American atheism

During a American book, that is written by Thomas Paine(1737-1809), he born in Union kingdom, and died in USA; the book is The age of reason, he said that: “I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish church, by the Roman church, by the Greek church, by the Turkish church, by the Protestant church, nor by any other church that I know of. My own mind is my own church. All national institutions of churches, whether Jewish, Christion(this is Christian), or Turkish, appear to me no other than human inventions, set up to terrify and enslave mankind, and monopolies power and profit”; we must consider that it is very exaggeration, because nobody has imposed that everymen must believes; but interesting is history of atheism because he has anticipated Ludwig Feuerbach(1804-1872), that has said same thing regard to religion, and he has more solemnized the man as unique creator of God; until now Feuerbach is though as anthropological atheism, bur Paine has preceded him; certainly in a country that has allowed it and these expressions, because in other country of Europe he would be accused and condemned; but the Illuminist wit is in the followed words: “ I do not mean by this declaration to condemn those who believe otherwise ; they have the same right to their belief as I have to mine”; thereupon he is very tolerant to believes, and in USA it is normal from that time. Other consideration very right to Paine is following: “Infidelity does not consist in believing, or in disbelieving, it consists in professing to believe what one does not believe.”, therefore he confesses his tolerance and his freedom to think, but I repeat where it is tolerated, this is in USA. A consideration, this is analysis of social behavior is more evident and it means that USA are very tolerant to every opinions, in fact he has said: “  It is impossible to calculate the moral mischief, if I may so express it, that mental lying has produced in society”, he has said and has used an expression, this is: “ mental lying “, that is a normal consideration of daily hypocrisy of social contest, in fact he has said; “When a man has so far corrupted and prostituted the chastity of his mind, as to subscribe his professional belief to things he does not believe, he has prepared himself for the commission of every other crime”, thereupon he judges the society and his respectability, very hypocritical.

Alessandro Lusana