Here is a statement by one of the ‘intellectual’ founding fathers of the United States of America.


I do not believe in the creed professed by the Jewish Church, by the Roman Church, by the Greek Church, by the Turkish Church, by the Protestant Church, nor by any church that I know of. My own mind is my own church.  — Thomas Paine

There is an inconsistency in his statement. The creed he espouses is actually that of the Protestants. He just didn’t realize it.

What tickles me about this sort of statement is that it is put out by sophomores everywhere with a kind of bravado–as if they were the first ones to think of it– they wear this statement as one might brandish a protest sign or a red badge of courage–never actually taking the time to think through either the statement itself or how dumb they look proclaiming it to the world.