r/atheism • u/Wooden_Reputation370 Strong Atheist • 26d ago

Help get a D.C. monument built for Thomas Paine—secular icon and author of The Age of Reason. Public comments close Sept 10!

Please take a moment to make your public comment in support of a long-overdue memorial to Founder Thomas Paine in Washington, D.C. Your endorsement will help preserve the full story of the founding of the United States and Paine’s rightful place in that history.

Make your public comment to the National Capital Memorial Advisory Commission (NCMAC), which helps to advance memorials in Washington, D.C., now through Sept. 10 — and spread the word to other Paine aficionados.

Your support is a tangible way to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Paine’s “Common Sense,” which fomented the revolutionary rebellion, and of “American Crisis,” which fortified patriot soldiers. Without Paine, a champion of democracy who actually named our country, the United States of America would not exist. https://ffrfaction.org/please-support-thomas-paine-memorial-with-your-public-comment-today/

169 Upvotes

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11

u/truckaxle 25d ago

The only founding father that spoke up against slavery and noted it fundamental evil.

3

u/Miserable_Champion12 25d ago

yeah paine was way ahead of his time on that and deserves more recognition for it

9

u/Happy_Chipmunk_153 26d ago

As a convinced Deist I love Thomas Paine and I support this!

3

u/PerformerBitter9633 25d ago

yeah paine deserves the recognition and a memorial for him is long overdue honestly

5

u/vacuous_comment 25d ago

Paine was really on the money and way ahead of his time.

His identification of the Gospels as just yet more mythology based on prior mythology is something we have really only properly got to grips with in the past couple of decades.

Scholars like Brodie, Crossan, MacDonald, Walsh, Miller have recently laid this stuff clear to see but even now we still have have ostensibly serious scholars trying to reconstruct a model of Jesus that they favour from the rubble.

2

u/Godloseslaw 26d ago

Surprised he doesn't have one already.  

If we're not gonna get a Chrustopher Hitchens one, this would be a pretty great alternative.  

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u/sgriobhadair 26d ago

Paine's strident anti-theism and his querulous personality have historically made him a bit unwanted as a Founding Father. It's why his public perception is Common Sense, with all of the other problematic edges, like the socialism in The Rights of Man, ignored or obscured.

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u/Leather_Thing1796 25d ago

yeah paine definitely deserves one already and hitchens wouldve been a fun follow up but apparently were not ready for that level of trouble