The Corruption of the Church
Paine firmly believed that orthodox Christianity was a deceptive and corrupt religion—one that conned its readers with visions of an all-powerful God and miracles. Indeed, Paine hoped that this publication and analysis of orthodox Christianity would inform followers of the Church and open to their eyes to this perceived corruption. Paine uses this work to target specific aspects of the Bible—namely the many miracles that God and Jesus perform. Given his science-based aspirations and beliefs, Paine hoped to convince his readers that such miracles were not scientifically plausible. In doing so, he aimed to point out how the Church—with his proclamations of miracles and supernatural powers—was corrupted and deceptive. Paine also balked at the idea that anyone would follow a religion that endorsed and promoted rape, plundering, violence, murder, and blasphemy.
Deism
Deism can best be defined as a theological view that is encapsulated by a belief in the existence of a God, but also a disbelief that this God has an supernatural power over the dealings of the universe. Given this was Paine’s adopted theological belief, deism features prominently in his assessment of religion and the Bible. Paine often recounts specific stories or encounters from the Bible and discounts them on the basis of his deist beliefs. Paine believed that any events that could not be scientifically justified could not treated as anything but fiction. Deism was a product of the Enlightenment movement and therefore became a very prominent theological doctrine in Europe and the United States.
Individual’s Right to Autonomy
Perhaps Paine’s biggest grievance with Christianity and the Bible is the theology’s views on autonomy. To Paine, the Bible removed all sense of autonomy from life. He viewed the Bible’s doctrine as one that told its followers what to think, how to act, and what to believe. As Paine full endorsed full and free thought, he took great issue with this. Paine endorsed a religious doctrine that allowed its followers the right to their own conscience and free thought. Just as Paine believed that the Church was an inherently corrupted institution, he also believed that it removed all right to autonomy from its followers.
Self-Established Virtues
One aspect of orthodox Christianity that Paine abhorred was the doctrinal preachings of selfishness and self-righteousness. Paine thoroughly believed the Bible was an inherently selfish text, one that encouraged its followers to derive their core values and beliefs from the self, rather than from interactions and experiences with others. This theme—consideration of others—features prominently throughout this text. Paine felt that religious beliefs should be based on views and experiences of the whole, rather than on a focus of the individual.
