Final answer:
Thomas Paine argued that Christianity in his time resembled a form of atheism because it focused on the church's authority rather than on a personal relationship with God. His views echoed the Enlightenment criticism of organized religion, advocating for a rational approach to spirituality. Paine's argument aimed at highlighting institutional practices that, in his opinion, detracted from genuine faith.
Step-by-step explanation:
Thomas Paine critiques Christianity by equating it with a form of atheism, asserting that the institutionalized Christianity of his time displaces genuine faith with an allegiance to the Church as an authority, rather than to God directly. Paine's perspective is rooted in Enlightenment ideals which favored personal conscience and rationalism over the doctrinal and authoritative structures of organized religion. This critique suggests that by placing the institution and its leaders above the concept of a personal deity, Christianity effectively operates as a system without God at its core, which aligns with an atheistic framework despite its religious exterior.
Enlightenment thinkers like Paine often held that a belief in a deity was important for moral order but criticized the traditional conceptions and institutions built around religion. They promoted ideas like Deism, which acknowledges a creator but does not rely on scripture or prophecy. This philosophical movement paved the way for a redefinition of God that did not interfere with human affairs, contrasting the active, omnibenevolent God of Christianity.
In essence, Paine's argument was part of a larger criticism that Enlightenment figures directed at organized religion. By accusing Christianity of being akin to atheism, Paine was not denying the existence of God but rather criticizing the way religious institutions functioned, which, to him, undermined true faith and spirituality.