Throughout “The Age of Reason,” Thomas Paine gives several examples of why he is opposed to Christianity. Before I started reading this essay, I was absolutely certain that I was going to disagree with every point Paine had to make and every opinion he expressed. It didn't take me long to realize that I had made a wrong assumption. There was more than one occasion while reading "The Age of Reason" where I discovered that I actually agreed with Paine's opinion/belief. This encouraged me to reread “The Age of Reason,” but this time with an open mind. I decided that I would also take notes on the similarities and differences between Paine's worldview and my own. I discovered my first disagreement with Paine a few sentences into reading. Paine says: “All national church institutions. . …seem to me nothing more than human inventions, designed to terrify and enslave humanity and monopolize power and profit” (Timmerman and Hettinga 95). First of all, I disagree with the idea that churches are human inventions as Paine does. I believe that the Church is the body of Christ and that Christ gave Himself for the Church. The Church is created to love, protect, serve, fellowship and bond. After Paine lays out his thoughts on the Church, he soon begins to discuss his views on the word revelation. Paine says that “it is a contradiction in terms and ideas to call something that comes to us second-hand, either verbally or in writing, a revelation (Timmerman and Hettinga 96). An example of revelation in the Bible given by Paine is whenever Moses receives the Ten Commandments from God. Paine believes that the children of Israel had every right not to take these commandments seriously since only Moses receives them... middle of paper... and cannot be fulfilled by man himself. Paine, for his part, believes that “there is no such thing as a miracle” (Timmerman and Hettinga 104). Paine says it is easier to believe that a man is lying than to believe in a miracle. In a way, I recognize that it is much easier to believe that a man is lying than to believe in a miracle; however, I know what God is capable of doing and I know that He performs miracles every day. After reading “The Age of Reason,” I discovered that Paine simply rejected faith. He wanted proof before believing anything. He used reasoning to shape his beliefs. Although there are few of Paine's opinions that I agree with, I do not agree with his overall worldview. Paine would never accept God's word; for him, it was fallible. I fully accept God's word and strive to live my life according to what it says.