Deism was an uncommon belief in the 1700’s. Deism is the religious belief that the course of nature demonstrates the existence of God, and that all formal organized religion is superfluous and not needed. Three of the most famous men of the 1700’s, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson show some deistic beliefs, however, there is a great amount of variation in their views, and they disagree about whether their views should be made …showed first 75 words of 642 total…

…showed last 75 words of 642 total…made public, but Paine made his beliefs clear and open for everyone to read. Jefferson and Franklin were worried about public opinion, and had more to lose than Paine did if their beliefs met harsh criticism. Jefferson was the President of the United States, and Franklin was a well-respected diplomat, publisher, and inventor. Thomas Paine was a revolution stirrer and wherever he went he became involved in revolutionary movements or tried to start them himself.