well let me put some sayings of that great man of 18th century ..
“Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good.” ― Thomas Paine, Rights of Man
“Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.” ― Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
“Whatever is my right as a man is also the right of another; and it becomes my duty to guarantee as well as to possess.” ― Thomas Paine, Rights of Man
“To argue with a man who has renounced the use and authority of reason, and whose philosophy consists in holding humanity in contempt, is like administering medicine to the dead, or endeavoring to convert an atheist by scripture.” ― Thomas Paine, The American Crisis
“It is from the Bible that man has learned cruelty, rapine, and murder; for the belief of a cruel God makes a cruel man.” ― Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right, and raises at first a formidable outcry in defense of custom. But the tumult soon subsides. Time makes more converts than reason.” ― Thomas Paine, Common Sense
“When it can be said by any country in the world, my poor are happy, neither ignorance nor distress is to be found among them, my jails are empty of prisoners, my streets of beggars, the aged are not in want, the taxes are not oppressive, the rational world is my friend because I am the friend of happiness. When these things can be said, then may that country boast its constitution and government. Independence is my happiness, the world is my country and my religion is to do good.”― Thomas Paine, Rights of Man
“One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests.” ― Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason
“I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church." ― Thomas Paine
“Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigues of supporting it.” ― Thomas Paine
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.” ― Thomas Paine
“We have it in our power to begin the world over again.” ― Thomas Paine
Compare those statements with the junk we read in so-called
religious scriptures.. ., There are plenty of such words from him and all CEMBERS should watch this fun lecture...
"Thomas Paine" - Christopher Hitchens Lecture https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWxpkcQUCeoanother great guy of 20/21st century intersection .. The age of Mass communication
Topic: Revelation