The Age of Reason

Thomas Paine

Jan 2017 · Author's Republic · Narrated by Multiple Narrators

About this audiobook

The Age of Reason written by legendary author Thomas Paine is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. The book was a bestseller in America, where it caused a short-lived deistic revival.


British audiences, however, fearing increased political radicalism as a result of the French revolution, received it with more hostility. The Age of Reason presents common deistic arguments; for example, it highlights the corruption of the Christian Church and criticizes its efforts to acquire political power. Paine advocates reason in the place of revelation, leading him to reject miracles and to view the Bible as an ordinary piece of literature rather than as a divinely inspired text. The Age of Reason is not atheistic, but deistic: it promotes natural religion and argues for a creator-God.

Ratings and reviews

It takes courage in any age to stand up for your beliefs and remain defiant in the face of criticism. By the 1790s, Thomas Paine had already published controversy when his Common Sense became a standard for the arguments in favor of the American Revolution. One might think he had a captured audience waiting his next works. But when he opted to take on the Christian church, his following fell away. But no matter to Paine who followed up his first part with subsequent parts published two years later. Paine set out to prove the fallacy of scripture and to show how Deism was the only true religion that fully acknowledged God's power and majesty. He systematically attacks each part of the Bible (meaning the Old Testament) by discounting the writings of Moses, the murderous demands of God, the discrediting of the history, the lies of the prophets, and so on down the line. He believes he did an admirable job in making his case, though he did leave plenty of room for both sides to either challenge his conclusions or add to his thesis. He then goes onto what he refers to the Testament (meaning the New Testament, which he did not equate with being part of the Bible). Paine goes onto show how the Gospels are full of myth, error, and lies, then challenges the writings of Paul. In the end he is convinced he did an complete whitewash of the Bible and posits that the only way to know God is to observe the wonders of creation. The theology presented in scripture is for those who allow the church to continue its teachings. Paine's reputation, even in America, was ruined by his assertions about religion and scripture. The editor of these books does not elaborate, but other sources, notably Gordon Wood's Empire of Liberty, stresses that Paine had crossed a line and many of his former followers lost all respect for him upon Age of Reason's publication. The reader is left with having Paine's argument and can decide for themselves how much, if any, of Paine's points they will accept. Anyone who wants to know more about Deism will do well to read this book. It may not be as convincing as Paine first presented, but a true Deist can build upon Paine's base argument and add more lies from scripture to make a more valid point. If you like this book, you may want to review some of George Carlin's anti-religious comments on You Tube. At times it is almost like Carlin may have used Paine's work for some of his material.

The Age of Reason Is the best audiobook i ever seen which i personally like this audiobook And i love such type of drama an which very nicely described in this audiobook audiences, however, fearing increased political radicalism as a result of the French revolution, received it with more hostility. The Age of Reason presents common deistic arguments; I personally recommend you to go and listen this audiobook

It's easy to see why Paine was a controversial figure in his time. He thoroughly demolishes both the Old and the New Testament of the Bible, destroys whatever credibility it had during those rather primitive late 1700s of our country's youth. And his arguments are just as sound today as they were then. The writing is sometimes long-winded and ponderous but that was in tune with the times, it is how educated people in those days wrote. The book is also an excellent introduction to the concept of deism. I would recommend it as an introduction to some of Paine's main ideas about religion and the nature of man.