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Reason, the Only Oracle of Man, Or, a Compendious System of Natural Religion
Colonel Ethan Allen, the author of Oracles of Reason, was the son of Joseph Allen, a native of Coventry, Connecticut, a farmer in moderate circumstances. He afterwards resided in Litchfield, where Ethan was born in the year 1739. The family consisted of eight children, of whom our author was the eldest. But few incidents connected with his early life are known. We are apprised, however, that notwithstanding his education was very limited, his ambition to prove himself worthy of that attention which superior intellect ever commands, induced him diligently to explore every subject that came under his notice. A stranger to fear, his opinions were ever given without disguise or hesitation; and an enemy to oppression, he sought every opportunity to redress the wrongs of the oppressed.
At the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, he raised in Vermont, where he had resided, a company of volunteers, consisting of two hundred and thirty, with which he surprised the fortress of Ticonderoga, May 10, 1775, containing about forty men, and one hundred pieces of cannon. He was unfortunately taken prisoner in September following, in an attempt on Montreal, and sufferred a cruel imprisonment for several years. For an account of which, the reader is referred to his narrative, contained in a memoir of the author, by Mr. Hugh Moore, Plattsburg, 1834.
Soon after the close of the revolution, Col. Allen composed the following work; which, on account of the bold and unusual manner, particularly in this country, that the subject of religion is treated, he had great difficulty to get published. It lay a long time in the hands of a printer at Hartford, who had not the moral courage to print it. It was finally printed by a Mr. Haswell, of Bennington, Vt. in 1784. Not long after its publication, a part of the edition, comprising the entire of several signatures, was accidentally consumed by fire. Whether Mr. H. deemed this fire a judgment upon him for having printed the work or not, is unknown -- but, the fact is, he soon after committed the remainder of the edition to the flames, and joined the Methodist Connection; so that but few copies were circulated.
Col. Allen died in the town of Burlington, Vt., on the 12th of February, 1789, of apoplexy.
Preface.
An apology appears to me to be impertinent in writers who venture their works to public inspection, for this obvious reason, that if they need it, they should have been stifled in the birth, and not permitted a public existence. I therefore offer my composition to the candid judgment of the impartial world without it, taking it for granted that I have as good a natural right to expose myself to public censure, by endeavouring to subserve mankind, as any of the species who have published their productions since the creation; and I ask no favor at the hands of philosophers, divines or critics, but hope and expect they will severely chastise me for my errors and mistakes, least they may have a share in perverting the truth, which is very far from my intention.
In the circle of my acquaintance, (which has not been small, ) I have generally been denominated a Deist, the reality of which I never disputed, being conscious I am no Christian, except mere infant baptism make me one; and as to being a Deist, I know not, strictly speaking, whether I am one or not, for I have never read their writings; mine will therefore determine the matter; for I have not in the least disguised my sentiments, but have written freely without any conscious knowledge of prejudice for, or against any man, sectary or party whatever; but wish that good sense, truth and virtue may be promoted and flourish in the world, to the detection of delusion, superstition, and false religion; and therefore my errors in the succeeding treatise, which may be rationally pointed out, will be readily rescinded.
At the breaking out of the Revolutionary War, he raised in Vermont, where he had resided, a company of volunteers, consisting of two hundred and thirty, with which he surprised the fortress of Ticonderoga, May 10, 1775, containing about forty men, and one hundred pieces of cannon. He was unfortunately taken prisoner in September following, in an attempt on Montreal, and sufferred a cruel imprisonment for several years. For an account of which, the reader is referred to his narrative, contained in a memoir of the author, by Mr. Hugh Moore, Plattsburg, 1834.
Soon after the close of the revolution, Col. Allen composed the following work; which, on account of the bold and unusual manner, particularly in this country, that the subject of religion is treated, he had great difficulty to get published. It lay a long time in the hands of a printer at Hartford, who had not the moral courage to print it. It was finally printed by a Mr. Haswell, of Bennington, Vt. in 1784. Not long after its publication, a part of the edition, comprising the entire of several signatures, was accidentally consumed by fire. Whether Mr. H. deemed this fire a judgment upon him for having printed the work or not, is unknown -- but, the fact is, he soon after committed the remainder of the edition to the flames, and joined the Methodist Connection; so that but few copies were circulated.
