The Church of Saint Thomas Paine

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This narrative uncovers the story of nineteenth-century freethinkers and twentieth-century humanists who sought to establish a secular religion. It highlights how these freethinking liberals in America centered their beliefs around the deistic revolutionary Thomas Paine and how their legacy intertwined with the culture wars of the late twentieth century. Following the theft of Paine's remains in 1819, his American followers engaged in a quest for his relics, marking his birthday as a significant occasion for their commitment to democratic cosmopolitanism and philanthropy. They expanded their practices to include a variety of rites and ceremonies, particularly secular funerals, and endeavored to create their own churches and congregations dedicated to secularism. These initiatives sparked debates about the definition of religion, particularly regarding the inclusion of nontheistic groups and humanistic associations—a discourse that resurfaced in the latter half of the twentieth century. As right-wing Christians labeled secular humanism as a formidable threat, communities of religious humanists, descendants of Paine's followers, found themselves in the midst of renewed conflicts over the public role of religion and the perceived moral dangers of secularism. This account sheds light on a significant yet overlooked chapter in American history, illustrating the often ambiguous boundaries between religion and secularism.