Quote:
Originally Posted by piece-itpete
My brothers, examine those quotes carefully and you will find they aren't talking about Christianity or the Bible - as experts on government (as they largely were) they were talking about 'organized' religion of ANY stripe.
Now they would undoubtabley be striking at the religion of science & government.
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(edited to be less hostile)I think you're mistaken. They specifically site the Bible and Christianity. I don't see any ambiguity at all. For instance:
"Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the Bible is filled, it would be more consistent that we called it the word of a demon, than the word of God. It is a history of wickedness, that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind." - Thomas Paine (The Age of Reason, 1794-1795.)
That is quite clear, and it is not unique. It specifically references "the Bible". I don't know how you could get anything else from it. Clearly has nothing at all to do with "the religion of science". Scinece is not a religion. Carl Sagen had a perfect quote that summs up the difference:
"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time someting like that happened in politics or religion.
Carl Sagan, 1987 CSICOP Keynote Address"