Re-Enactors World

Shared by Allen Farley
Ministering to the Civil War Re-enacting Community Since 1984
Celebrating over 20 Years of Ministry

      by Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin (1706-90) was a printer, author, inventor,
scientist, philanthropist, statesman, diplomat, and public
official. He was the first president of the Pennsylvania
Society for Promoting the Abolition of Slavery (1774); a
member of the Continental Congress (1775-76) where he signed
the Declaration of Independence (1776); a negotiator and
signer of the final treaty of peace with Great Britain
(1783); and a delegate to the Constitutional Convention
where he signed the federal Constitution (1787); Franklin
was one of only six men who signed both the Declaration and
the Constitution. He wrote his own epitaph, which declared:
“The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, like the cover of
an old book, its contents torn out, stripped of its
lettering, and guilding, lies here, food for worms. But the
work shall not be lost; for it will, as he believed, appear
once more in a new and more elegant edition, revised and
corrected by the Author.”
Benjamin Franklin was frequently consulted by Thomas Paine
for advice and suggestions regarding his political writings,
and Franklin assisted Paine with some of his famous essays.
This letter 1 is Franklin's response to a manuscript Paine
sent him that advocated against the concept of a
providential God.

TO THOMAS PAINE.
[Date uncertain.]
DEAR SIR,
I have read your manuscript with some attention. By the
argument it contains against a particular Providence, though
you allow a general Providence, you strike at the
foundations of all religion. For without the belief of a
Providence, that takes cognizance of, guards, and guides,
and may favor particular persons, there is no motive to
worship a Deity, to fear his displeasure, or to pray for his
protection. I will not enter into any discussion of your
principles, though you seem to desire it. At present I shall
only give you my opinion, that, though your reasonings are
subtile and may prevail with some readers, you will not
succeed so as to change the general sentiments of mankind on
that subject, and the consequence of printing this piece
will be, a great deal of odium drawn upon yourself, mischief
to you, and no benefit to others. He that spits against the
wind, spits in his own face.
But, were you to succeed, do you imagine any good would be
done by it? You yourself may find it easy to live a virtuous
life, without the assistance afforded by religion; you
having a clear perception of the advantages of virtue, and
the disadvantages of vice, and possessing a strength of
resolution sufficient to enable you to resist common
temptations. But think how great a portion of mankind
consists of weak and ignorant men and women, and of
inexperienced, inconsiderate youth of both sexes, who have
need of the motives of religion to restrain them from vice,
to support their virtue, and retain them in the practice of
it till it becomes habitual, which is the great point for
its security. And perhaps you are indebted to her
originally, that is, to your religious education, for the
habits of virtue upon which you now justly value yourself.
You might easily display your excellent talents of reasoning
upon a less hazardous subject, and thereby obtain a rank
with our most distinguished authors. For among us it is not
necessary, as among the Hottentots, that a youth, to be
raised into the company of men, should prove his manhood by
beating his mother.
I would advise you, therefore, not to attempt unchaining the
tiger, but to burn this piece before it is seen by any other
person; whereby you will save yourself a great deal of
mortification by the enemies it may raise against you, and
perhaps a good deal of regret and repentance. If men are so
wicked with religion, what would they be if without it. I
intend this letter itself as a proof of my friendship, and
therefore add no professions to it; but subscribe simply
yours,
B. Franklin

________________________________________
Paine latter published his Age of Reason, which infuriated
many of the Founding Fathers. John Adams wrote, “The
Christian religion is, above all the religions that ever
prevailed or existed in ancient or modern times, the
religion of wisdom, virtue, equity and humanity, let the
Blackguard [scoundrel, rogue] Paine say what he will.” 2
Samuel Adams wrote Paine a stiff rebuke, telling him,
“[W]hen I heard you had turned your mind to a defence of
infidelity, I felt myself much astonished and more grieved
that you had attempted a measure so injurious to the
feelings and so repugnant to the true interest of so great a
part of the citizens of the United States.” 3
Benjamin Rush, signer of the Declaration, wrote to his
friend and signer of the Constitution John Dickinson that
Paine's Age of Reason was “absurd and impious”; 4
Charles Carroll, a signer of the Declaration, described
Paine's work as “blasphemous writings against the
Christian religion”; 5 John Witherspoon said that Paine
was “ignorant of human nature as well as an enemy to the
Christian faith”; 6 John Quincy Adams declared that “Mr.
Paine has departed altogether from the principles of the
Revolution"”; 7 and Elias Boudinot, President of Congress,
even published the Age of Revelation—a full-length
rebuttal to Paine's work. 8 Patrick Henry, too, wrote a
refutation of Paine's work which he described as “the puny
efforts of Paine.” 9
When William Paterson, signer of the Constitution and a
Justice on the U. S. Supreme Court, learned that some
Americans seemed to agree with Paine's work, he thundered,
“Infatuated Americans, why renounce your country, your
religion, and your God?” 10 Zephaniah Swift, author of
America's first law book, noted, “He has the impudence and
effrontery [shameless boldness] to address to the citizens
of the United States of America a paltry performance which
is intended to shake their faith in the religion of their
fathers.” 11 John Jay, an author of the Federalist Papers
and the original Chief-Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court,
was comforted by the fact that Christianity would prevail
despite Paine's attack,“I have long been of the opinion
that the evidence of the truth of Christianity requires only
to be carefully examined to produce conviction in candid
minds.” 12 In fact, Paine's views caused such vehement
public opposition that he spent his last years in New York
as “an outcast” in “social ostracism” and was buried
in a farm field because no American cemetery would accept
his remains.