Free Republic

Thomas Paine THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it...

I’m not going to name any presidential candidates in this column. But it is true that the question of whether or how we should conduct a war against terrorism is a part of the national debate now going on. Nor am I talking just about politicians. There is a discussion group in my church (Episcopalian) who read with favor the works of an Irish theologian who believes that Christianity’s purpose is the creation of a pacifist, secular government on Earth. This, however, is not a new concept. The same idea, that all war is “unChristian,” was present at the time...

"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. 'Tis the business of little minds to shrink; but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death." -- Thomas Paine (The Crisis, no 1, 19 December 1776) Reference: respec. Quoted

BORDENTOWN CITY - Thomas Paine, a rebel with a cause who narrowly escaped the guillotine and helped chart the course for the American Revolution, turned 269 yesterday. To celebrate, Paine's American hometown honored the founding father with a two-day event capped by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Thomas Paine statue and a colonial buffet-style luncheon at the Mount Moriah Masonic Lodge. "What he wrote was so critical to the Revolutionary War," said Nancy Minnick, event organizer. "To remember him is to appreciate our heritage and the important events of our founding." Born in Thetford, England, in 1737, Paine, failed school...

Even today, sources on inventions list six by Franklin that are still in active use today. One of those sits in my back hall, cheerfully and economically heating the back of my home – the Franklin stove. Another sits on the bridge of my nose as I write this – a pair of bifocals. But this is about Franklin’s greatest invention, one that the lists never mention because it is mere words, not a physical object. Franklin made seven trips to Europe, as a diplomat and scholar. He was welcomed into all the learned societies that existed in Europe then....

Class in 20 minutes; we're reading "The Age of Reason." Bunch of humanist and anti-religion stuff. Looking for some material to refute it; some good response to it, or some material about Paine himself. Specifically, I'd heard that he retracted his work later, or regretted it. I'm already pursuing other angles, but I know you all are always helpful, so let me know what you got.

A THOUGHT FOR THE FOURTH Thomas Paine, said to be an atheist, was actually a Deist. His is the most quotable phrase-maker in American history. His series of 16 pamphlets titled “The American Crisis,” began just before the battle of Trenton, December, 1776, when the American cause seemed darkest. The essay so impressed Washington that he ordered it read to his troops. Its thrilling rhetoric quickens every heart this 4th of July holiday. “These are the times that try men’s souls: the summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but...

Common Sense Thomas Paine 1776 Introduction I:Of the Origin and Design of Governmment in General, with Concise Remarks on the English Constitution II: Of Monarchy and Hereditary Succession III: Thoughts on the Present State of American Affairs IV: Of the Present Ability of America, with Some Miscellaneous Reflexions Appendix

Since the dawn of creation the law of God to man has been "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed." Today we refer to this biblical principle in public law as capital punishment. Interestingly, regardless of the fact that the death penalty's origin is found in the Bible, every society, religious or not, has adopted the death penalty as a suitable way to deal with murder. There is a good reason for this: The death penalty makes sense. Think about it. As harsh a sentence as death is, the penalty fits the crime. 1. Murder is...

Being a conservative political writer is so blasted easy these days. Subjects to delve into are never lacking as there appears to be nary a single issue that Democrats and Republicans can agree upon. Like failed marriages, donkeys and pachyderms seem to have irreconcilable differences on virtually everything. Here are a ‘few fresh pickings from the political grapevine‘….taxes, tort reform, health care, homeland security, right to life issues, social security reform, war on terror, foreign policy, the deficit, judicial nominations, immigration, and, oh yes, the energy policy. That’s my pick of the day. Energy. I got energized when Congress rejected...

The Crisis I. THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it...

This week we formally dedicated the World War II Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The center of the Memorial is a reflecting pool in front of a curved wall on which there are 4,050 golden stars, each of them representing one hundred Americans who gave the last full measure of devotion in that conflict. This was the long-delayed memorial for the 16 million Americans who served in that conflict, only a quarter of whom are still alive. A substantial number of those were in attendance at the dedication. Of course, World War II was not the war in...

Diversity in Education … For All But Those in Religious Studies Jerry Falwell Friday, Mar. 05, 2004 We are constantly advised by education officials that diversity is the key to 21st Century schooling. But when it comes to religious Americans, diversity suddenly becomes a nebulous term. A recent court case illustrates how religious Americans are often forced to play on an uneven playing field solely because they desire to follow the calling of their faith. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that college scholarship programs can be denied to students majoring in theological studies. This ruling could have a...

“A long habit of not thinking a thing wrong, gives it a superficial appearance of being right,” argued Thomas Paine. But let common sense have its day in the fertile ground of free speech, let every man have access to the Holy Writ and freedom of religion, so that he might read and consider what generations past have not been permitted to read and consider, and the tide will turn. In America it did. One of the monumental tide turners was Thomas Paine. His weapons were reason, revelation, and an extraordinary literary gift. In January of 1776, Thomas Paine put...

Paine’s Christianity (Part 1) By Steve Farrell Of all the attempts to affix to the Founding Father’s the faithless brand, “non-Christian secularist”, the only Founder who appears to deserve such a burning indictment is Thomas Paine. After all, Tom Paine was responsible for that infamous shadowboxing match with the Bible, called “The Age of Reason;” wasn’t he? As a result, a host of so-called scholars declare Paine an Atheist, and/or the founder of secular humanism;-and to these claims they add, “here’s another layer of proof that America was not founded upon nor influenced in its founding by Christian men and...

Dear Lord, There's a young man far from home, called to serve his nation in time of war; sent to defend our freedom on some distant foreign shore. We pray You keep him safe, we pray You keep him strong, we pray You send him safely home ... for he's been away so long. There's a young woman far from home, serving her nation with pride. Her step is strong, her step is sure, there is courage in every stride. We pray You keep her safe, we pray You keep her strong, we pray You send her safely home...

Like everything else socialist, today’s schools and history books deny at every turn the religious nature of America’s Founding Father’s and the inspiration these great men felt for the cause of liberty. Sadly, many of us have come to accept as fact the fallacy that the Founders and our precious liberties are products of the European Enlightenment (a secular movement). Yet at every turn, the real record, the hidden record, tells a different story—a story of men of faith, men driven not simply by their intellects, but by their hearts, not just by political principle, but by deeply held religious...

From the Washington Politics & Policy Desk Published 2/27/2003 7:25 PM HIGHLANDS, N.C., Feb. 27 (UPI) -- This here's the 339th Report ta the Folks Back Home from the (More er Less) Honorable Billybob, cyberCongressman from Western Carolina. The beginnin subjeck this week izza marble angel carved by the father ov Thomas Wolfe what inspired the title ov his towerin novel, Look Homeward, Angel. It has some application ta modern American politics. Since ma able assistant, John Armor, Esq., izza lit'rary eggspert onna premises, I'll turn this over ta him. Thomas Wolfe's AngelOn a trip to Raleigh, the North Carolina...

On this date in 1777, by Order of General George Washington, Tom Paine joined the battered remnants of the American Army in the cold winter at Valley Forge, and read his most recent publication, The American Crisis, to the assembled troops. These are the most powerful words ever written in America, outside the pages of her official documents, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Paine's work began thus: These are the times that try men's souls: The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, Shrink from the service of his country, but he that stands...