This twisting of Christianity dominated the times of the Fathers, and still resonates with some today. One of the clearest supporters of Deism was Thomas Paine. In his “profession of faith,” he lays out the fundamentals of this heresy: “I believe in one God, and no more; and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and in endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy (Holmes, 2015).” While sounding appealing on the surface, this treacherous world-view rejects mainstream Christianity and embraces a more Enlightened and rational outlook on …show more content…
One could assume that Americans are becoming irreligious by watching the news and following social media. But those opinions have no concrete evidence to back it, because it is based purely on observation. In reality, different polls produce different results on this topic. For example, one poll states that forty-one percent of Americans believe in the separation, while thirty-four percent are against it (Unknown, 2012). A separate poll states that sixty-seven percent believe the First Amendment clearly defines the separation (Haynes, 2011). Yet another poll claims a near dead heat, with forty-eight percent for reduced religious influence, and forty percent for increased religious influence (Lyons, 2004). Although polls can have different results because of time, polled members, and context of questions, it still produces an inconclusive result for the answer to this