This past Saturday, my son and his wife invited me to go with them to a play about Thomas Paine. This was an excellent one-man show with an actor that was properly dressed, moved realistically on a small stage and spoke like Paine in such a way that the audience could almost believe that this was not an actor, but the real person. 

For some background, he was an important figure during our Revolution because of his ability to sway America to stand up for freedom and fight England's power and tyranny of their king, church and politics. Paine had a lot of opposition because of "course and uncouth manners, loathsome in appearance and a disgusting egotist."

For most of us, he is best known for a short pamphlet, "The American Crisis," and the very first line, "These are the times that try men's souls!"

This was read to George Washington, who saw that every soldier under his command heard those words. I read somewhere that these words were a battle cry.

As I sat in the audience, I kept trying to figure out why I disliked this man. I couldn't remember any of his major works in any of the history classes I struggled through, so where was this confusion coming from? As I sat in my ugly, old but very comfortable recliner, it came to me. Seminary! We had a class in religious history and the star was, you guessed it, Thomas Paine.

This comes from my memory and the few notes I scratched down, so hang in there while I try to bring me and you up to date. I also used my computer to make sure I don't mess up the story, so here goes.

In 1794, Paine wrote, "Age of Reason." He wrote that deism (one could believe in a Creator and at the same time not accept religious support or an inspired Bible) because none of that made common sense to him. The seminary's response is, "who does this Paine fellow think he is?"

He writes that our sacred literature is nothing more than a collection of folk tales and that our Presbyterian church — and all other denominations included — is, in fact, more political than theological. This, folks, is to the best of my memory. I continue.

A bunch of students met at the library and pretty well agreed that his arguments did contain some good points. We should be allowed to use our reason, our literature does have some historical flaws, some powerful denominations do control their believers and strongly suggest that they vote for those leaders who can support the church and of course keep it a tax-free institution. Oh, yeah, and that our faith should be based on reality and not dogma, that's the church's political system.

Our conclusions were presented to our professors, which was considered accurate to a degree but best addressed in an academic atmosphere led by experts. By the way, Paine's position about our religious beliefs being a human invention are blasphemous!

"After all, Paine has the privilege of his opinion, but we are here to get the best education possible for our future pastors and not spend that precious time debating someone who has little religious training. He is better known for his work, "Common Sense," which you can read in your spare time."

The play gave me some insight into this man's thoughts and I have a notion to like him better. He was very intelligent, highly abrasive, very insightful and worthy of praise, dislike, interest and dismissal.

He spent some time in a Paris jail, became absolutely broke and still well read. He wrote, "I have no marked place! I am neither a farmer, mechanic, merchant, nor shopkeeper. ... I am a farmer of thoughts and all the crops I raise, I give away."

Well said, Mr. Paine, well said.

Thanks, God!