American heroes (3): Thomas Paine

«Every national church or religion has established itself by pretending some special mission from God, communicated to certain individuals. The Jews have their Moses; the Christians their Jesus Christ, their apostles and Saints; and the Turks their Mahomet, as if the way to God were not open to every man alike.

Each of these churches show certain books, which they call revelation, or the Word of God. The Jews say that their Word of God was given by God to Moses; face to face; the Christians say that their Word of God came by divine inspiration; and the Turks say that their Word of God (the Koran) was brought by an angel from heaven. Each of these churches accuses the other of unbelief; and for my own part, I disbelieve them all.»

(O mais anticlerical dos «heróis americanos» do século18: Thomas Paine, aqui em "The Age of Reason", 1794.)