Religion

REMARKS ON ROMANS, IX, 18-21 Addressed to the Ministers of the Calvinistic Church Philip Foner's introduction: These are generally believed to be the last words written by Paine before his death, June 8, 1809. They were published in the form of an article in 1820 in London by Mary Ann Carlile, wife of the English […]

from the 1810 first printing, submitted by Mde. Bonneville for printing, who probably edited the manuscript heavily to soften its anti-Catholic sentiments. IT is always understood that Free-Masons have a secret which they carefully conceal; but from every thing that can be collected from their own accounts of Masonry their real secret is no other

The articles below are from The Prospect, a magazine started by Elihu Palmer, and to which Paine contributed 13 essays. Four essays in this collection are deattributed works: "Of Cain and Abel" (Palmer is the author), "Of the Old and New Testaments" (author unknown), "To the Members of the Society"(unknown), and "On the Sabbath Day

Conway's introduction: IMMEDIATELY after perusal of Bishop Watson's reply to "The Age of Reason" ("An Apology for the Bible," 1796) Paine began his answer to it. By reference to his letter to Jefferson (vol. iii. P. 377 of this edition) it will be seen that in October, 1800, he was still writing on it, and

From the original 1807 book, printed for the author. PREFACE To the Ministers and Preachers of all Denominations of Religion. IT is the duty of every man, as far as his ability extends, to detect and expose delusion and error. But nature has not given to every one a talent for the purpose; and among

I HAVE said, in the first part of "The Age of Reason," that "I hope for happiness after this life." This hope is comfortable to me, and I presume not to go beyond the comfortable idea of hope, with respect to a future state. I consider myself in the hands of my Creator, and that

A ESSAY on Dream. from the 1807 book Examinaton of the passages in the Hew Testament, printed by author in New York. The paragraphs edited from the 1803 Paris version have been added at the end. AS a great deal is said in the New Testament about dreams, it is first necessary to explain the

A DISCOURSE AT THE SOCIETY OF THEOPHILANTHROPISTS, PARIS Philip Foner's introduction: One aim Paine had in mind in writing his Age of Reason was to recall the French people to a basic belief in the deity and thereby to overcome the influence of atheism. After the publication of his great work, Paine turned his attention

Philip Foner's introduction: The letter which follows the introduction was addressed to Thomas Erskine who had defended Paine in the government suit conducted in 1792 to suppress Rights of Man, but in 1797 conducted the prosecution of Thomas Williams, a London publisher and bookseller, accused by the Society for the Suppression of Vice and Immorality

I. AN ANSWER TO A FRIEND PARIS, May 12, 1797 IN your letter of the 20th of March, you give me several quotations from the Bible, which you call the 'word of God,' to shew me that my opinions on religion are wrong, and I could give you as many, from the same book to