Question: Though Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin make clear their belief in God, discuss how their writing, ideas, and beliefs depart from the firmly established Puritan/Christian beliefs?

Expert answer

Thomas Paine, Thomas Jefferson, and Benjamin Franklin were all great men who contributed immensely to the founding of the United States of America. They were also all deists, meaning that they believed in God but did not subscribe to any specific religion. This set them apart from the majority of Americans at the time, who were mostly Puritans with very specific religious beliefs.

Paine was a particularly vocal critic of organized religion and he wrote extensively on the topic. In his most famous work, "The Age of Reason," he argues that Christianity is based on superstition and ignorance and that it does more harm than good. Jefferson was more restrained in his criticisms, but he nonetheless expressed skepticism about certain Christian doctrines like miracles and the divinity of Jesus.

Franklin was the least outspoken of the three, but he nonetheless held some heretical views. For example, he believed that the Bible should be read critically and not blindly accepted as truth.