How Did Thomas Paine Get the Colonies to Throw Off the British Monarchy? Enlightenment thinking would never have been persuasive enough. Paine, the Deist had to use the Bible.

In college, we are taught that one of the founders of the American Revolution, Thomas Paine, was a deist. Indeed, he was. What the professors did not tell us was that Paine's masterpiece, "Common Sense" — the pamphlet that persuaded the American people to move from merely seeking some redress of grievance from British government to flat out seeking independence — made almost all of its arguments from the Bible.

Paine knew that the American people were the most biblically literate people in the world at that time. Arguably, they were the most biblically literate generation of all history. They were not going to be moved to a war of independence from the reasonings of Enlightenment thinkers. The appeal had to come from Holy Writ, or it would not come at all.

In a masterful polemic, after citing passages in Scripture about the fallacy of monarchy, Paine sums it all up with this:

These portions of scripture are direct and positive. They admit of no equivocal construction. That the Almighty hath here entered his protest against monarchical government is true, or the scripture is false. And a man hath good reason to believe that there is as much of kingcraft as priestcraft in withholding the scripture from the public in popish countries. For monarchy in every instance is the popery of government.

Paine had used Scripture to show that monarchy is idolatrous.

The Revolution was on.

Within a year, the Declaration of Independence would be signed. Thomas Jefferson would later write that the Declaration "placed before mankind the common sense of the subject, in terms so plain and firm as to command their assent."

It was an allusion to Paine's pamphlet.

However, it was not just a rejection of monarchy. Paine's pamphlet even used Scripture to decide the form of government that men should have.

“You seemed to say that Bible readers are stupid.”

I didn’t mean to suggest that Bible readers are stupid - I was merely stating that evoking the Bible is an appeal to authority rather than an appeal to rationality.

“Appeal to Authority” is a type of fallacy, because it sidesteps the rational process.

It is like saying “There is a broad consensus among scientists that man made climate change is going to destroy the planet”.

That kind of appeal to authority is far more effective on stupid people.

That does NOT mean that everyone who believes climate change is a threat is stupid. It only means that the rational case has not yet been made.

It could turn out that the Bible is right about everything, and those who believe in it are super smart.

I’m just saying that “believe it because the Bible says so” is not a rational argument intended to convince rational people - it is an appeal to authority aimed at - shall we say - the more malleable and compliant among us.

See what I mean? I’m NOT saying the information in the Bible is untrue or irrational - I’m only saying an appeal to the authority of the Bible is effective with those who defer to authority rather than rationality.

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