CLICK HERE AND JOIN CHRISTIAN GUITAR TODAY!
Welcome to the Christian Guitar Forum.
Welcome to Christian Guitar, the world's largest Christian guitar resource and forum community where over 150,000 Christian music fans from around the world come to discuss all Christian music, living the Christian life, current events, etc. in over 3,000,000 posted discussions!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions, articles and photo galleries. By joining our FREE community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), blog about your Christian journey, suggest and share guitar tabs, see LESS forum advertisements, upload photos in your own photo album and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact contact support.


Go Back   Christian Guitar Forum > Community > Academic > History
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Arcade Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 06-30-2008, 06:33 PM   #1
NameCameFromDodgeStealth!
 
Stealth3si's Avatar
 
Joined: Jun 2004
Location: San Diego, Lincoln Park
Posts: 764
Is this post-enlightenment historical standard?

Sorry. Not sure if this belonged in Philosophy, History or Book section.

I picked up 'The Age of Reason' at the library at the weekend. I have often heard Thomas Paine's name, but I wasn't very knowledgeable about who he was or what he wrote.

'The Age of Reason' is interesting. He starts off by pointing out that if we deny others the right to speak then we are denying ourselves the right to listen. Very true. And necessary, since he was just about to write a book that would cause a lot of controversy - not because the arguments were necessarily new, but that he intended to make the book available to the 'common person' at a low cost and written in language that people could understand.

The first half of the book, written while Paine was in prison in France during the revolution, is a critique of the politics and power-games of organized religion -- he points out how the New Testament turns moral debt into a type of pecuniary debt. The second half, written when he was out of prison and had access to a bible, gives his reasons for calling the bible a collection of unrelated, anonymous articles. It included the discussion of the inconsistencies in the Gospels (e.g. Different times of the crucifixion. The exclusion of Matthew's account of the activities surrounding Jesus's Death and Resurrection from the other accounts) and he also shows the gospels were written at a later date by anonymous writers.

The evidence I have produced to prove them forgeries is extracted from the books themselves, and acts, like a two-edged sword, either way. If the evidence be denied, the authenticity of the scriptures is denied with it; for it is scripture evidence; and if the evidence be admitted, the authenticity of the books is disproved. The contradictory impossibilities contained in the Old Testament and the New, put them in the case of a man who swears for and against. Either evidence convicts him of perjury, and equally destroys reputation.

Should the Bible and the New Testament hereafter fall, it is not I that have been the occasion. I have done no more than extracted the evidence from the confused mass of matter with which it is mixed, and arranged that evidence in a point of light to be clearly seen and easily comprehended; and, having done this, I leave the reader to judge for himself, as I have judged for myself.
-Thomas Paine

Just curious. Would this be a reason to generalize post-enlightenment historical standards?

I'd be interested to hear other posters' opinions on this book.

__________________
In God the Father, He forgives the unforgiven.

In Christ the Son, He redeems the broken.

In the Holy Spirit, He heals the sick.

My 1st blog.
Stealth3si is offline   Reply With Quote
Sponsored Links
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is On
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On



All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:26 AM.