Col. Allen died in the town of Burlington, Vt., on the 12th of February, 1789, of apoplexy.
Preface.
An apology appears to me to be impertinent in writers who venture their works to public inspection, for this obvious reason, that if they need it, they should have been stifled in the birth, and not permitted a public existence. I therefore offer my composition to the candid judgment of the impartial world without it, taking it for granted that I have as good a natural right to expose myself to public censure, by endeavouring to subserve mankind, as any of the species who have published their productions since the creation; and I ask no favor at the hands of philosophers, divines or critics, but hope and expect they will severely chastise me for my errors and mistakes, least they may have a share in perverting the truth, which is very far from my intention.
In the circle of my acquaintance, (which has not been small, ) I have generally been denominated a Deist, the reality of which I never disputed, being conscious I am no Christian, except mere infant baptism make me one; and as to being a Deist, I know not, strictly speaking, whether I am one or not, for I have never read their writings; mine will therefore determine the matter; for I have not in the least disguised my sentiments, but have written freely without any conscious knowledge of prejudice for, or against any man, sectary or party whatever; but wish that good sense, truth and virtue may be promoted and flourish in the world, to the detection of delusion, superstition, and false religion; and therefore my errors in the succeeding treatise, which may be rationally pointed out, will be readily rescinded.
80 pages, ebook
First published January 1, 1784
35 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Ethan Allen
163 books8 followersThe "green mountain boys," troops of Revolutionary soldier Ethan Allen, helped to capture Fort Ticonderoga from the British in 1775 for America.
The province of New York settled Vermont, and this early guerrilla leader fought against this settlement and later for independence during the war.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
The province of New York settled Vermont, and this early guerrilla leader fought against this settlement and later for independence during the war.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 20, 2014
Touted on the deism.com website as "a hard hitting attack on superstition and 'revealed' religion while encouraging the replacement of superstition in our lives and in our ideas of God with God-given reason", this book forgets its own objective throughout - and certainly bamboozled the deists over there.
Allen (and Young) criticized organized religion in general and Christianity in particular, but his Deist assumptions fail in the face of actual reason. Now, his arguments are sound (and quite well written), but he seemed to only want to question the organization and not himself. His own superstitions are rampant, but as he casts his beliefs as "reason" based - without qualification or justification - while disparaging Christian dogma as "tend[ing] to superstition and idolatry", the entire text rang sour.
Disappointed, but enlightened. I had not read any Ethan Allen, and so I learned how learned he was.
Allen (and Young) criticized organized religion in general and Christianity in particular, but his Deist assumptions fail in the face of actual reason. Now, his arguments are sound (and quite well written), but he seemed to only want to question the organization and not himself. His own superstitions are rampant, but as he casts his beliefs as "reason" based - without qualification or justification - while disparaging Christian dogma as "tend[ing] to superstition and idolatry", the entire text rang sour.
Disappointed, but enlightened. I had not read any Ethan Allen, and so I learned how learned he was.
August 12, 2024
I became aware of the work from the book Did America Have a Christian Founding which referenced Allen and the book Nature’s God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic. Allen was a colonel in the continental army known for his role in taking Fort Ticonderoga and founding Vermont but this book effectively ruined his reputation. Supposedly this is the first public work on deism in the United States published in 1785 even before Paine’s Age of Reason in 1795, and its title is similar to Charles Blount’s 1693 Oracles of Reason. Allen may not have written the book even though he claimed no other source than the bible. The book doesn’t compare to the style of Paine or other deists and is mainly for historical interest.
Effectively the deist position is firstly that god is known by reason not revelation, secondly that the universe is causally closed (naturalism) so that god does not operate or intervene in the universe outside of natural laws, which ultimately means god cannot be imagined and is indifferent to human activity so is a one way relationship from god causally and one way from humanity emotionally and intellectually. Allen differs from the common understanding of deism in that the universe is eternal, the first cause being literally the first thing in existence rather than first in time which may be called pandeism. Deism is thought of as a stepping stone to atheism but in retrospect was a minimum (or maximum) set of beliefs a reasonable person could hold from reason alone but was not successful in replacing the powerful emotional and social needs of religion. My interest in deism is mainly from a political standpoint as a civil religion in a religiously diverse society such as the United States.
