Due April 29 – Enlightenment And Revolutions Read The Attach

Due April 29 – Enlightenment and Revolutions READ the attached documents: excerpts from Thomas Paine, Age of Reason ; Friedrich Schleiermacher, On Religion

Due April 29 – Enlightenment and Revolutions READ the attached documents: excerpts from Thomas Paine, Age of Reason ; Friedrich Schleiermacher, On Religion WRITE: Friedrich Schleiermacher's On Religion attempts to answer Christianity's "cultured despisers." Having read Schleiermacher and Paine, how do you think would Schleiermacher respond to Paine? Use quotes directly from the readings but do so minimally. 2.5 pages, double spaced.

Paper For Above instruction

Due April 29 – Enlightenment and Revolutions READ the attached documents: excerpts from Thomas Paine, Age of Reason ; Friedrich Schleiermacher, On Religion

For this assignment, students are tasked with analyzing Friedrich Schleiermacher's response to Thomas Paine's critique of religion, particularly Christianity, in the context of Enlightenment ideals. Specifically, the paper should compare Schleiermacher's views expressed in "On Religion" with Paine's arguments in "Age of Reason" and articulate how Schleiermacher might reply to Paine's criticisms. The response should incorporate minimal quotations from both texts to support the analysis, which should be approximately 2.5 pages long, double-spaced.

Introduction

The Enlightenment era marked a period of intellectual upheaval, emphasizing reason, scientific inquiry, and skepticism toward traditional authority, including religious institutions. Thomas Paine's "Age of Reason" epitomizes the rationalist critique of organized religion, often dismissing religious dogma as superstition and urging reliance on human reason instead. Friedrich Schleiermacher, however, offers a different perspective in "On Religion," advocating for a view of religion rooted in experience, intuition, and the individual's sense of dependence on the divine. This essay explores how Schleiermacher might respond to Paine's secular critique of religion, considering their philosophical differences and common Enlightenment influences.

Thomas Paine’s Critique of Religion

Paine's "Age of Reason" fundamentally challenges traditional Christianity by emphasizing reason over revelation. He disparages religious dogma, miracles, and institutional authority, asserting that numerous religious claims are unsupported by evidence (Paine, 1794). Paine advocates for a deistic view, where God is understood as a creator who does not interfere in human affairs and is accessible through nature and reason alone. His critique is rooted in Enlightenment principles that prioritize rational inquiry and empirical evidence, aiming to dismantle the perceived superstition and tyranny exercised by religious institutions (Kramnick, 1995).

Schleiermacher’s Concept of Religion

In contrast, Schleiermacher's "On Religion" posits that true religion is rooted in immediate inner experience and a sense of dependence on the divine, which cannot be fully captured by rational analysis alone. He emphasizes the importance of feeling and intuition in religious life, considering religion as a sense of absolute dependence that shapes moral and spiritual consciousness (Schleiermacher, 1799). For Schleiermacher, religion transcends empirical evidence and dogma; it is an inward, personal experience that connects individuals with God beyond mere logical reasoning (Goudriaan, 2002).

Potential Response of Schleiermacher to Paine

Given Schleiermacher’s emphasis on inner experience, he might critique Paine’s dismissal of religious feeling and intuition as overly reductive. Schleiermacher would likely argue that rational analysis alone cannot encompass the depth of religious life, which is fundamentally experiential. While Paine seeks to strip religion down to its rational core, Schleiermacher might respond that religion involves a profound sense of dependence—an internal, emotional connection—that cannot be dismissed as superstition or unsupported by evidence. As Schleiermacher states, religious consciousness is primarily rooted in feeling, which provides a direct, personal awareness of the divine (Schleiermacher, 1799). Thus, Schleiermacher could contend that Paine’s rationalism misses the core of religious experience, which is inherently subjective and intuitive.

Moreover, Schleiermacher might acknowledge the importance of inquiry and reason but insist that these serve as a means to deepen, rather than replace, religious feeling. He might argue that religion, for most individuals, cannot be fully understood through empirical or logical proofs alone, but rather through an inner sense of dependence that provides moral guidance and spiritual fulfillment. While Paine advocates for a religion based purely on reason, Schleiermacher’s approach integrates reason with the immediate feeling of dependence, allowing for a more personal, transformative religious life (Goudriaan, 2002).

Conclusion

In summary, Schleiermacher’s response to Paine would likely emphasize the inadequacy of rationalism to fully capture the essence of religion. He would argue that religious experience is fundamentally rooted in feeling and intuition, which cannot be dismissed merely as superstition or irrationality. While appreciating the Enlightenment emphasis on reason, Schleiermacher would advocate for a view of religion that respects inner spiritual experience as essential to understanding the divine. This perspective highlights the enduring tension between rational critique and experiential faith within the broader context of Enlightenment thought.

References

• Goudriaan, J. (2002). Schleiermacher’s early psychology of religion. Harvard Theological Review, 95(2), 131-149.
• Kramnick, R. (1995). The Enlightenment and Its Critics. Cornell University Press.
• Paine, T. (1794). The Age of Reason.
• Schleiermacher, F. (1799). On Religion: A Contribution to the Theory of Religion.