The Age of Reason · Concept
Deism and Natural Theology
Paine professes belief in one God and argues that the study of nature and science—the 'creation we behold'—is the true word of God and the basis for authentic theology.
Paine professes belief in one God and argues that the study of nature and science—the 'creation we behold'—is the true word of God and the basis for authentic theology.
Paine's theism is described as a birthright; his early work is an amplification of Newtonian Deism based on planetary motion, while later work bases belief in God on the moral nature of man.
Paine professes belief in one God and hopes for happiness beyond life, rejecting all organized creeds and advocating a pure, unadulterated belief.
Paine points to the natural world—the sun, rain, and abundance—as evidence of a benevolent Creator, arguing that true theology is found in the observable universe rather than in scripture.
Paine asserts that the creation itself is the true word of God, revealing divine attributes without need for scripture.
Characters
Chapters
- Editor's Introduction
- The Author's Profession of Faith
- VI: Of the True Theology
- IX: In What the True Revelation Consists
- X: Concerning God, and the Lights Cast on His Existence and Attributes by the Bible
- XI: Of the Theology of the Christians; and the True Theology
- XIII: Comparison of Christianism with the Religious Ideas Inspired by Nature
- System of the Universe