The Age of Reason by Thomas Paine

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Thomas Paine

To my fellow-citizens of the United States of America.

I put the following work under your protection. It contains my opinions upon Religion. You will do me the justice to remember, that I have always strenuously supported the Right of every man to his own opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.

The most formidable weapon against errors of every kind is Reason. I have never used any other, and I trust I never shall.

Your affectionate friend and fellow-citizen,

THOMAS PAINE
Luxembourg (Paris), 8th Pluviose,
Second Year of the French Republic, one and indivisible.
January 27, O. S. 1794.

Table of contents

PART 1

  1. The author's profession of faith
  2. Of missions and revelations
  3. Concerning the character of Jesus Christ, and his history
  4. Of the bases of Christianity
  5. Examination in detail of the preceding bases
  6. Of the true theology
  7. Examination of the Old Testament
  8. Of the New Testament
  9. In what the true revelation consists
  10. Concerning God, and the lights cast on his existence and attributes by the Bible
  11. Of the theology of the Christians; and the true theology
  12. The effects of Christianism on education. Proposed reforms
  13. Comparison of Christianism with the religious ideas inspired by nature
  14. System of the universe
  15. Advantages of the existence of many worlds in each solar system
  16. Application of the preceding to the system of the Christians
  17. Of the means employed in all time, and almost universally, to deceive the peoples
  18. Recapitulation

PART 2

Preface

  1. The Old Testament
  2. The New Testament
  3. Conclusion

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