Lubriderm the Hand wrote:
The Thomas Paine essay is a good read if you have the time.
I'm about half way through the first part. Too tired to read it all now, but I'm finding it very interesting, at least as far as a very important historical "event". It's all obvious to a modern athiest, agnostic, deist or whatever, but it seems like an impressive piece of clear thinking and great bravery in a world which was only just coming out of the worst sort of religious domination.
I notice he only published it shortly before he expected to die, for which I don't blame him in the least.