Thomas Paine: the mind of a child.

... and True Religion

"From the time I was capable of conceiving an idea and acting upon it by reflection, I either doubted the truth of the Christian system or thought it to be a strange affair; I scarcely knew which it was, but I well remember, when about seven or eight years of age, hearing a sermon read by a relation of mine, who was a great devotee of the Church, upon the subject of what is called redemption by the death of the Son of God. After the sermon was ended, I went into the garden, and as I was going down the garden steps (for I perfectly recollect the spot) I revolted at the recollection of what I had heard, and thought to myself that it was making God Almighty act like a passionate man, that killed his son when he could not revenge himself in any other way, and as I was sure a man would be hanged that did such a thing, I could not see for what purpose they preached such sermons. This was not one of that kind of thoughts that had anything in it of childish levity; it was to me a serious reflection, arising from the idea I had that God was too good to do such an action, and also too almighty to be under any necessity of doing it. I believe in the same manner at this moment; and I moreover believe, that any system of religion that has anything in it that shocks the mind of a child, cannot be a true system."

Thomas Paine
AGE OF REASON, Part First, Section 11
1794

As a boy, Paine lived in a home with divided religion. His father was a Quaker and his mother was Church of England. For a long time, I assumed that Paine was writing about a Quaker meeting house in the preceding quote. Years later, it appears most likely that it was a chapel of the Church of England and adjacent garden; a common setting and, relatively speaking, uncharacteristic of a Quaker meeting house of that period.