Page "The Age of Reason" Paragraph 38

While still in France, Paine formed the Church of Theophilanthropy with five other families ; this civil religion held as its central dogma that man should worship God's wisdom and benevolence and imitate those divine attributes as much as possible.

The church had no priest or minister, and the traditional Biblical sermon was replaced by scientific lectures or homilies on the teachings of philosophers.

It celebrated four festivals honoring St. Vincent de Paul, George Washington, Socrates, and Rousseau.

Samuel Adams articulated the goals of this church when he wrote that Paine aimed " to renovate the age by inculcating in the minds of youth the fear and love of the Deity and universal philanthropy ".

The church closed, however, in 1801, when Napoleon concluded a concordat with the Vatican.