There are matters in that book, said to be done by the express command of God, that are as shocking to humanity, and to every idea we have of moral j… - Thomas Paine
""
There are matters in that book, said to be done by the express command of God, that are as shocking to humanity, and to every idea we have of moral justice, as any thing done by Robespierre, by Carrier, by Joseph le Bon, in France, by the English government in the East Indies, or by any other assassin in modern times. When we read in the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, etc., that they (the Israelites) came by stealth upon whole nations of people, who, as the history itself shews, had given them no offence; that they put all those nations to the sword; that they spared neither age nor infancy; that they utterly destroyed men, women and children; that they left not a soul to breathe; expressions that are repeated over and over again in those books, and that too with exulting ferocity; are we sure these things are facts? are we sure that the Creator of man commissioned those things to be done? Are we sure that the books that tell us so were written by his authority?
...The Bible tells us, that those assassinations were done by the express command of God. And to read the Bible without horror, we must undo every thing that is tender, sympathising, and benevolent in the heart of man. Speaking for myself, if I had no other evidence that the Bible is fabulous, than the sacrifice I must make to believe it to be true, that alone would be sufficient to determine my choice.
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.
Biography information from
Wikiquote·
Portrait adapted from
Wikimedia Commons, Auguste Millière / After George Romney / After William Sharp (Public domain / CC0)
Related quotes. More quotes will automatically load as you scroll down, or you can use the load more buttons.
Shorter versions of this quote
To read the bible without horror, we must undo every thing that is tender, sympathising, and benevolent in the heart of man. Speaking for myself, if I had no other evidence that the bible is fabulous than the sacrifice I must make to believe it to be true, that alone would be sufficient to determine my choice.
Yaşlandığımızda mutlu olabilmek için, yaşam boyunca zihnimize eşlik edenlere kendimizi alıştırmamız gerekir, böylelikle her şeyden sırası geldiğinde mutlu oluruz. Sadece zevk adamı olan biri ileri yaşlarda acınacak duruma düşer; köle gibi çalışan da biraz daha iyi olsa bile aynı durumdadır. Doğa felsefesi, matematik ve mekanik bilimleri insanı dingin bir keyfe götüren daimi kaynaklardır ve rahiplerin kasvetli dogmalarına, boş inançlara rağmen bu konularla uğraşmak, gerçek dinle uğraşmaktır; bunlar insana Yaratıcı'yı tanımayı ve ona hayranlık duymayı öğretir, zira yaratılıştaki bilim ilkeleri değişmez ve ilahi bir kökene sahiptir.
In the early ages of the world, according to the Scripture chronology there were no kings; the consequence of which was, there were no wars; it is the pride of kings which throws mankind into confusion.
Limited Time Offer
Premium members can get their quote collection automatically imported into their Quotewise collections.
