CHAPTER 5: Page 4
Another notable deist was Thomas Paine, whose influential work, The Age of Reason, harshly criticized institutionalized religion, including the Christian church, which he saw as corrupt and oppressive. Paine rejected the authority of the Bible as divine revelation and denied the supernatural elements of Christianity, such as the virgin birth and resurrection of Christ. Yet Paine firmly believed in the existence of one creator and promoted the idea that reason, rather than religious tradition, was…