Effectively the deist position is firstly that god is known by reason not revelation, secondly that the universe is causally closed (naturalism) so that god does not operate or intervene in the universe outside of natural laws, which ultimately means god cannot be imagined and is indifferent to human activity so is a one way relationship from god causally and one way from humanity emotionally and intellectually. Allen differs from the common understanding of deism in that the universe is eternal, the first cause being literally the first thing in existence rather than first in time which may be called pandeism. Deism is thought of as a stepping stone to atheism but in retrospect was a minimum (or maximum) set of beliefs a reasonable person could hold from reason alone but was not successful in replacing the powerful emotional and social needs of religion. My interest in deism is mainly from a political standpoint as a civil religion in a religiously diverse society such as the United States.
December 11, 2015
This was a good book to read. I became interested in this book while reading "Nature's God: The Heretical Origins of the American Republic" by Matthew Stewart and I was glad I took the effort to find it and read it. The book provides an interesting look and approach to God from the perspective of a natural God based upon man's ability to increase knowledge and make intelligent and reasonable decisions.
January 12, 2016
This was a tremendously powerful work. It should be read by any seeking a god and an understanding of their own soul, in this culture that often thinks of itself as having outgrown such unfashionable notions.
This work very much reminded me of Paine's "Age of Reason", yet was more logical and less vitriolic. Being a deist, I was very much encouraged by this.
This work very much reminded me of Paine's "Age of Reason", yet was more logical and less vitriolic. Being a deist, I was very much encouraged by this.
May 14, 2014
Precedes the age of reason by about 12 years or so, but its pretty much the same opinions. Praising the enlightenment deistic vision of God, polite yet critical of Jews and Christians. Highly recommended
February 8, 2015
great read
November 4, 2019
Written before Thomas Paine's "The Age of Reason" this book was, some believe, written by Ethan Allen and it is credited to him. Some also believe that Allen did not have the education or thoughtfulness to write in such a way but it has never been proven.
The book is a short read but Allen makes his points clear and concise about Christianity, Judaism and popular religion in general. He is not a fan of the way it is taught or believing it in general, he is a deist through and through and explains why.
It's an interesting read although I preferred "Age of Reason" or Joseph Priestley's religious writings even though they came from a different angle. Thomas Jefferson's letters to his nephew regarding religion were insightful to the time and thought process as well.
The book is a short read but Allen makes his points clear and concise about Christianity, Judaism and popular religion in general. He is not a fan of the way it is taught or believing it in general, he is a deist through and through and explains why.
It's an interesting read although I preferred "Age of Reason" or Joseph Priestley's religious writings even though they came from a different angle. Thomas Jefferson's letters to his nephew regarding religion were insightful to the time and thought process as well.
October 2, 2022
Pity about the deism (which a little more reflection might have cured him of*), but a lot of very good arguments concerning "revealed religion".
* Since he argues earlier in the book that "God" is supernatural, and that we can know nothing about anything supernatural, his claim at the end of the book that "All our knowledge of things is derived from God" seems poorly thought out.
* Since he argues earlier in the book that "God" is supernatural, and that we can know nothing about anything supernatural, his claim at the end of the book that "All our knowledge of things is derived from God" seems poorly thought out.
February 21, 2025
A needed and necessary apologetic.
The language, cumbersome and verbose by today’s standards, employed by Allen beautifully articulates the intellectual disconnect between reason and reviled religion. This is a foundational reading for anyone acknowledging the existence of a creator but rejecting the intermediary individuals, dogma and institutional barriers religions place between humanity, as part of nature, and of nature’s creator.
The language, cumbersome and verbose by today’s standards, employed by Allen beautifully articulates the intellectual disconnect between reason and reviled religion. This is a foundational reading for anyone acknowledging the existence of a creator but rejecting the intermediary individuals, dogma and institutional barriers religions place between humanity, as part of nature, and of nature’s creator.
December 26, 2021
The idea that God exists, but is more explainable than we think
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews