Thomas Paine and Common Sense

In a recent edition of “Ad Fontes”, a monthly publication of the Davenant Institute, they featured, Thomas Paine and his pamphlet “Common Sense”. Paine was a Founding Father and influential writer of the Revolutionary War. Both Paine and Common Sense offer some very exciting things about God and Christianity that I’d like to discuss, including Paine’s belief that America was an intended “sanctuary” for the Protestant Reformation.

The writings of Thomas Paine offer some interesting and conflicting viewpoints on the Bible, Christianity and organized religion. In his pamphlet, “Common Sense” he writes about America as a product of divine intervention and attempts to tie together the Protestant Reformation with the discovery of America.

Although in his book, “The Age of Reason” Paine is a fierce critic of Christianity, it is his writings and sentiments expressed in Common Sense that I’d like to discuss. But first, some background.

Thomas Paine was a deist. He had fierce criticisms of Christianity which were showcased in his book “Age of Reason”. In that book Paine said, “Adam, if ever there were such a man, was created a Deist”. He writes that the word prophet was “confined to signify poetry and music”, that Moses is not the “author of the books ascribed to him” and finally Paine writes that the Bible, “is a book of lies, wickedness, and blasphemy”.

Is it safe to assume that Paine was not exactly a great fan of Christianity? Which makes his comments in “Common Sense” about divine intervention with America all the more perplexing.

It starts off with Paine making the case for US independence from Great Britain.

“I challenge the warmest advocate for reconciliation, to shew a single advantage that this continent can reap, by being connected with Great Britain,” writes Paine.

Paine’s primary argument for separation and independence for America was that, “Europe is our market for trade” and that, “Our plan is commerce, and that, well attended to, will secure us the peace and friendship of all Europe.” But he adds, “Dependence on Great Britain tends directly to involve this continent in European wars and quarrels”.

Paine understood that Europe was, “too thickly planted with kingdoms to be long at peace” and that whenever a war breaks out between England and Europe America’s trade would suffer.

Thomas Paine believed that America’s true kinship was with Europe, not Britain. He also establishes a, “brotherhood with every European Christian”. No where in Common Sense does he speak of any familial status or ties with any nation or peoples other than European Christians.

“Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new World hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe….We claim brotherhood with every European Christian, and triumph in the generosity of the sentiment”.

Paine begins his argument that America was by Divine design when he said, “Even the distance at which the Almighty hath placed England and America, is a strong and natural proof that the authority of the one, over the other, was never the design of Heaven.”

And finally, Paine draws the connection between the Protestant Reformation and the United States.

“The time likewise at which the continent was discovered, adds weight to the argument, and the manner in which it was peopled increases the force of it. The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America, as if the Almighty graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford neither friendship nor safety.”

Does that sound like the writings of a Deist? Or of someone who believes that God doesn’t interact directly with His creation? Wouldn’t you agree that these are bold statements from a man so dead-set against the prophetic, destiny, and the workings of God on earth?

There has always been a belief by some that America was designed and birthed of God, that we are a Christian nation. Paine seems to think so. How prevalent was this belief during the founding of this country? Did our founding Fathers believe, as Elwood Blues did the comedy hit movie, "The Blues Brothers" that they, "We're on a mission from God"?

What was considered “religion” and what relationship would America have with it?

“As to religion, I hold it to be the indispensable duty of government to protect all conscientious professors thereof, and I know of no other business which government hath to do therewith. Let a man throw aside that narrowness of soul, that selfishness of principle, which the niggards of all professions are so unwilling to part with, and he will be at once delivered of his fears on that head. Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society. For myself, I fully and conscientiously believe, that it is the will of the Almighty that there should be a diversity of religious opinions among us. It affords a larger field for our Christian kindness: were we all of one way of thinking, our religious dispositions would want matter for probation; and on this liberal principle I look on the various denominations among us, to be like children of the same family, differing only in what is called their Christian names.”

Paine advocates for diversity of religion then seems to limit diversity to the confines of Christianity. Was that the sentiment of our founding fathers, that diversity of religion meant the diversity of the Christian religion in the form of denominations?

Paine credits God for America’s desire of divorcement from Great Britain and the feeling that reconciliation was not to the advantage of the United States.

“There are injuries which nature cannot forgive; she would cease to be nature if she did. As well can the lover forgive the ravisher of his mistress, as the Continent forgive the murders of Britain. The Almighty hath implanted in us these unextinguishable feelings for good and wise purposes. They are the Guardians of his Image in our hearts.”

Paine goes to great lengths to prove that a king and monarchical type government goes against scripture and the will of God. He encourages all to heed the events of the Bible.

“As the exalting one man so greatly above the rest cannot be justified on the equal rights of nature, so neither can it be defended on the authority of scripture; for the will of the Almighty as declared by Gideon, and the prophet Samuel, expressly disapproves of government by Kings. All anti-monarchical parts of scripture, have been very smoothly glossed over in monarchical governments, but they undoubtedly merit the attention of countries which have their governments yet to form.”

“Monarchy is ranked in scripture as one of the sins of the Jews, for which a curse in reserve is denounced against them. The history of that transaction is worth attending to.”

“These portions of scripture are direct and positive. They admit of no equivocal construction. That the Almighty hath here entered his protest against monarchical government is true, or the scripture is false.”

“And when a man seriously reflects on the idolatrous homage which is paid to the persons of kings, he need not wonder that the Almighty, ever jealous of his honour, should disapprove a form of government which so impiously invades the prerogative of Heaven.”

Paine proclaims a king that, “reigns above” an earthly king and advocates for using the divine law as the benchmark standard in which to compare our “Charter” against.

“But where, say some, is the King of America? I’ll tell you, friend, he reigns above, and doth not make havoc of mankind like the Royal Brute of Great Britain. Yet that we may not appear to be defective even in earthly honours, let a day be solemnly set apart for proclaiming the Charter; let it be brought forth placed on the Divine Law, the Word of God; let a crown be placed thereon, by which the world may know, that so far as we approve of monarchy, that in America the law is king. For as in absolute governments the King is law, so in free countries the law ought to be king; and there ought to be no other. But lest any ill use should afterwards arise, let the Crown at the conclusion of the ceremony be demolished, and scattered among the people whose right it is.”

Thomas Paine compares America’s present-day struggle for independence over Britain with the days of Noah.

“We have every opportunity and every encouragement before us, to form the noblest, purest constitution on the face of the earth. We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now.”

In conclusion, Thomas Paine was a deist and a strong, vocal opponent of Christianity and the Bible. But his sentiments and viewpoints as expressed in “Common Sense” leaves us with an entirely different impression. Paine’s writings give cause to question his and our founding fathers sentiments towards God and the role our Lord played in establishing this great nation. And finally, it is evident that Paine believes religion is a key element to the United States but brings to question what exactly is meant by religion. Common Sense gives the impression that Paine believed God created America as a logical next step from the Protestant Reformation, that our Constitution should be held up against the standard of “Divine Law”, and that America is in fact, a Christian nation.

Your comments are greatly appreciated and much sought after.

God Bless!

Bill Hitchcock