But it is not incumbent on man to reward a bad action with a good one, or to return good for evil; and whenever it is done, it is a voluntary act, an… - Thomas Paine

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But it is not incumbent on man to reward a bad action with a good one, or to return good for evil; and whenever it is done, it is a voluntary act, and not a duty. It is also absurd to suppose that such doctrine can make any part of a revealed religion. We imitate the moral character of the Creator by forbearing with each other, for he forbears with all; but this doctrine would imply that he loved man, not in proportion as he was good, but as he was bad.

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About Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine (February 9, 1737 [O.S. January 29, 1736] – 8 June 1809) was a British-American political writer, theorist, and activist who had a great influence on the thoughts and ideas which led to the American Revolution and the United States Declaration of Independence. He wrote three of the most influential and controversial works of the 18th Century: Common Sense, Rights of Man, and The Age of Reason. His ideas reflected Enlightenment-era ideals of transnational human rights.

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Schimbarea progresiva neintrerupta la care este supus intelesul cuvintelor, lipsa unui limbaj universal, care face ca traducerea sa fie necesara, erorile carora traducrile le sunt supuse, greselile copistilor si tipografilor, alaturi de posibilitatea denaturarii voite sunt in ele insele dovezi ca limbajul omenesc, fie ca este vorbit sau tiparit, nu poate fi vehiculul Cuvantului lui Dumnezeu. [...] Cuvantul lui Dumnezeu este creatia, si prin cuvantul acesta, pe care niciun om nu il poate fabrica sau denatura – Dumnezeu ii vorbeste in mod universal omului.

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