Bailouts of the Soul

[dem mba]

"Accustom a people to believe that priests and clergy can forgive sins ... and you will have sins in abundance. I would not dare to dishonor my Creator's name by it to this filthy book ." -Thomas Paine


I came across this quote in another thread today. Made me think about the Wall Street bailouts that the Tea Partiers and GOP seem so dead set against. If our financial sins can be wiped clean by a higher power (in this case the Federal government) and that's alleged to be morally indefensible, than what does it say about the entirely Christian concepts of sinning, forgiveness and redemption?

Thomas Paine seems to be speaking directly to the concept of moral hazard, that when a party feels they are insulated from risk, they will act in a far different manner than they would otherwise.

Seems to me that the people arguing against "too big to fail" are indirectly criticizing one of the main tenets of Christianity.

[Jim__]

1. Do you know the source of that Paine quote?

This: I would not dare to dishonor my Creator's name by it to this filthy book, doesn't sound right to me.

[dem mba]

2. they appear to be two different quotes

but they are both attributed to Paine. Feel free to google around. All I could find was Paine's name at the end, no source listed...

[struggle4progress]

3. The "Accustom a people to believe that priests or any other class of men can forgive sins, and you

will have sins in abundance" is a translation from a 1797 French pamphlet of his:

Worship and Church Bells
http://www.infidels.org/library/historical/thomas_paine/worship_and_church.html

But the second sentence, if Paine's, comes from elsewhere

[charlie]

4. Age of Reason

Sort of.

Did the book called the Bible excel in purity of ideas and expression all the books now extant in the world, I would not take it for my rule of faith as being the word of God, because the possibility would nevertheless exist of my being imposed upon. But when I see throughout the greatest part of this book, scarcely any thing but a history of the grossest vices and a collection of the most paltry and contemptible tales, I cannot dishonor my Creator by calling it by his name.

[Jim__]

5. Thanks - n/t