[reasonseeker]

If Paine made a mistake, it was in pandering to the "common folk" by using Bible passages to help justify a break with England (probably as a result of suggestions from Benjamin Rush) in "Common Sense." It was a calculated move that, judging by his later remarks in "The Age of Reason," showed that he didn't really believe the truth of the Bible even then, and so wasn't completely forthright in writing "Common Sense." Also, the snub he got when he returned to America had to do with more than his writing "The Age of Reason." He had also severely criticized Washington in print, and that hardly helped matters. However, the snub Paine got was not a reflection on him, but on the ungrateful people of America, who had quickly forgotten Paine's great contribution to the formation of the United States.

[=Intervention=]

The article-writer lays out specific and compelling evidence otherwise.