The importance of continuing education: Start corrupting yourself!

The argument over whether the United States was founded as a Christian nation, or "on Christian principles," has sent me scrambling to read some works by the Founding Fathers. Now as you know, I have my own opinion on this matter: Freedom of religion (on which this nation was founded) means freedom for all religions; a government endorsement of Christianity would mean the end of religious freedom.

I'm currently reading Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason." I suppose that Paine is not a Founding Father in the strict sense, but his ideas were very influential. The people who assume that our nation was meant to be a Christian nation don't take into consideration the spirit of the eighteenth century, which was abuzz with science, and which didn't put much stock in the irrational.

Thomas Paine begins his book with a profession of faith: "I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life." The rest of "The Age of Reason" is full of all the things that Paine doesn't believe.

First of all, Paine does not believe in the Bible. He reasons that no human language, whether Hebrew, Greek, Latin, or English, is a proper vehicle for the Word of God. The Bible was written by men and the decision of which writings should be included was made by men. And who knows how the words have been adulterated, both inadvertently and on purpose?

So, if the Bible is not the Word of God, just how does God make Himself known, and how do we learn about God's nature? Paine's answer is: by study of the universe. By observation. By science, which Paine dubs "the true theology." Not only is the Bible not the true theology, its manifest falseness actually hinders a person from knowing God.

Well, if one doesn't read the Bible, how does one learn about Jesus? It turns out that the whole Jesus story, as well as most of the rest of the Bible, is repellent to Thomas Paine. Especially odious is the concept of a Father (God) who would have his Son (Jesus) killed to atone for the sins of Adam and Eve. And remember, Paine believes in one God, and that God is not some agglomeration of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Thomas Paine was a man of his time, and what a time it was! Knowledge and reason flourished, and Paine felt that Mystery must be banished from religion. He saw God only as the Creator, and thought that understanding the laws of nature was the Way. Paine's view of the Universe was still a little anthopocentric for my taste. He felt that the universe had been created as a kind of teaching tool for Man, the reasoning being. The study of evolution was some years away.

My little essay here is a roundabout way of illustrating the importance of continuing to read, and to educate oneself with "Great Books." They're not boring or hard to read, as it turns out. There's a reason they're called "classics!"

I may have mentioned in past posts that I grew up in a religious family, but in a family that also valued education. In my coddled childhood, I learned a lot about the Bible, but also about molecules and such. Until I got to college, I was still quite naive and unworldly, and still had the view of the world that my family and neighbors gave me. I feel that I am still overcoming my provincialism. My parents were relatively open minded, but not particularly well-read.

So, this is my little sermon to those of you who may think that K-12 and, possibly, college were enough. If you've finished with school, you're just getting started. And if your parents home schooled you with the intent of shielding you from the world's corruption, start exploring on your own now! Read! Don't believe my second-hand account. Go to the source!