Written Assignment Unit 3 1

Written Assignment Unit 3

University of the People

PHIL 1402: Introduction to Philosophy

Instructor: Luis Teixeira

2/14/2023
Written Assignment Unit 3 2

Thomas Paine and God

Thomas Paine is a figure of great importance in American history, but his contributions

to philosophical inquiry are just as significant. One of the most controversial and thought-pro-

voking aspects of his work is his relationship with the concept of God. Paine is known for his

strident critiques of organized religion and his advocacy for reason and rationality, but his views

on God are more complex than they might seem at first glance.

Paine's primary argument against organized religion is that it often leads to superstition,

intolerance, and conflict. He saw religion as a tool that those in power could use to control the

masses and justify their actions, rather than a means of personal spiritual fulfillment. In his most

famous work, "The Age of Reason," he argued that the Bible was not the literal word of God but

rather a human creation that should be subject to scrutiny and criticism like any other text.

Paine's views on God were similarly critical. He argued that belief in God should be

based on reason rather than faith, and that the idea of a personal God who intervened in human

affairs was illogical and unsupported by evidence (Tepfer, n.d.). He saw the universe as a self-

sustaining system that did not require a divine hand to keep it running. Paine's perspective on

God can be summed up in his famous phrase, "My own mind is my own church."

However, it's important to note that Paine did not reject the idea of God altogether. He

believed that there was a higher power that created the universe and established natural laws that
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govern it. But this God was not the anthropomorphic deity of Christianity or any other organized

religion. Rather, it was a distant and impersonal force that did not intervene in human affairs.

One counterargument to Paine's views on God is that they rely heavily on a narrow defi-

nition of what constitutes religion. Paine believed that religion was inherently tied to organized

institutions and dogmatic beliefs, but this is not the only way that people have conceptualized

their relationship to the divine. For example, a humanist might believe in a God who is not an in-

terventionist deity but rather an ideal or a principle that inspires ethical behavior. In this view,

God is not a supernatural entity but a metaphorical construct that can help individuals find mean-

ing and purpose in life (Tepfer, n.d.).

Another counterargument to Paine's views on God is that they overlook the subjective na-

ture of religious experience. While it's true that organized religion can be used to control people,

it's also true that many individuals find great comfort and fulfillment in their faith. The fact that

the existence of God cannot be proven or disproven does not necessarily mean that belief in God

is irrational or illogical. Some philosophers argue that belief in God is a matter of personal pref-

erence rather than objective truth.

In conclusion, Thomas Paine's views on God are complex and thought-provoking. While

he rejected the idea of a personal God who intervenes in human affairs, he still believed in a

higher power that created the universe and established natural laws. His critiques of organized

religion are valid, but they should not be taken as a wholesale rejection of the idea of God or the

value of personal spirituality. The debate over the nature of God and the role of religion in soci-

ety is an ongoing one, and modern students of philosophy would do well to engage with Paine's

ideas as part of that conversation. Ultimately, this topic is still important to philosophy and reli-
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gion because it speaks to the fundamental questions of what it means to be human and how we

find meaning and purpose in life.

(Word count: 716)‌

Reference

‌Tepfer, J. (n.d.). The Religious and Political Philosophy of Thomas Paine. Www.thomas-

paine.us. https://www.thomaspaine.us/article_tepfer02.html