, it takes aim at organized religion and the authority of the Bible, which Paine works through book by book, questioning miracles, prophecy, and the very idea of revealed scripture. In their place he sets a natural religion grounded in reason and the evidence of the created world, professing belief in one God while rejecting every institutional creed built around Him. The argument scandalized readers on both sides of the Atlantic and cost Paine dearly in reputation. Free PDF and EPUB editions are available here.
About the Author
Thomas Paine (1737-1809) was an English-born political writer whose pamphlets helped ignite both the American and French revolutions. Author of Common Sense and Rights of Man, he championed republican government and plain reason, and died poor and largely scorned in New York.
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